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.
The way life`s meant ot be
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I left you so long on this avenue
And here I stand in the strangest land
Not knowing what to say or do
As I gaze around at these strangers in town
I guess the only stranger is me
And I wonder, yes I wonder
Is this the way life's meant to be
Although it's only a day since I was taken away
And left standing here looking in wonder
The ground at my feet, maybe it's just the old street
But everything that I know lies under
And when I see what they've done to this place that
was home
Shame is all that I feel
And I wonder, yes I wonder, is this
The way life's meant to be
Too late, too late to cry
The people say
Too late for you, too late for me
You've come so far, now you know everything
My friend
Just look and see the wonders of our world
As I wander around this wreck of a town
Where people never speak aloud
With its ivory towers and its plastic flowers
I wish I was back in 1981
Just to see your face instead of this place
Now I know what you mean to me
And I wonder, yes, I wonder, is this
The way life's meant to be.
The song "The Way Life's Meant to Be" by Electric Light Orchestra is a contemplation on the alienation and nostalgia of being away from home. The first verse paints a picture of the singer having come a long way and left loved ones behind, with the uncertainty of being in a new and unfamiliar place. The second verse reflects the passing of time and the singer's realization that everything they know has changed. The people they encounter are strangers, and the landscape and atmosphere are markedly different.
There is a sense of sadness and disbelief in the chorus, where the singer wonders if this is truly the way life is meant to be. The final verse brings the song full circle, with the singer wishing to be back in the past, specifically in 1981, the year of the album's release, in order to be reunited with a loved one instead of being in a world where everything seems foreign and hostile. In this way, the song can be seen as a commentary on the transient and uncertain nature of life and the longing for a simpler time.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I came a long way to be here today
I have traveled a great distance to get to where I am now.
And I left you so long on this avenue
I abandoned you on this street for a long time.
And here I stand in the strangest land
I am now in a foreign place where everything is unfamiliar to me.
Not knowing what to say or do
I am lost and confused with no idea what to say or do in this situation.
As I gaze around at these strangers in town
I observe the people around me and realize that I am the only stranger here.
I guess the only stranger is me
I realize that I am the only one who does not belong here.
And I wonder, yes I wonder
I am filled with curiosity and questioning about my current situation.
Is this the way life's meant to be
I question if this is truly how life is meant to be lived.
Although it's only a day since I was taken away
Even though it has only been a day since I left my previous life...
And left standing here looking in wonder
...I am left standing here amazed and confused by my surroundings.
The ground at my feet, maybe it's just the old street
The ground beneath me may be familiar, but everything else is new.
But everything that I know lies under
Although the familiar ground is still there, everything else has changed.
And when I see what they've done to this place that was home
When I realize how this place, which was once familiar to me, has changed...
Shame is all that I feel
...I am filled with a sense of embarrassment and sadness.
And I wonder, yes I wonder, is this
I am once again questioning myself and my surroundings.
The way life's meant to be
I am once again questioning if this is truly how life should be lived.
Too late, too late to cry
It is now too late to feel sorry for myself or to mourn what has been lost.
The people say
People around me are telling me this.
Too late for you, too late for me
It is too late for both of us to do anything about it.
You've come so far, now you know everything
You have traveled a great distance and learned so much.
My friend
I am addressing someone familiar and close to me.
Just look and see the wonders of our world
Take a moment to observe and appreciate the amazing things in our world.
As I wander around this wreck of a town
I am aimlessly walking around in this run-down and neglected town.
Where people never speak aloud
The people around me are quiet and do not speak much, if at all.
With its ivory towers and its plastic flowers
The town is filled with grand and fancy buildings, but they are all superficial and fake.
I wish I was back in 1981
I yearn to return to a specific point in my past - 1981.
Just to see your face instead of this place
I long to see the person I care about instead of being stuck in this rundown town.
Now I know what you mean to me
Being away from the person I care about has made me realize how much they mean to me.
And I wonder, yes, I wonder, is this
Once again, I am filled with curiosity and questioning about my current situation.
The way life's meant to be.
I am still questioning if this is the way life should truly be lived.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@enzopioly5028
Well i came a long way to be here today
And i left you so long on this avenue,
And here i stand in the strangest land
Not knowing what to say or do.
As i gaze around at these strangers in town,
I guess the only stranger is me,
And i wonder,yes i wonder,is this
The way life's meant to be
Although it's only a day since i was taken away
And left standing here looking in wonder,
The ground at my feet maybe it's just the old street
But everything that i know lies under,
And when i see what they've
Done to this place that was home,
Shame is all that i feel,
And i wonder,yes i wonder,is this
The way life's meant to be.
Too late,too late to cry,the people say,
Too late for you,too late for me
You've come so far,now you know everything
My friend
Just look and see the wonders of our world
As i wander around this wreck of a town
Where people never speak aloud
With its ivory towers and its plastic flowers
I wish i was back in 1981
Just to see your face,instead of this place
Now i know what you mean to me,
And i wonder,yes i wonder,is this
The way life's meant to be.
@jjtonks5005
I ugly cried last night when I saw that Jeff Lynne and ELO is touring 2024... and the cheapest tickets are so out of my price range in TN (I live in SC) that I realized I will never see the most amazing artist/musician in my lifetime. 💔
@DasTubemeister
I wish i was back in 1981.
@AKrause-th9mc
Dieser Song hebt mich über alles hinweg. Einfach großartig.
@gr1mrea9er82
Jeff Lynne was always influenced by the Beatles. A lot of people today fail to realize how popular ELO was in the mid-70s after The Beatles had split... He kinda became their natural heir, having similar compositions and melodies and having been a friend to the band, his and George Harrison's friendship and cooperation later flourished into the Traveling Wilburys.
@johngreener9784
If you are reading this comment, think that this album is now over 40 years old, and yet strangely prophetic. I was 19 when it came out and I just loved the "concept" approach. How hard it has to be to come up with 10 or so songs that all tie together? It was brilliant!! And I lust love that samba/calypso thing going on this song!! (And the kettle drums! A feast for the ears!) Bless you Jeff Lynne!
@The_italy_Mapper
Ok
@Francloy1
With its ivory towers and its plastic flowers, I wish I was back in 1981.
@VegasVixen
I’m 39 , the magic of this band is symphony . I wish popular artists now a days too the time to compose such songs with strategy .
@acw7120
Love the album cover design as well. It almost looks like fizzy "blue "Tizer split by mistake all over a pink piano. Whoops a daisy better leave now lol. Great Artwork and great song.
@xwdogg
You are correct. Exquisitely prophetic and wonderfully sad. Was born in 1971. Found this album in the early 90's and have watched the show unwind since then..