They incorporated the sounds of string ensembles, vocoders and dub echos into rock songs, thereby creating a very sophisticated studio version of rock. The musical content of ELO songs often went far beyond usual chord structures, mixing pop songwriting with classical romanticism and synthesized sounds. The band claim that their music "picks up where The Beatles' 1967 song I Am the Walrus left off."
Formed in 1970 by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan (the remaining members of the 1960s rock group The Move). The band used cellos, violin, horns and woodwinds to give their music a classical sound. This was an idea Roy Wood initially had while with The Move, to take rock music in a new direction. In 1970 when Carl Wayne left the The Move, Jeff Lynne, front man with fellow Brum band Idle Race, responded to Wood's second invitation to join the line-up, with the lure of starting the new band. To help finance the fledgling project, two more Move albums were released during the recording of their eponymous first album in 1971 which produced the UK hit 10538 Overture. In the US this album was released with the mistaken title of No Answer, due to a mix-up with an uncompleted telephone call to the American label and subsequent secretarial message.
However, tensions soon surfaced between Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne. With most of the media attention focused on Roy Wood, differences in musical direction, and a disastrous first live outing, it was no surprise when the band went through the first of its many line-up changes as Wood took Hugh McDowell and Bill Hunt with him to form Wizzard. Despite the music press's predictions that the band would fold without Wood, Jeff Lynne stepped up to lead the band, with Bevan remaining on drums, bassist Richard Tandy switching to moog synthesizer, Michael d'Albuquerque on bass, Mike Edwards, Colin Walker (cello) and Wilfred Gibson replacing Steve Woolam on violin. They released ELO 2 in 1973, from which came their first U.S. chart hit, a hugely elaborate version of the Chuck Berry classic Roll Over Beethoven. After their second album, violinist Gibson was dismissed and replaced by Mik Kaminski. They also released On The Third Day in 1973, with Mike Edwards playing all the cello parts due to Colin Walker leaving the band. Later that same year saw the return of Hugh McDowell, who had jumped ship the year previous, to replace cellist Colin Walker.
In 1974 Lynne hired a thirty-piece orchestra, choir and Louis Clark, then began work on the next LP Eldorado, A Symphony, a concept album about dreams, scoring their first U.S. Top Ten hit with Can't Get It Out Of My Head in 1975. Eldorado would become ELO's first gold album.
After the release of Eldorado, bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt and cellist Melvyn Gale joined, replacing de Albuquerque and Edwards respectively.
The band split in 1983. In 1985, Lynne, Tandy and Bevan reunited and recorded the album "Balance of Power". This reunion was short lived and the band split once more in 1986. Bev Bevan and Louis Clark, with the consent of Lynne, toured and recorded as ELO Part II from 1988 until Bevan's retirement in 1999. In 2000, Lynne and Tandy reformed Electric Light Orchestra and released a new record, "Zoom". "Zoom" proved to be a commercial failure, and the duo split once more in 2001.
In 2014, following support from BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans, Lynne and Tandy reunited as a part of BBC Radio 2's "Festival in a Day" to perform under the new billing, "Jeff Lynne's ELO", a name Lynne devised as a response to ELO tributes, imitation bands, and offshoots who used ELO to promote their own tours.
In February 2015, Jeff Lynne's ELO performed at the Grammy Awards with Ed Sheeran, and in September of that year they announced a new album would be released under Columbia Records. Jeff Lynne's ELO - Alone in the Universe was released on November 13, 2015, and was ELO’s first album of new material in almost 15 years.
The second album under Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Jeff Lynne's ELO - From Out of Nowhere, was released on November 1, 2019.
There is more than one artist with the name "ELO". The vast majority of scrobbles to "Electric Light Orchestra" are for the rock band from England.
ELO, is a South Korean singer, who debuted with the album, 8 Femmes, on August 26, 2016.
