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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 7, 2016 17:37:31 GMT
I was listening to Shangri-La off A New World Record and as a Beatles fan I was drawn to the lyric "Fading like The Beatles on Hey Jude" which to me is a lovely lyric and you don't understand what it means straight away unless you really think about the song Hey Jude. I must admit I didn't spot the reference straight away, not good for a so called big fan of The Beatles and knowing how much Jeff loves The Beatles. So I was wondering what we thought that lyric meant and from there start a discussion on what we think certain lyrics mean from their songs? As of course, different people interpret stuff in different ways
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Post by unomusette on Sept 7, 2016 20:40:44 GMT
Must say I've not really tried to put much meaning to Jeff's lyrics because he's always banging on about how little thought he tends to put into them. There are some songs off the most recent albums which seem to relate to his love life but I don't know if he's done anything cryptic.
I'd love to read everyone else's thoughts though, might result in listening in a whole new way...
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Post by jackpunch on Sept 7, 2016 20:41:57 GMT
I have to admit, i rarely think about JLs lyrics. He has an occasional moment of genius, and I do like Shangri la, but there's lots of evidence that they are just an after thought. Amd I'm fine with that, melody and chords are 10 fold more important than lyrics to me. Each to their own of course
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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 7, 2016 21:01:58 GMT
I think it's because I'm so used to interpreting sentences in English Literature A Level it's just something that I like to do with song lyrics. Course I know that musicians hate it when journalists ask what their lyrics mean to which they usually reply what do you think it means? Or in the case of Jeff Lynne I don't know the meaning of the lyrics myself! I mean when asked if the protagonist in Time was really travelling in time or it was a dream, all Jeff says is I don't know. Amazing how the thought process of a genius works doesn't it?
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Post by unomusette on Sept 7, 2016 21:11:39 GMT
Of course, he functions on a totally different level to the rest of us. Otherwise we'd all be doing it
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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 7, 2016 21:13:08 GMT
I have tried to write lyrics in the past and I was completely rubbish! Think I'll stick to writing stories
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Post by Horacewimp on Sept 7, 2016 21:20:26 GMT
I like Jeff's lyrics on songs which tell a story, Kuiama, Rockaria, Horace Wimp and much of Time album for instance, but I have to agree with others it is more the music or the complete song which draws you in.
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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 7, 2016 21:24:02 GMT
I'm the same about liking songs with a story that's probably why The Diary of Horace Wimp is one of my favourite songs and Time appeals to me. I agree with what you're saying about the tune does draw you in first, to me if it sounds catchy it's a good start!
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Post by dillwyn on Sept 9, 2016 22:42:09 GMT
For me he constructs lyrics rather like his musical parts... He also brilliantly dismisses them rather like Van Morrison does. He states they mean little which most appear to be. I'm sure a lot are others obviously have lot of intent. There are the brilliant concept albums eldorado...about a Walter Mitty character and of course time.... Time traveller story shows there is more to his writing than just rhyming moon with June.
edited to correct the auto-correct.
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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 10, 2016 20:53:22 GMT
For me he constructs lyrics rather like his musical parts... He also brilliantly dismisses them rather like Van Morrison does. He states they mean little which most appear to be. I'm sure a lot are others obviously have lot of intent. There are the brilliant concept albums eldorado...about a Walter Mitty character and of course time.... Time traveller story shows there is more to his writing than just rhyming moon with June. edited to correct the auto-correct. I think a lot of the time musicians they seem to underestimate their talent in songwriting with regards to melody and lyrics. The amount of times I've heard my favourite musicians say they don't know what their lyrics mean, or the melody came first or the song took like 10 minutes to write to something. I sort of see lyrics as a form of literature because I like the story behind why they wrote a certain song like the origin and for instance what happened to the protagonist in Time once he returned to 1981. I like to read between the lines so to speak, seems a bit sad I know. I'm the same with books!
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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 10, 2016 21:33:00 GMT
Just been watching a video that shows references to The Beatles and their songs and of course they showed Beatles Forever on there by our beloved ELO but haven't mentioned the really obvious reference to Hey Jude in Shangri-La!!
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liftmeup1990
Junior Member
"They say some days you're gonna win They say some days you're gonna lose"
Posts: 19
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Post by liftmeup1990 on Sept 11, 2016 1:07:16 GMT
When I listen to Jeff's music I'm not looking for incredible lyrics. I listen to his music for the chords, great choruses, strings, his great voice, etc. If I want great lyrics I'll listen to Bob Dylan. Who's lyrics are just incredible. That's not to say his voice is and or the arrangements of his songs are bad I still love them.
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Post by janne on Sept 11, 2016 8:56:37 GMT
Didn't he say in an interview that it was all about the music for him? The lyrics was just a matter of rhyming "moon with June".
But that might have changed, since he wrote an autobiographical song on the last album.
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Post by Platypus on Sept 11, 2016 12:39:27 GMT
IIRC Jeff said he typically writes the lyrics last, and finds it the hardest and least enjoyable part of the process. I think he also said he thought the true meaning of the words was what they meant to the listener when they hear the song.
I'm sure I've commented before that for me, many ELO songs create an atmosphere that too much analysis of the words doesn't capture.
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Post by wolvesgirlgonewild on Sept 12, 2016 17:53:41 GMT
I agree with the points you're saying because one of the first things I look for in a song is the melody and the vocals and if they're brilliant then I pretty much love the song which is evident in a lot of ELO songs that I love. It is true that lyrics can mean whatever you want them to mean, like how Hold On Tight to me is an uplifting song from a personal perspective because I haven't had much luck with relationships lately and it helps me keep focused on my ambitions in life.
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