More recently, its principal conductors have included Pierre Monteux (1961–64), Istvan Kertesz (1965–68), André Previn (1968–79) and Claudio Abbado (1979–88). From 1988-1995, the American Michael Tilson-Thomas took over, and in 1995, became principal guest conductor. Sir Colin Davis served as the LSO's Principal Conductor from 1995-2006, and in 2007 took the post of President of the orchestra. On 1 January 2007, Valery Gergiev became the LSO's Principal Conductor. Previn holds the title of Conductor Laureate. In 2006, Daniel Harding became the co-principal guest conductor alongside Tilson Thomas. Richard Hickox is the Associate Guest Conductor of the LSO.
The LSO became the first British orchestra to play overseas when it went to Paris in 1906. The LSO was due to sail on the RMS Titanic for a concert in New York in April 1912 but fortunately had to change the booking at the last minute. It was also the first to play in the United States, in 1912, and in 1973 it was the first to be invited to take part in the Salzburg Festival. It continues to make tours around the world.
In 1966 the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) was formed to complement the work of the LSO. with more that two hundred amateur singers, the LSC maintains a close association with the LSO; however it has developed an independent life, which allows it to partner other leading orchestras.
The LSO has long been considered the most extraverted of the London orchestras. For most of its life it refused to allow women to become members, ostensibly on the grounds that women would affect the sound of the orchestra (there has been a similar controversy at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). There is an air of youthful high spirits to much of its music-making that is shown off in performances of such composers as Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has often had internationally-known players as wind soloists, including such artists as James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (oboe), Osian Ellis (harp), John Georgiadis (violin) and Barry Tuckwell (horn). Like most ensembles, the orchestra has a great ability to vary its sound, producing very different tone colours under such diverse conductors as Stokowski (with whom it made a series of memorable recordings), Adrian Boult, Jascha Horenstein, Georg Solti, André Previn, George Szell, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, and Karl Böhm, who developed a close relationship with the orchestra late in his life. Böhm and Bernstein each held the title of LSO President in their later years.
Clive Gillinson, a former cellist with the orchestra, served as the LSO's Managing Director from 1984 to 2005, and is widely credited with bringing great stability to the LSO's organization after severe fiscal troubles.[1] Since 2005, Kathryn McDowell is the Managing Director of the LSO.[2]
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
London Symphony Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
Autumn winds
Blowing outside the window as I look around the room
And it makes me so depressed to see the phone
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Movie stars
Find the end of the rainbow, with that fortune to win
It's so different from the world I'm living in
Tired of T.V.
I open the window and I gaze into the night
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
The London Symphony Orchestra's song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" is a melancholic and longing song that expresses the desire to find love and companionship. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is spending their evening alone and feeling depressed. The autumn winds blowing outside and the empty room in which they are sitting only serve to worsen their feelings of loneliness. They look outside the window hoping to see someone, but there's nobody there. All they can do is pray for someone to come into their life and take away their loneliness.
The chorus of the song, "Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight" is a plea for help to chase away the shadows of loneliness. The repeated phrase shows just how desperate the person is to find someone to love. The idea of finding someone after midnight and being taken through the darkness to the break of day is the hope that a new love will bring light to their life.
The verses also contrast the person's life with that of movie stars who can find the end of the rainbow with that fortune to win, an image of success, and happiness. However, the singer recognizes the differences between their humdrum and lonely existence and that of the rich and famous. Through this song, the orchestra delivers a message of loneliness and the longing for companionship that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Half past twelve
It's twelve thirty in the night
And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone
Sitting alone, watching the late night TV show in my apartment
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
I despise spending the evening by myself
Autumn winds
The winds of autumn
Blowing outside the window as I look around the room
As I glance around the room, the autumn winds are blowing outside the window
And it makes me so depressed to see the phone
It makes me sad to see the phone due to the lack of calls
There's not a soul out there
No one is there
No one to hear my prayer
No one is there to listen to my silent pleas
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Please give me a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Someone please help me get rid of these dark thoughts
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Escort me out of the darkness into light of the day
Movie stars
Celebrities from movies
Find the end of the rainbow, with that fortune to win
Celebrities find the pot of gold when they win their fortune
It's so different from the world I'm living in
It is dissimilar to the world I'm currently living in
Tired of T.V.
Bored of watching TV
I open the window and I gaze into the night
I open the window and stare out into the darkness
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
There is no one to be seen in the darkness
There's not a soul out there
No one is there
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Please give me a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Someone please help me get rid of these dark thoughts
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Escort me out of the darkness into light of the day
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Please give me a man after midnight
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Please give me a man after midnight
There's not a soul out there
No one is there
No one to hear my prayer
No one is there to listen to my silent pleas
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Please give me a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Someone please help me get rid of these dark thoughts
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Escort me out of the darkness into light of the day
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Please give me a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Someone please help me get rid of these dark thoughts
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Escort me out of the darkness into light of the day
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind