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.
Whisper in the Night
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over silent evening air
Angel's gown shines white
All at once you're glad she's there
Daughter of your dream shine a guiding light for me
For I'll be here till light
Whisper in the night
Till she has forgiven me
Night turns into gold
So the tide may turn today
Though god gave the world
It's not mine to throw away
Daughter of your dream shine a guiding light for me
For I'll be here till light
Whisper in the night
Till she has forgiven me
La da da da
Whisper in the night
Till she has forgiven me
Help to face what the day may bring
Angels sing
You were sent to make the night be kind
What will I find
Snowflake bird she came
Taking grey clouds from your door
Face the midnight sun
You have something to live for
Daughter of your dream shine a guiding light for me
For I'll be here till light
Whisper in the night
Till she has forgiven me
La da da da
Whisper in the night
Till she has forgiven me
In "Whisper in the Night," Electric Light Orchestra sings about seeking forgiveness from a woman who is the daughter of the singer's dream. The song is written in a dreamy, surreal tone, with angelic imagery and references to a guiding light. The singer seems to be seeking absolution for something that has caused a rift between him and the woman, and he enlists the help of an angelic figure to bring them back together.
The lyrics also touch on themes of redemption and the idea that we are not the masters of our own destinies. The singer acknowledges that even though God gave the world, it is not his to throw away, emphasizing the idea that we are all part of a larger plan that is beyond our control.
Overall, the song's dreamy lyrics and angelic imagery create a sense of longing and seeking for something that seems just out of reach. The singer's desire for forgiveness is palpable, and the repetition of the phrase "whisper in the night" creates a sense of urgency and hope that the woman will forgive him.
Line by Line Meaning
Whisper in the night
A soft and hushed communication in the darkness
Over silent evening air
Floating through the stillness of the night
Angel's gown shines white
Her garment gleams brilliantly like divine light
All at once you're glad she's there
You feel relieved and comforted by her sudden presence
Daughter of your dream shine a guiding light for me
An otherworldly figure, born from your subconscious, illuminates a path for you
For I'll be here till light
You'll remain in this place until sunrise
Till she has forgiven me
You'll stay until she has pardoned you for a wrongdoing
Night turns into gold
The darkness transforms into a beautiful, shining radiance
So the tide may turn today
The current of your life might shift towards a different direction
Though god gave the world
Even if the universe was created by a higher power
It's not mine to throw away
You cannot recklessly discard or disregard what has been given to you
Help to face what the day may bring
Assist me in confronting whatever challenges arise
Angels sing
Heavenly beings use their voices to express joy and hope
You were sent to make the night be kind
You were purposefully dispatched to make the darkness gentler and more compassionate
What will I find
What you discover on this journey is uncertain
Snowflake bird she came
A delicate avian creature arrived, adorned with frosty feathers
Taking grey clouds from your door
She removes the gloominess and sadness that surrounds you
Face the midnight sun
Confront the bright and shining light in the middle of the night
You have something to live for
Your life has something worth striving towards
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROY WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
richardvollin
The first ELO album (in my opinion) is a minor masterpiece of Baroque & Roll. It's sad that it's generally under appreciated and overlooked by mainstream fans of the band. "Boulders" by Roy Wood even more...Dear Elaine.
Ethan Hurwitz
So true - it's criminal that ppl dont know of this record
Chicago Transit Authority
It’s my 2nd favorite ELO album
vincent Lawrence
@Ashley Monday spot on mate.
richardvollin
@Ashley Monday Thanks Ashley. Roy will always be considered a musical genius and treasure to pop music culture.
Ashley Monday
I agree. I know people who are huge ELO fans and they have no idea who Roy is. Americans, anyway. Roy had a much bigger presence in the UK.
William Bejda
A truly beautiful song. Too bad Roy didn't stick around longer.
vincent Lawrence
@You don't know me The other way round. Jeff Lynne is a music god.
You don't know me
Roy seems like he had a lot of classical/folk training. I feel like he could have helped Jeff’s musical and lyric ideas develop a lot more, which stagnated and regressed at some point without someone like Roy around imo. I like song writing teams where there is some clashing of personality leading to more interesting results. Unfortunately they tend to not last that long!
Alex Svane Hugger
And what an amazing voice...