Just a wee bit late for this one...
Anyhoo, if I were to sit down and start writing down my all-time favorite songs off the top of my head, this week's tune would be one of those that, when I was done, I would slap my forehead and say, "How the hell did I forget that one?" Needless to say, as I've done my half-assed research and listened to it a few times it's been a real treat, akin to seeing a long-lost friend...
Electric Light Orchestra (here on out, ELO) formed in Birmingham, England in 1970, and thankfully, their music is considerably more interesting than their history. ELO has basically been the brainchild of leader and co-founder Jeff Lynne (noted earlier on Friday Jukebox for his work as a member of the Traveling Wilburys), and as he's gone so has the band. ELO had quite a bit of success between their beginning and when it was disbanded in 1986 by Lynne, selling over fifty million records. The band performed in different incarnations and variations on the name until 2014 when Lynne reformed the band. For their career, ELO has released fourteen studio albums (with five of them hitting the top ten here in the States), and fifty singles (with six peaking in the top ten, again in America). The band had a little more chart success in their native U.K., with 3 #1 albums and one #1 single. ELO released its latest album in 2019 under the moniker Jeff Lynne's ELO.
Fun Fact: ELO holds the record for the most top forty hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (20) without ever having a number one single. I'm pretty sure they can live with it....
"Strange Magic" was the second single released from ELO's 1975 album Face the Music. The single peaked at #14 (with a bullet!), while the album reached #8 on the Billboard 200.
It's hardly surprising after 380 posts about songs I'm beginning to run out of both superlatives and ways to describe how [insert gushing adjective here] these songs are to me. Suffice it to say that "Strange Magic" hits all the right notes (to turn a phrase) for an emaycee pop music dream--catchy, lush harmonies, heartfelt vocals, and striking instrumentation. It's been delightful ear candy for me all week, and as is often the case with my weekly tunes, I've been singing it to my heart's content (if not my partner's and my youngest son....).
Lyric Sheet: "Oh, I'm never gonna be the same again/Now I've seen the way it's got to end/Sweet dream, sweet dream...
Enjoy:
Republican = Traitor
Peace,
emaycee
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