[1] A symphonic rock … Read Full Bio ↴The Orchestra is a name of at least two bands.
[1] A symphonic rock band (formally known as Electric Light Orchestra Part II, founded in 2000), rooted in the 70's and 80's with Electric Light Orchestra.
Following Bev Bevan's retirement at the end of 1999 and their triumphant sell-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall and Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, Mik Kaminski, Louis Clark, Kelly Groucutt, Eric Troyer, Parthenon Huxley and the latest recruit Gordon Townsend regrouped as The Orchestra. The new name acknowledged each member's illustrious former membership of the Electric Light Orchestra and/or ELO Part II but also forges ahead a future utilising the spectacular symphonic rock sound for which they are unequalled.
The completion of their first stunning album 'No Rewind' signaled the band's rebirth in a most positive manner. Produced by Eric Troyer, Parthenon Huxley and Jim Jacobsen (eels), No Rewind was recorded without a single penny from any record label - admirable and courageous when you consider how today's music industry operates. 10 tracks and more were recorded in studios in Los Angeles and New York over a two-and-a-half year period during breaks in the band's hectic worldwide touring schedule. Recording sessions were booked around shows, guaranteeing that band members would be in the same city at the same time. It's not easy to "get together and jam" with a bassist and violinist domiciled in England, a keyboardist in New Jersey, a conductor in Ohio and both guitarist and drummer in Los Angeles.
With each band member contributing in equal measure, No Rewind contained many highlights across its 10 tracks: Lou's strings in the outro of the title track, Mik's soloing in Let Me Dream; Eric and Kelly's vocal harmonies on Can't Wait and Twist & Shout (yes, that one); Gordon's fill before the final chorus of Over London Skies; the solo Hux shares with Mik during Say Goodbye... and much more. Tthe a capella part of Before We Go includes an exquisite guest vocal appearance by Jeffrey Foskett of Brian Wilson's band.
Parthenon Huxley left in July 2007 and was replaced by Phil Bates, formerly a member of ELO Part II and Bev Bevan's Move.
Sites: Official
[2] A modern orchestra / downtempo fusion orchestra, founded in London in 2001, by Andrew Skeet (of The Divine Comedy) and Luke Gordon (aka Spacer). Their début was Look Away Now (2002, Drummond Street).
Sites: Discogs
NB: The term might also refer to the Orchestra playing the score or Overture to a Broadway musical. This term is technically inaccurate, being too general. All musicals have an Orchestra playing their Overture. A more accurate description would be to list the name of the composer who wrote the music.
Livin' Thing
The Orchestra 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, oh, higher and higher, baby
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
I'm taking a dive
Dive
Making believe this is what you conceived
From your worst day (I'm taking a dive)
Oh, moving in line then you look back in time
To the first day (I'm taking, I'm taking)
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
I'm taking a dive on the slide, hey
Takin' a dive 'cause you can't halt the slide
Floating downstream (I'm taking a dive)
Oh, so let her go don't start spoiling the show
It's a bad dream (I'm taking, I'm taking)
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
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
The Orchestra's song "Livin' Thing" is a nostalgic representation of the magic and wonder of youth, but also a warning about the impermanence of life's pleasures. The chorus repeats the refrain that "it's a livin' thing, it's a terrible thing to lose," referring to the ephemeral nature of life and its experiences. The verses describe a feeling of excitement and adventure, with the singer "sailin' away on the crest of a wave." The repetition of "rolling and riding and slipping and sliding" seems to suggest a carefree and almost romantic sense of movement and transition.
The line "and you, and your sweet desire, you took me, oh, higher and higher, baby" suggests a romantic relationship as the source of this feeling, though it could also refer to a more general sense of passion and drive. The second verse introduces a darker tone, with the lines "making believe this is what you conceived from your worst day" and "so let her go don't start spoiling the show, it's a bad dream." These lines hint at the idea that even in the midst of joyful experiences, there can be a sense of underlying anxiety or fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Sailin' away on the crest of a wave
Escaping reality and losing oneself in a euphoric state
It's like magic
It feels inexplicable and wonderful
Oh, rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin'
Riding the wave of emotions that comes with a powerful experience
It's magic
It's something special that defies explanation
And you, and your sweet desire
Referring to a powerful attraction towards a person or goal
You took me, oh, higher and higher, baby
That person/greatness lifted me to a new level of experience
It's a livin' thing
Referring to the powerful experience earlier mentioned
It's a terrible thing to lose
The feeling of losing oneself in the experience can be devastating
It's a given thing
Refers to the inevitability of the experience, once it's begun
What a terrible thing to lose
Further emphasizing the devastating feeling of losing oneself in the experience
I'm taking a dive
Surrendering to the power of the experience
Making believe this is what you conceived
Trying to convince oneself that this experience is what they truly desired
From your worst day (I'm taking a dive)
Taking this leap out of desperation for something better on what is possibly the worst day of one's life
Oh, moving in line then you look back in time
Thinking about how the experience has led to this moment
To the first day (I'm taking, I'm taking)
Remembering the beginning of the journey that led to this experience
Takin' a dive 'cause you can't halt the slide
Acknowledging that it's impossible to stop the progression of the experience
Floating downstream (I'm taking a dive)
Going with the flow of the experience, even if it takes one in an unexpected direction
Oh, so let her go don't start spoiling the show
Not wanting to ruin the experience at the expense of something/someone else
It's a bad dream (I'm taking, I'm taking)
Feeling like this experience is too unreal to be true, yet not wanting to wake up from it
Don't you do it, don't you do it
Referring to the temptation to avoid the experience or to leave it behind
It's a livin' thing
Reiterating that the powerful experience is a present, living thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
Reiterating the awful feeling that comes with losing oneself in the experience
It's a given thing
Reiterating that the experience is inevitable once begun
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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 hell is ELO so underrated? 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