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.
She
Jeff Lynne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The trace of pleasure or regret
Maybe my treasure or the prize i have to pay
She may be the song that summer sings
Maybe the children autumn brings
Maybe a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day
She may be the beauty or the beast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
A smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell
She, who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She maybe the love that cannot hope to last
May come to leap from shadows in the past
That I remember 'till the day I die
She maybe the reason I survive
The why and wherefore kind of life
The one I care for through the rough and ready years
Me, I'll take the laughter and your tears
And make them all my souvenirs
And when she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is
She....she
Oh, she
The song "She" by Jeff Lynne is a poetic reflection on the complexity of romantic attraction and the many roles a person can play in one's life. The lyrics describe the singer's thoughts and feelings about a woman who may be his greatest love or his downfall. The opening lines set the stage for the ambiguity and duality of the woman's character, as she is both a source of pleasure and regret. She could be the singer's treasure, but also a prize that he has to pay for. As the lyrics progress, the woman takes on more contrasting roles - she may be the beauty or the beast, the famine or the feast, the reason for the singer's survival or the love that cannot hope to last.
Despite the different versions of the woman that the singer conjures in his mind, the chorus seems to tie everything together - "She is the meaning of my life." The singer is willing to accept all facets of the woman, including her flaws and pain, because she is the one who gives his life purpose. The final lines suggest that the singer will never forget her, even if she leaves him, as he will carry the memories of their laughter and tears with him forever.
Overall, "She" is a thoughtful, introspective love song that touches on the many contradictions that can exist within one person's identity. The lyrics highlight both the difficulty and the beauty of loving someone who is complex and multi-faceted.
Line by Line Meaning
She may be the face I can't forget
She could be the one who left an indelible impression on me
The trace of pleasure or regret
She may have both brought me joy and sorrow
Maybe my treasure or the prize i have to pay
She might be the reward I enjoy or the payment I need to pay for my actions
She may be the song that summer sings
She could be the melody of happiness that summer brings
Maybe the children autumn brings
Perhaps she represents the innocence and joy of autumn through its children
Maybe a hundred different things
She can have numerous roles and meanings for me
Within the measure of a day
Her influence can be experienced within a single day
She may be the beauty or the beast
She may have both attractive and unattractive qualities for me
Maybe the famine or the feast
She may come as a reward or hardship
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She has the potential to make every day wonderful or terrible
She may be the mirror of my dreams
She possibly reflects my desires and aspirations
A smile reflected in a stream
She could be smiling in a way that is reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
She may have hidden qualities and characteristics that I am not aware of
Inside her shell
She could be keeping her true self hidden from the world
She, who always seems so happy in a crowd
She is someone who always appears cheerful in public gatherings
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
Her eyes are capable of displaying pride and privacy when necessary
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She keeps her vulnerable moments and tears hidden from everyone else
She maybe the love that cannot hope to last
She could be the kind of love that is not destined to endure
May come to leap from shadows in the past
Memories of her can unexpectedly resurface from the past
That I remember 'till the day I die
My remembrance of her will remain vivid until my death
She maybe the reason I survive
She has the strength to be my reason for existing
The why and wherefore kind of life
She has the power to provide my life with meaning and purpose
The one I care for through the rough and ready years
She is the one who I will care for through thick and thin
Me, I'll take the laughter and your tears
I will cherish both your moments of joy and moments of sorrow
And make them all my souvenirs
I will keep every experience with you as my precious memories
And when she goes I've got to be
When she leaves I must become
The meaning of my life is
My life's purpose and significance is
She....she
Her, only her
Oh, she
Oh, she
Contributed by Max T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.