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.
Sweet Talkin Woman
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was hopin' (hopin') for a chance to meet
I was waitin' for the operator on the line
(She's gone so long)
What can I do?
(Where could she be?)
Don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
You gotta slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
I was (walkin'), many days go by
I was thinkin' (thinkin') 'bout the lonely nights
Communication break down all around
(She's gone so long)
What can I do?
(Where could she be now?)
No no no, don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
You gotta slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
I've been livin' on a dead-end street
I've been askin' ev'rybody I meet
Insufficient data coming through
(She's gone so long)
What can I do?
(Where could she be?)
No no no, don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
The lyrics of Sweet Talkin' Woman by Electric Light Orchestra tell the story of a man who is desperate to reconnect with his lover after a period of miscommunication and distance. The song starts with the man describing how he was searching on a one-way street, hoping for a chance to meet his lover. He then reveals that he was waiting for the operator on the line, but she's gone too long, and he doesn't know what he's supposed to do. As the song progresses, he talks about how he was thinking about the lonely nights he spent without her and how communication has broken down. The choruses of the song are the man's pleas for the woman to slow down and hold on, for she has him running and searching. He concludes the song by admitting that he has been living on a dead-end street and asking everyone he meets to help him connect with her.
The lyrics of the song are very relatable because most people can understand the struggle and pain that comes with miscommunication and distance. The song's message is to encourage people to take their time and hold on to their loved ones, for they are worth the effort. It's a reminder that relationships require work and sometimes require sacrifices, but the reward is worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
I was searchin' (searchin') on a one-way street
I was looking for something without any options or hope of finding it easily.
I was hopin' (hopin') for a chance to meet
I was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to meet someone special.
I was waitin' for the operator on the line
I was expecting to talk to someone who could connect me with someone else.
(She's gone so long)
What can I do?
(Where could she be?)
Don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
I'm missing someone so badly, and I'm not sure where they are or what I'll do if I can't find them soon.
You gotta slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be with you, but it's hard to keep up with you when you're always on the move. I hope we can work it out or it'll be heartbreaking to end things this way.
I was (walkin'), many days go by
I was thinkin' (thinkin') 'bout the lonely nights
I've been wandering around aimlessly for days, thinking about how lonely I've been without you by my side.
Communication break down all around
(She's gone so long)
What can I do?
(Where could she be now?)
No no no, don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
Everyone I reach out to for help is unresponsive, and I'm still struggling to find where you are. I can't give up, though, I have to keep trying to find you.
I've been livin' on a dead-end street
I've been askin' ev'rybody I meet
Insufficient data coming through
(She's gone so long)
What can I do?
(Where could she be?)
No no no, don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
I'm stuck in a hopeless situation, asking everyone I meet for help, but it seems like nobody has any useful information. I can't give up until I find you, though.
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
Please slow down and wait for me. I'm doing everything I can to catch up with you. If we have to end things, it's going to be really sad, but I hope we can work things out before that happens.
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
I'm still trying to keep up with you, but it seems like you're always a few steps ahead. I'll keep trying, though, because losing you would be really tough for me.
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
I'm feeling exhausted from chasing after you all the time, but I can't give up yet. Maybe we can still make things work, but it would be such a shame to end things now.
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin' woman
You got me runnin', you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
You're really keeping me on my toes, and it's hard to keep up with you. But I won't give up until we've exhausted every option for making things work between us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@peterlagroove6555
John Lennon and also Paul Mc Cartney once said that ELO is what the Beatles would have became if they had continued as a band into the 1970's and beyond. True words!
@RevanHorner
I was trying to figure out what this song was after hearing it at the market. I'm dreadful at identifying artists, but I kept feeling like it was someone's idea of a Beatles song haha.
@margaretanscombe730
Makes sense. This song definitely has a very “Beatles-esque” vibe!
@mullar
The Beatles 2
@theotherconfederrasputin2729
It's Really Not that Hard at all to Imagine That! 🦊
@eamonnclabby7067
A lovely thought...one day perhaps...
@kylekatarn5964
This entire album is a masterpiece
@davidderitis9068
yes, this one AND 'A New World Record' was their finest !
@burnychaplin4601
Yeah that's a fact they just can't make music like this anymore
@cactusmanofdestiny3708
DAMN FUCKING STRAIGHT.