Starlight
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Callin', callin')
Starlight, I hear you callin' out to me
(I hear you callin', callin', callin', callin')
Sweet love, rollin' across my mind again
(Ooh, you only cross my mind)
I want you, yes, I do, I need you, yes, I do
You gotta stop, foolin' around
Keep your feet on the ground, little girl
And starlight will shine all around, little girl
(Starlight callin')
Starlight, your eyes are lookin' out so far away
(I hear you callin', callin', callin', callin')
Constellation in the sky, is smiling down on me
I wonder, wonder why (I wonder, wonder why)
I can feel you're so real, I can see you're so near
And then you run
You gotta stop, foolin' around
Keep your feet on the ground, little girl
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
And starlight will shine all around, little girl
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
You had me all the summer long, little girl
(It's no good at all, hey)
Moonglow, come light the way up to my window
(I hear you callin', callin', callin', callin')
As you roll across the night don't tell nobody that I told you so
(Don't tell nobody 'bout it)
I need you, yes, I do, I need you, yes, I do
And then you run
You gotta stop, foolin' around
Keep your feet on the ground, little girl
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
And starlight will shine all around, little girl
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
You had me all the summer long, little girl
(It's no good at all)
Starlight (starlight), your eyes are lookin' down on me
So far away
Starlight (starlight), your eyes are lookin' down on me
So far away
Starlight (starlight), your eyes are lookin' down on me
So far away
Starlight (starlight), your eyes are lookin' down on me
The song "Starlight" by Electric Light Orchestra draws a picture of a man listening to the call of starlight, which is a representation of his yearning for love that has eluded him. The repeated call the man hears represents his constant search for love, as it always seems to be just out of reach. He desires the love he hears in the call and is reminded of it when he sees the stars shining in the sky. The man tells himself to "keep [his] feet on the ground" and to stop getting carried away by his search for love because it will always run away.
While the song seems to be about searching for love, it also has a deeper meaning. The starlight can be seen as a metaphor for hope in a world where everything seems dark and hopeless. The man feels like he hasn't found love yet but is comforted by the fact that there is still hope and the starlight will always shine, even when things seem bleak.
Overall, the lyrics of "Starlight" speak to themes of love, hope, and perseverance in the face of discouragement. It is a reminder to keep looking up and to never give up on the things that matter most.
Line by Line Meaning
Starlight, I hear you callin' out to me
The singer hears the call of starlight to them.
Sweet love, rollin' across my mind again
The singer thinks of their love, like starlight rolling across their mind.
I want you, yes, I do, I need you, yes, I do
The singer desires their love.
And then you run
The singer's love leaves them.
Starlight, your eyes are lookin' out so far away
The singer imagines starlight looking at them from far away.
Constellation in the sky, is smiling down on me
The singer imagines the stars smiling down on them.
I wonder, wonder why (I wonder, wonder why)
The singer wonders why the stars are looking at them.
I can feel you're so real, I can see you're so near
The singer feels close to their love, though they are far away.
You gotta stop, foolin' around
The singer tells their love to stop their games.
Keep your feet on the ground, little girl
The singer advises their love to be practical.
And starlight will shine all around, little girl
If their love is practical, the starlight will shine around them.
You had me all the summer long, little girl
The singer's love had them throughout the summer, but it was not good.
Moonglow, come light the way up to my window
The singer asks for moonlight to guide their love to their window.
As you roll across the night don't tell nobody that I told you so
The singer urges the moonlight not to reveal their secrets.
Starlight (starlight), your eyes are lookin' down on me / So far away
The singer feels like starlight is watching them from a distance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Lynne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
A nice ELO song.
Philip Kassabian
A lovely ELO song.
@cm-th1ss
I'm 61. I used to play Mr Blue Sky endlessly back in 1977 on the pub jukebox on the grey, wet days in the northern city of Carlisle. I never heard the full album at the time so what an absolute treat to discover this total gem and hear it today for the first time 45 years later. Its like discovering buried treasure from your childhood . This tune is exploding with life, melody and emotion .I love the happy/melancholic vibe . It is as fresh as daisy , I can almost taste 1977 on it. Should have been a number one, Many thanks to Jeff Lynne and ELO for this piece of timeless Starlight magic.
@bradpertner1035
Just played the album today just like I did in '77...
@cherylvisher8533
I'm 61 too. my brother introduced me to this song years ago .omg one of my fav .music was music back then
@bikenband
Same age as you, my sentiments exactly 🎯
@alcahallic4526
the summer it came out the local rock radio station played it every day, I was so crazy about it that I went and bought the double album. To me, the band (Lynne) was at a peak.
@TheWebpadawan
I like that comment!, Im just dont want to ruin that number
@timothyhadley5699
One of ELO's greatest unknown songs. I wish they would play it in concert.
@conga205
Raised on Jazz and Funk. Heard this song while driving thru the Mojave at 3am way back in 1979 on KSAN. Made me pull over and rewind the cassette so I could lay on the hood of my Gremlin and watch the stars go round......still good today.