Telephone Line

ELO, or Electric Light Orchestra, whose name was a pun that references electric light and light electric music, was a British rock band formed in 1970 by Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. The band mixed pop with classical arrangements. After Wood’s departure in 1972, Lynne became the band’s sole leader, co-arranging and producing every album while writing nearly all of their original material. During their first run from 1970 to 1986, Lynne and Bevan were the group’s only consistent members.

In 1986 Lynne lost interest in the band, disbanded the group and Bevan formed his own band, ELO Part II. By the early 1990’s ELO Part II had many of the original band members. Part II evolved into The Orchestra after Bevan left the group in 1999. ELO had a brief reunion in 2000 and 2001 under Lynne’s leadership, but went inactive after that. In 2014 Lynne reformed the band with longtime member Richard Tandy and called the group Jeff Lynne’s ELO, to let people know it was not a cover band or a knock-off. In 2024 ELO embarked on their final tour, and Tandy passed away in 2024. During ELO’s original 13-year period of active recording and touring, they sold over 50 million records worldwide. In 2017 the key members of ELO – Lynne, Wood, Tandy and Bevan – were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I was privileged to see ELO in the late 1970’s and it was a mind-blowing show.

Hello, how are you?
Have you been alright through all those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely
Lonely nights? That’s what I’d say
I’d tell you everything if you’d pick up that telephone
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Hey, how ya feelin’?
Are you still the same? Don’t you realise the things we did, we did
Were all for real? Not a dream
I just can’t believe they’ve all faded out of view
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh-woo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Doo-wop, doo-be-doo-doo-wop, doo-wah, doo-lang
Blue days, black nights, doo-wah, doo-lang
I look into the sky (the love you need ain’t gonna see you through)
And I wonder why (the little things you planned ain’t coming true)

Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time
I’m living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time
I’m living in twilight

Okay, so no one’s answering
Well, can’t you just let it ring a little longer, longer, longer? Oh
I’ll just sit tight, in shadows of the night
Let it ring forevermore, oh-whoa
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Doo-wop, doo-be-doo-doo-wop, doo-wah, doo-lang
Blue days, black nights, doo-wah, doo-lang
I look into the sky (the love you need ain’t gonna see you through)
And I wonder why (the little things you planned ain’t coming true)

Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time
I’m living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time
I’m living in twilight

Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time
I’m living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time
I’m living in twilight

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jeff Lynne

Celebrating World Telecommunication & Information Society Day