A song based on a true story from Electric Light Orchestra avoided the “sad ending” for one reason, according to frontman Jeff Lynne.
The legendary songwriter will bow out from live performances with ELO at Hyde Park next month, but says he will remain active in the studio. His most recent release, From Out of Nowhere, was given a track-by-track breakdown by Lynne, who suggested one song was based on a true story. The ending was changed for the song, though, as Lynne found the “sad” conclusion too heavy for the song in question. Lynne says that while songs of a similar genre often have a sad ending, he wanted to “give it a good ending”. The Evil Woman hitmaker thankfully found a positive note to finish the track with, and he has since shared how he managed to give the song a happy ending.
Speaking to Louder Sound while giving a track-by-track breakdown of From Out of Nowhere, Lynne said: “Songbird is actually a true story. These doves moved into an alcove above my window and had babies. They were all living in there, looking at us through the kitchen window.
“Often these songs have a sad ending, but I wanted to give it a good ending, and fortunately I could do it because they learnt to fly. Suddenly they could fly, like harriers, straight off the ground up into the air, up to the telephone wires.
“It was such a great moment, and in the end they all flew off together. So what I turned all this into was a song about them coming home. Because I believe that the babies come back to where they were born, to make their own nest. My songbird came home.”
Songbird featured as the final track on From Out of Nowhere, closing out the 2019 album. The song has yet to be performed live by the band, according to Setlist.FM. The album also features a song Lynne described as an “old-fashioned shuffle”.
Speaking of the song Goin’ Out On Me, Lynne said: “This is an old-fashioned shuffle, like a 50s kind of thing. I really like this one. I enjoy the rhythm, and I like the simple chords. The sound is good, and the piano is really nice.
“All the songs were done in my studio at home in LA. It’s funny: it depends on the day, but sometimes you just get a different sound, where you put your microphones is obviously a lot of it – but I really like the sound of this one.”
This song has also not yet been played live by Lynne and the band, though it seems unlikely the From Out of Nowhere songs will be given any stage time on the upcoming Over and Out tour. The final ELO show is set to take place in Hyde Park on July 13.
