![]() 6 in the UK singles chart when it was released in 1978, Mr Blue Sky has gone on to become ELO's signature track. Released a year later, it shifted 2 million copies in the US, topped the album chart in the UK and spawned three Top Ten hits - Shine A Little Love, Diary of Horace Wimp (another track heavily influenced by The Beatles) and Don't Let Me Down.ĭespite only reaching No. It also includes the hits: Turn To Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman and Wild West Hero. The song is the final track of Concerto for a Rainy Day, the third side of the Out Of The Blue, which was one of ELO's most celebrated albums. This delightful technological anachronism only adds to this track's status as classic vinyl. Over the final bars the synthesised voice slowly sings "Please turn me over" – reminding the listener to flip the disc over. Through the music, you feel it, you see it, and one wonders whether any of the great classical composers could have done better. The album version is longer by over a minute and contains a stirring reprise that ends with a stunning string arrangement that captures the very moment the sun breaks through the clouds. Mr Blue Sky delights throughout, but the joyous operatic harmonies that kick in after three minutes and continue to the fade out are surprising and extraordinary. Further, when The Beatles released two singles in the 1990s (Free As A Bird and Real Love), based on demo recordings left posthumously by Lennon, they were produced by Lynne. The connection between ELO and the world's most famous pop group is strong - John Lennon believed that had The Beatles not split up in 1970 they would have evolved to sound something like ELO a massive compliment to the Birmingham-based group. The song is unquestionably influenced by The Beatles, not only because of the overall sound and rich arrangement but also by the use of a fire extinguisher to create a bell (Penny Lane) and panting (A Day In The Life). ![]() The sun came out, the creativity flowed and 14 songs were composed in the following fortnight, including Mr Blue Sky. The song, notable for being one of the first to use a synthesised voice, was penned by frontman Jeff Lynne after enduring two weeks of mist and rain in Switzerland during which time he had written nothing. If someone had never heard of pop music and wanted to hear a fine example, the catchy and uplifting Mr Blue Sky would surely be on the playlist. It’s a masterful moment in his career, as instead of being content with the mundanity of regular syllabic vocal performances, there’s real artistic verve here, setting an example for all those wanting to create something genuinely astounding.įollow Far Out Magazine across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.UK picture sleeve, UK labels The Story Behind The Song It’s a soulful performance in that it bounces from falsetto to baritone in a second, not only showing how talented Lynne is as a vocalist but the extent of the imagination he used when writing the track, with the vocals being the aspect that carries this aural journey. ![]() Luckily, his isolated vocal performance has been unearthed, and it confirms what we always knew - Jeff Lynne is a genius. One of the highlights of the track is undoubtedly Lynne’s vocal performance. 2, with the spread of genres that these three titles represent showing just how far-reaching ‘Mr. These include Role Models, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. The song is so loved that it has also permeated the film industry, with a host of classics using it in some of the most stirring visual sequences we’ve ever seen.
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