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.
Livin' Thing
Electric Light Orchestra Part II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like magic
Oh, rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin'
It's magic
And you, and your sweet desire
You took me higher and higher, baby
It's a livin' thing
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
Making believe this is what you conceived
From your worst day
Moving in line then you look back in time
To the first day
And you, and your sweet desire
Don't you do it, don't you do it
You took me, oh higher and higher, baby
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
Takin' a dive 'cos you can't halt the slide
Floating downstream
So let her go don't start spoiling the show
It's a bad dream
And you, and your sweet desire
You took me higher and higher, baby
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
The lyrics to the song "Livin' Thing" by Electric Light Orchestra Part II describe the ups and downs of a relationship. The image of sailing away on the crest of a wave represents the highs of the relationship, the magical feeling that everything is going well. The lines "It's a livin' thing, it's a terrible thing to lose" suggest that the relationship is something alive and real, not just an abstract idea, and losing it would be devastating. The chorus expresses the joy and satisfaction the singer feels being with their partner who makes them feel alive and fulfilled.
The second verse talks about the difficulties of the relationship, the moments of doubt and disappointment ("Making believe this is what you conceived from your worst day"). However, despite the challenges, the singer still looks back to the beginning of the relationship with fondness and gratitude. The line "Don't you do it, don't you do it" is a warning not to let the negative feelings take over and destroy the relationship. The bridge of the song suggests that sometimes things don't work out no matter how hard one tries to fix them, and it's better to let go and move on.
Overall, the song is a celebration of love and a warning against taking it for granted. The highs and lows of a relationship are depicted vividly through the images of sailing on a wave and sliding downstream. The chorus is a reminder that love is a precious and fragile thing that should be cherished.
Line by Line Meaning
Sailin' away on the crest of a wave
Feeling light and carefree, like riding on top of the world
It's like magic
It's an enchanting and wondrous experience
Oh, rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin'
Going with the flow and enjoying the twists and turns of life
It's magic
It's a spellbinding and phenomenal sensation
And you, and your sweet desire
You and your passionate aspirations
You took me higher and higher, baby
You inspired me to reach new heights and exceed my limits
It's a livin' thing
It's a dynamic and evolving force of nature
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a devastating experience to let go of something so amazing
It's a given thing
It's an undeniable truth that some things in life are invaluable
What a terrible thing to lose
What a heartbreaking misfortune to have to give up on something of such immense worth
Making believe this is what you conceived
Pretending that this is what you always wanted and planned for
From your worst day
From the bleakest and most hopeless time of your life
Moving in line then you look back in time
Following the usual pattern of life and reminiscing about the past
To the first day
To the very beginning of your journey
Don't you do it, don't you do it
Don't give up on your dreams and aspirations
Takin' a dive 'cos you can't halt the slide
Taking a risk and embracing uncertainty because you can't avoid change
Floating downstream
Letting go of control and allowing life to take its natural course
So let her go don't start spoiling the show
Don't ruin the beauty of life by holding onto things that are meant to change and evolve
It's a bad dream
It's a nightmare to hold onto things that are not meant to be
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
Sailin' away on the crest of a wave
It's like magic
Oh rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and sliding
It's magic
And you, and your sweet desire,
You took me, ohhh higher and higher baby,
It's a livin' thing,
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose.
Making believe this is what you've conceived
From your worst day, I'm takin a dive
Oh moving in line when you look back in time
To the first day, I'm taken I'm taken
And you and your sweet desire,
You took me ohh, higher and higher baby
I'm takin a dive. Off the stage. Hey!!
Takin' a dive 'cos you can't halt the slide
Floating downstream, I'm takin a dive
Ah so let her go don't start spoiling the show
It's a bad dream, I'm takin' , I'm takin'
And you and your sweet desire
Don't you do it ,
You took me ohh higher and higher baby
@clintonhoffmann9626
John Lennon and also Paul Mc Cartney once said that ELO is what the Beatles would have eventually sounded like if they had continued as a band into the 1970's and beyond.
@kahpunktscholzthetruth3738
Clinton Hoffmann Really??
@Grade.patrick
Probably bad phrasing, I believe he meant that John Lennon implied that if The Beatles would have continued, they would have sounded like ELO.
@zhangjao6328
Viking Song Sounds like John Lennon, yep.
@JS-ll8ro
Viking Song yeah, whilst a genius he might have been, he was an arrogant one!
@SM-dh3su
ELO weren't emulating.
@samjohnson9862
Why the freaking hellĀ is ELO so underrated?Ā THEY'RE AWESOME!!!!!!
@franciscoj.rodriguez243
I don't know, always happened this with some musicians.
@lukecartledge6489
for me it's because they had only 3 songs I really like.
@LSDOvideos
elo isnt underrated