The band continued to tour Germany and the UK in 1992 with Louis Clark playing keyboards to duplicate the strings of the absent orchestra. In 1993, Pete Haycock and Neil Lockwood left the band, and were replaced by guitarist/vocalist Phil Bates, who had been in the band Trickster which were the opening act for ELO's 1978 world tour. An ambitious world tour was undertaken by ELO Part Two in 1993, including dates in the USA and Eastern Europe.
Now a six-piece band with a slightly altered name, Electric Light Orchestra Part II recorded a second studio album, Moment Of Truth, which was released in 1994. The album was not a commercial success, but was generally considered superior to their first album. The band continued its rigorous tour schedule over the following years, sometimes augmenting the core band with a backing orchestra. On these occasions, they took only a small number of string players on the road and added local musicians to the orchestra at each venue to cut down costs. This was one of the features that distinguished ELO Part II from ELO, as the original band never played live with orchestral accompaniment. Another live album with orchestral backing was recorded in Sydney, Australia in 1995 and was released the following year in Germany as a double album One Night, and the year after that in the USA as a single album One Night - Live In Australia. The band sold the master tapes of this album, and it has since been remixed, remastered, and re-released under so many guises that the original CD may prove difficult to acquire.
Bates remained with the band until 1998 and was replaced by Parthenon Huxley (guitar, vocals). As the decade progressed, the percentage of original material in the band's set list tended to decrease, and their concerts often consisted of 90 per cent ELO songs. Bevan started to get frustrated, especially with their inability to break through in the United States, where the band sometimes performed in bars or at festivals where they were not the centre of attention. In November 1999, Bevan played his last show with the band at the Sands Hotel in Atlantic City.
Unlike the original ELO, which were under the creative control of writer/producer Lynne, ELO Part II were often portrayed as more of a democracy, with various band members sharing songwriting and lead vocals. But Bev Bevan was still the leader of the band, and he issued a press release in early 2000 indicating that ELO Part II were disbanded.
Heart Of Hearts
Electric Light Orchestra Part II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say there's gold under the stone
They say there's fire in the ice
They say that love is crazy it's true
But what can a poor man do
When he's burned by someone like you
Chorus
Is this romance over
In your heart of hearts
Is there nothing I can do
You made a fool out of this desperate lover
In your heart of hearts
Don't push me away
In your heart of hearts
Don't you want me to stay
Verse
Days of love mean nothing to you
Night of romance and fire
What went wrong with this paradise
What turned the gold to stone
What turned the fire to ice
Chorus
In your heart of hearts
Is this romance over
In your heart of hearts
Is there nothing I can do
You made a fool out of this desperate lover
In your heart of hearts
Don't push me away
In your heart of hearts
Don't you want me to stay
Verse
You can take the fire away
But the flame burns hotter
You can take the love away
But the memory's stronger every day
Can't stop it, can't help it
I'll never forget about you
The song "Heart of Hearts" by Electric Light Orchestra Part II explores the complexity of heartbreak and the aftermath of a failed romance. The verse suggests that there is a feeling of regret in the air as they mention things such as "gold under the stone" and "fire in the ice." These phrases connote the idea that unanticipated things can occur, hence affecting a relationship's course. The singer tries to plead his case, stating that he has been left heartbroken by the person he loves. The chorus suggests that the singer is questioning whether the relationship is over or not. The phrase "In your heart of hearts" is repeated throughout, representing some kind of inner contradiction.
The second verse continues to talk about how time and effort have been put into this love, but it has all gone down the drain. The singer is confused and trying to wrap their head around how something so beautiful can suddenly turn so sour. The chorus repeats, implying that the heartbreak has not been resolved, and there is still mixed emotion. The final verse expresses the feeling of not being able to move on and forget about what happened. The singer knows that they cannot force someone to love them or pretend that they don't care, but the emotions remain persistent.
Line by Line Meaning
They say there's gold under the stone
There are hidden treasures in unexpected places.
They say there's fire in the ice
There is often more to things than meets the eye.
They say that love is crazy it's true
Love can be unpredictable, irrational, and difficult to understand.
But what can a poor man do
When faced with challenges and obstacles, it can be difficult to know how to proceed.
When he's burned by someone like you
When someone we care about hurts us, it can be especially painful.
In your heart of hearts
Deep down, at your very core.
Is this romance over
Are we at the end of our relationship?
Is there nothing I can do
Is there no possible way to save what we once had?
You made a fool out of this desperate lover
You took advantage of my vulnerable state and made me look foolish.
Don't push me away
Please don't distance yourself from me emotionally.
Don't you want me to stay
Do you still have feelings for me and want to salvage our relationship?
Days of love mean nothing to you
Our time together was insignificant and unimportant to you.
Night of romance and fire
Even intense, passionate moments were fleeting and meaningless to you.
What went wrong with this paradise
Something went awry and ruined what seemed like a perfect relationship.
What turned the gold to stone
What caused love and happiness to become cold and unfeeling?
What turned the fire to ice
What caused passion and desire to be replaced with indifference and detachment?
You can take the fire away
You can try to extinguish the passion, but it still burns within me.
But the flame burns hotter
In fact, my feelings for you have only intensified over time.
You can take the love away
You can try to erase our relationship from your memory, but it lives on in mine.
But the memory's stronger every day
Our time together continues to impact me and influence my emotions.
Can't stop it, can't help it
I am unable to control my thoughts and feelings about you.
I'll never forget about you
You will always hold a special place in my heart and memory.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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