Strange Magic: The 10 best Electric Light Orchestra songs of all time
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Picking the 10 best Electric Light Orchestra songs is not an easy task.
For one thing, there’s something like 27 songs that need to be in the top 10.
So, yeah, that’s a problem. And matter how you cut it, some true gems are going to get left off the list.
Then just try and rank them in terms of greatness. That definitely takes the difficulty level up several notches, as you try to decide which of front man Jeff Lynne’s many blast of brilliance are better than the others.
Still, I decided to take embrace this ambitious mission, mainly because it gave me yet another reason to spend multiple hours listening to ELO.
So, here are my picks for the top 10 ELO songs of all time. And the best news is that you are likely to hear most, if not all, of these songs when Jeff Lynne’s ELO performs June 22 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento and June 24 at the SAP Center in San Jose. Show times are 8 p.m. and tickets are $49.50-$149.50 (Sacramento), $59.50-$179.50 (San Jose), www.ticketmaster.com.
ELO’s Top 10 Songs:
1, “Can’t Get It Out of My Head”
Album: “Eldorado,” 1974
This is the moment when Lynne takes your breath away, by delivering one of the most gorgeous and perfectly constructed pop ballads of the decade. It’s also the moment when he announces to the world that he deserves to be ranked among the best songwriters in pop music history.
2, “Roll Over Beethoven”
Album: “ELO 2,” 1973
Once again following in the Beatles’ footprints, Lynne borrows from the Chuck Berry songbook and crafts one of the most satisfying cover songs in rock ‘n’ roll history. Berry’s 1956 original is a brilliant adrenaline shot that runs just under 2 ½ minutes. But ELO’s reworking stretches out over 8 glorious minutes, without ever losing an ounce of the song’s original power or urgency.
3, “Sweet Talkin’ Woman”
Album: “Out of the Blue,” 1977
ELO is at the height of its powers, perfectly balancing brainy symphonic rock with unabashed Top 40 ambitions, as it delivers one of the best singalongs in its catalog. It’s about as fun as pop gets in the late ‘70s.
4, “10538 Overture”
Album: “The Electric Light Orchestra” (also known as “No Answer”), 1971
Track one from the band’s first album remains one of ELO’s greatest triumphs – a soaring, cinematic mission statement that still guides Lynne and company to this day.
5, “Don’t Bring Me Down”
Album: “Discovery, 1979
Just try not to smile as you listen to this entirely contagious, beat-happy blast, which stands as ELO’s highest-charting hit in the U.S. It’s a song that never gests old, no matter how many spins you give it.
6, “Strange Magic”
Album: “Face the Music,” 1975
It starts out as a fairly straightforward ballad, but it builds into something else entirely over the course of 3 ½ minutes as Lynne and company add more layers of vocal harmonies, instrumentation and emotion to the mix.
7, “Rockaria!”
Album: “A New World Record,” 1976
Hailing from ELO’s best all-around studio album, “Rockaria!” stands as one of Lynne’s most thorough and satisfying blends of classical and rock. The highlight is the operatic vocal work from Welsh soprano Mary Thomas.
8, “Do Ya”
Album: “A New World Record,” 1976
ELO is at the height of its power on this fun roller coaster of a song, which combines a ridiculously catchy chorus, powerful lead vocals and a down-and-dirty guitar riff for the ages.
9, “Mr. Blue Sky”
Album: “Out of the Blue,” 1977
Regarded by many as ELO’s greatest song, “Mr. Blue Sky” is a gorgeous update on Beatlesque, ‘60s psychedelic pop.
10, “When I Was a Boy”
Album: “Alone in the Universe,” 2015
There are so many worthy contenders for this final spot on the list, including, but certainly not limited to, “Turn to Stone” (from 1977’s “Out of the Blue), “Telephone Line” (1976’s “A New World Record”), “Evil Woman” (1975’s “Face the Music”) and “Livin’ Thing” (“A New World Record”). But I’ll go with Lynne’s most recent gem, a touching remembrance of childhood as well as a love letter to music itself.