Alpacas Orgling is an ingeniously arranged evocation of the orchestral pop-rock of the mid-seventies, a sound built for the eclectic AM-radio pop charts of the time, but also cool enough to resonate for years on the FM dial. It's a style epitomized by the sweeping productions of the Electric Light Orchestra, which created a technologically enhanced wall of sound as grand and wonderful as Phil Spector's "teenage symphonies" of the mid-sixties. This is no mere homage to an earlier era, however, simply compiling familiar songs from back in the day. Rather, all of these lush, vocal-stacked and hook-packed tunes are originals, composed by a collective of pop-obsessed, genre-jumping contemporary musicians.
Among the collaborators assembled here as L.E.O. are vocalist Andy Sturmer, from nineties power pop-icon Jellyfish; singer-guitarist Mike Viola, formerly of the Candy Butchers and producer of the Oscar-nominated movie theme "That Thing You Do!"; multi-platinum producer John Fields; Papas Fritas founder/producer Tony Goddess; Matt Mahaffey of the acclaimed one-man-band Self; Jason Scheff, vocalist and bassist for the legendary band Chicago; singer-songwriter Paula Kelley; Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman; and even the Hanson brothers. This wildly eclectic crew was brought together by Boston pop auteur Bleu (William James McAuley III), who whimsically decided to embark on this unique project four years ago and managed to cajole his many far-flung pals to join him for the ride.
Every name on the album credits for Alpacas Orgling makes for great googling. The interconnections among these players suggest there's a thriving, parallel pop universe in which artists like Bleu make music that's both serious-minded and light-hearted, reclaiming familiar sounds from pop's past to ensure its healthy future. It's a place just beyond the mainstream, but not that hard to find. Alpacas Orgling is all the more compelling because these relatively unsung pop heroes have managed to effortlessly recreate, in clever and cheap do-it-yourself fashion, an expensive and much-labored-over studio sound. Along the way, L.E.O. gives their work emotional depth by injecting it with romance, wit and yearning. Alpacas Orgling is pop music designed for an instant of pleasure, yet secretly built to last.
Don't Bring Me Down
L.E.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got me thinkin' that I'm wastin' my time
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no)
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
(Don't bring me down)
You wanna stay out with your fancy friends
I'm tellin' you it's got to be the end
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no)
(Don't bring me down)
Don't bring me down, groos
Don't bring me down, groos
Don't bring me down, groos
Don't bring me down
What happened to the girl I used to know?
You let your mind out somewhere down the road
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no)
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
(Don't bring me down)
You're always talkin' 'bout your crazy nights
One of these days you're gonna get it right
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no no no)
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
(Don't bring me down)
Don't bring me down, groos
Don't bring me down, groos
Don't bring me down, groos
Don't bring me down
You're lookin' good just like a snake in the grass
One of these days you're gonna break your glass
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no no no)
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
(Don't bring me down)
You got me shakin' got me runnin' away
You got me crawlin' up to you everyday
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no)
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
(Don't bring me down)
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
(Don't bring me down)
L.E.O.'s "Don't Bring Me Down" is a song about a relationship that has taken a downward turn, and the singer's plea for his partner to stop dragging him down. The first verse sets the scene, with the singer feeling frustrated and tired by his partner's behavior. He wants her to stop wasting his time, and he warns her not to bring him down ("Don't bring me down, no no no no no"). The chorus repeats this message over and over, emphasizing the urgency of his plea.
In the second verse, it becomes clear that something has happened to the girl he used to know. She has changed, lost her way, or lost her mind, and he wants her to snap out of it. He's tired of hearing about her crazy nights and wants her to get her act together. The bridge continues this theme, with the singer warning his partner that she's going to break her glass if she keeps acting like a snake in the grass.
Overall, "Don't Bring Me Down" is a song about the end of a relationship, or at least the end of the way things used to be. The singer is fed up with his partner's behavior and wants her to change before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
You got me runnin' goin' out of my mind
Your behavior is causing me stress and anxiety
You got me thinkin' that I'm wastin' my time
I am starting to question whether this relationship is worth my time and effort
(Don't bring me down, no no no no no)
Please stop behaving in this way and causing me distress
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
This is your final warning before I end this relationship
You wanna stay out with your fancy friends
You prioritize spending time with your wealthy friends over me
I'm tellin' you it's got to be the end
I am informing you that this relationship is over
What happened to the girl I used to know?
I don't understand how you have changed so much from the person I fell in love with
You let your mind out somewhere down the road
You have lost touch with who you used to be and I don't recognize you anymore
You're always talkin' 'bout your crazy nights
You prioritize going out and partying over our relationship
One of these days you're gonna get it right
I hope that one day you will realize the importance of our relationship and start acting accordingly
You're lookin' good just like a snake in the grass
You appear charming on the surface but you have ulterior motives
One of these days you're gonna break your glass
Your reckless behavior will eventually catch up with you
You got me shakin' got me runnin' away
Your behavior is causing me fear and I want to distance myself from you
You got me crawlin' up to you everyday
I am constantly trying to please you and make you happy even though it is to my own detriment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Lynne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@The_Eldest_Millenial
Fun facts:
*A common mondegreen in the song is the perception that, following the title line, Lynne shouts "Bruce!". In the liner notes of the ELO compilation Flashback and elsewhere, Lynne has explained that he is singing a made-up word, "Grooss," which some have suggested sounds like the German expression "Gruß." After the song's release, so many people had misinterpreted the word as "Bruce" that Lynne actually began to sing the word as "Bruce" for fun at live shows.
*"Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's second-highest-charting hit in the UK where it peaked at number 3] and their biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted well in Canada (number 1) and Australia (number 6). This was the first song by ELO not to include a string section.
*The drum track is in fact a tape loop, coming from "On the Run" looped and slowed down.
*The song ends with the sound of a door slamming. According to producer Jeff Lynne, this was a metal fire door at Musicland Studios where the song was recorded.
*The song was dedicated to the NASA Skylab space station, which re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia on 11 July 1979.
*On 4 November 2007, Lynne was awarded a BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) Million-Air certificate for "Don't Bring Me Down" for the song having reached two million airplays.
#DontBringMeDown
@bonjoviwankenobi8533
That opening was
EXTRA T H I C C
@Mastermo-fi6bv
JoviBonJon THUNDER THIGHS
@zenix9313
Thiccccccc
@setMaddy
I love t h i c c but it might be a little too thick...
@damanyocum149
Ultra PAWG 😁🤩
@ericwasinger8386
Agreed.
@r.a.4795
My boyfriend in 1980 had a Chevy Chevelle SS and we went to church camp in that car in 1980. He jammed this song and Boston, More than a Feeling as we traveled over Transmountain Road in El Paso headed to New Mexico for church camp. I will never forget it. Fast forward to 2012, we reconnected on Facebook and married. He died in 2019 after a double lung transplant gave him 4 extra years of life. He served 22 years in the US Navy. I loved this man from the age of 14 and ELO will aways be about me and Jeffrey Allen Hoagland.
@youresoakinginit2113
So sorry for your loss.
Yes Music has a visceral effect on our feelings. Kind of like scents/aromas... an orange blossom or a loaf of garlic bread. We save those experiences throughout our lives and they surface on their own when looking back gives us a good feeling. I hope you remember the good times fondly, and I wish you peace.♡
@r.a.4795
Thank you for your kind words! It is so bittersweet.
@lindafranco7489
❤️🙏