Electric Light Orchestra fans have pinpointed the band’s most “emotionally intense” song.
Whether it is the euphoric Mr. Blue Sky or the shimmering, groovy bass of Evil Woman, there are more than a few fan favourites which elicit an emotional response. But Reddit users on the r/ELO forum have since decided which is the best of all, and a few broad suggestions were made.
For user r/cosm0cube, who kicked the thread off, they were interested in finding what other members of the group thought were the emotional highpoints of the Jeff Lynne-fronted band. They asked: “What do you consider the most emotionally intense moment from ELO?”
The top reply for this question was Shangri La, a song ripped from the band’s classic album, A New World Record. One user shared: “For me, first to come to mind is the end of Shangri Lai with the ‘I will return to Shangri La’ back and forth between Jeff and the opera singer.”
Another user agreed, dubbing the end of the song “a religious experience.” A third added: “That ending of Shangri La is superb – first thing that came to my mind as well.” Some users have suggested other songs which have been recontextualised by the recent Over and Out tour, which is set to be the band’s farewell. It has been confirmed ELO will play their final ever show at Hyde Park later this year.
What do you consider the most emotionally intense moment from ELO?
byu/cosm0cube inelo
One user who attended a US date on the Over and Out tour wrote: “During the Over and Out Tour, listening to Jeff singing ‘I’m steppin’ out/I’m moving on/I’m going to see the world/Like a rolling stone’ hit me pretty hard.”
The song referred to by this user is Steppin’ Out, a song from the band’s iconic Out of the Blue. But A New World Record songs prevailed when it came to suggestions made by users, with Do Ya also tipped as one of the band’s more emotionally inspired moments.
A user who suggested the song wrote: “Not a song you’d expect deep emotions from, but this somehow always grabs me.” Another suggested Telephone Line, writing that it feels like a “reflection on ELO’s past”.
They wrote: “As much as classic ELO is filled with emotion, one of the most emotional moments IMO would definitely be when Telephone Line breaks in during Time of Our Life. its such a beautiful moment of reflection on ELO’s past that really shows how far Lynne has come and the impact that ELO has on the world.”
Another agreed, adding: “For me personally, it’s Telephone Line. There are several people I think about (alive and not) when I hear it and it never fails to make me cry. Just that desperate longing to connect with a person but you can’t any longer for whatever reason.
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I don’t think ELO’s most emotional song was written by Jeff Lynne, my vote goes to Roy Wood’s “Whisper in the Night” from the bands 1971 self titled debut album. “Whisper in the Night” is like a hymn and the listener can feel the emotion in Roy Wood’s vocals.
Agree David. For me Elos best work was their earliest. Eldorado and FTM pretty darn good too. After Out of the Blue it seens they lost their soul and went for pure commercialism.