After ELO's breakup in the mid 1980s, Lynne moved into production work, showing both the influence of The Beatles that characterized much of ELO's work and an influence from rockabilly-style music. The Beatles' connection was strengthened when Lynne produced George Harrison's Cloud Nine, a successful comeback album for the ex-Beatle released in 1987 featuring the popular single "(Got My Mind) Set On You." In 1989, Lynne co-produced the acclaimed album Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, which included the hit singles "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down" and "Runnin' Down A Dream," all co-written by Lynne. This album and Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, also co-produced by Lynne, both received nominations for the Grammy as Best Album Of The Year in 1989.
In 1990 Lynne released his first solo album Armchair Theatre, featuring the singles "Every Little Thing" and "Lift Me Up." The album received some positive critical attention but little commercial success.
In February of 1994, Lynne fulfilled a lifelong dream by working with the three surviving Beatles on Anthology album series, and reunion tracks "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" (overdubbing John Lennon's demos for the songs). He has also produced records individually for George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and worked extensively on the Roy Orbison album Mystery Girl.
In 2001, Lynne released a new ELO album, Zoom, which--save for original ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy on one track--featured none of the original members of the Electric Light Orchestra, but attempted to "return to the classic ELO sound" [1]. The album received positive reviews but had no hit singles. While a concert of the album was filmed and shown on PBS stations, a planned concert tour was cancelled, although the concert was released on DVD. Also that year, Lynne appeared on a VH-1 Storytellers show filmed in New York, and EMI and Sony released remastered editions of part of ELO's catalog.
Lynne went back to the recording studio as a producer in 2002, co-producing and helping complete George Harrison's posthumously-released album, Brainwashed. He was also heavily involved in the memorial Concert for George, held at London's Royal Albert Hall in November 2002, and subsequently produced the Surround Sound audio mix for the Concert For George DVD released in November 2003. The DVD received a Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video.
Also in 2002, a tribute to Lynne called Lynne Me Your Ears was released [2], featuring two CDs full of artists performing Lynne/ELO songs, including Todd Rundgren, SWAG (featuring members of Wilco, The Mavericks and Cheap Trick), Sixpence None The Richer, Doug Powell, PFR, Jason Falkner, Fleming and John, Jerry Chamberlain of Daniel Amos, Rick Altizer and others.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine Tom Petty revealed that fellow Wilbury and Full Moon Fever producer Jeff Lynne will reunite with Petty on his upcoming solo album, due in 2006.
Jeff Lynn co-wrote, with John Farrar, the lyrics and music for the 2007 Broadway musical Xanadu. The show used several ELO songs, including "I'm Alive," "Evil Woman" and "Strange Magic."
In 2012 Lynne's second solo album, a covers album entitled Long Wave, was released on 8 October 2012. A greatest hits collection of re-recorded ELO songs by Lynne titled Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra was also released under the ELO moniker on the same day.
On September 24, 2015, under the name Jeff Lynne's ELO, "When I Was a Boy", the first single from Alone in the Universe was released on the internet with a music video released not long after. The album was released on November 13, 2015 and was followed by promotional shows including the first ELO shows in the United States in 30 years. A 2016 European tour has been scheduled.
Save Me Now
Jeff Lynne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boy I feel half dead
Somebody's turning up the poison
And it's getting in my head
Sometimes I wish my guests
would move away somewhere
Yes I'm burning up all over
I can't even breathe the air
Save me now, Save me now, Save me now come on and
Save me now, Save me now, Save me now
One day the earth woke up, said
Boy it's getting hot
And remember all those trees I had
Well now there ain't a lot
And my eyes kept slowly trickling
Down to where the party's at
And if everybody's going there well
That's the end of that
Save me now, Save me now, Save me now come on and
Save me now, Save me now, Save me now
The lyrics of Jeff Lynne's song Save Me Now draw attention to the state of the Earth and the harm inflicted by human actions. The imagery and metaphors used in the song are clear indictments of humanity's disregard for nature and its destructive tendencies. The song begins with the Earth waking up, and feeling half dead, and proceeds to describe how the Earth is being poisoned by someone, and this poison is getting into its head. The use of the pronoun 'somebody' is deliberate, as it shows the Earth personified as an individual who is helpless and vulnerable to forces beyond its control. The uncertainty about who is doing this harm is purposeful, as it highlights the shared responsibility that everyone has for the harm inflicted on the environment.
The second stanza is equally poignant, where the Earth has realized that it is getting hotter, and there are fewer trees than before. This is an allusion to deforestation, which is a significant source of climate change. The Earth describes how its eyes are slowly trickling down towards where the party's at, which is a metaphor for how human activity is contributing to environmental degradation. The song's chorus, 'Save me now', reinforces the message that the Earth needs help and highlights the urgency of the situation. The repetition of the phrase 'save me now' creates a sense of desperation in the song, capturing the mood of the Earth as it seeks help.
Line by Line Meaning
One day the earth woke up, said
The planet Earth personified as a sentient being, realizes that it is ill - poisoned and half dead
Boy I feel half dead
The Earth is using the phrase 'Boy I feel half dead' to indicate how the damages have left her feeling.
Somebody's turning up the poison
Someone, likely referring to humans, is increasing pollution which is causing the Earth to get poisoned.
And it's getting in my head
The pollution is metaphorically getting in the Earth's head, indicating it is causing significant harm.
Sometimes I wish my guests
Guests here referring to humans who inhabit the Earth, and the Earth is expressing its desire to get rid of them.
would move away somewhere
The Earth craves for the humans to leave, indicating that the planet would be better off without those destroying it.
Yes I'm burning up all over
The Earth is experiencing the effects of global warming and it is heating up at an alarming rate.
I can't even breathe the air
The pollution has become so excessive that the Earth can't even breathe the air, indicating how harmful it has become.
Save me now, Save me now, Save me now come on and
The Earth is calling out a desperate plea for help to save it from the harms caused by humans.
One day the earth woke up, said
The Earth is repeating its call for help by making everyone aware of the damages and harms that are concerning and catastrophic.
Boy it's getting hot
The planet is experiencing global warming, as a result of excessive pollution causing an overall rise in temperature.
And remember all those trees I had
The Earth is reminiscing about its past, when things were better, and all the trees were healthy and standing.
Well now there ain't a lot
The forests stand damaged and there are very few healthy trees left, indicating the scale of environmental destruction.
And my eyes kept slowly trickling
The planet is crying in pain from the harm that is happening to its environment and is suffering physically and emotionally.
Down to where the party's at
The phrase 'where the party's at' here refers to people who are having fun and enjoying life without necessarily caring for the environment.
And if everybody's going there well
If everybody continues living with no respect for the environment, things will only get worse.
That's the end of that
The Earth has given up and is resigning to the sad reality that it will not be able to survive without action being taken soon.
Save me now, Save me now, Save me now come on and
The Earth is back to calling for help to be saved urgently.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind