The song "Ticket to the Moon" by Electric Light Orchestra: history of creation, lyrical meaning, interesting facts

In the 1970s. a new direction in rock music - progressive. Progressive rock combined incongruous things: guitar riffs together with opera and classical music, symphonic elements and much more. The influence of this style on the works of musicians of the 70s helped to significantly expand the boundaries of rock music and combine the genre pop and traditions classics.

One of the main representatives of prog-rock, who liked to experiment with sound and lyrics, is the collective from Birminghamthe city of talent that gave the world Black Sabbath, The Moody Blues and, of course, Electric Light Orchestra. It was ELO who organised themselves as a response to the dominance of pop culture. Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood created a group that was to transform pop music into something new with elements in their work classical music. Such popularisation of once uninteresting for the masses "exemplary" musical forms immediately found its audience.

The unusual project immediately set a certain tone for the development of rock music: the debut album "The Electric Light Orchestra" showed a unique sound that no one had heard before. For example, in the song "10538 Overture"released as a single, the abundance of brass and string instruments blended quite harmoniously with Jimi Hendrix-style riffs.

Jeff Lynne on the debut single: "I had come up with a serious guitar riff and was playing it in the studio when suddenly Roy Wood took his Chinese cello and re-recorded about fifteen cello riffs to make the sound more complete. These duplicate tracks sounded fantastic. We ended up playing this 'overture' all day long. It was brilliant.

Although the mastermind behind the collective Roy Wood ELO didn't last long, because he was strongly drawn to other exotic experiments, Jeff Lynn became the band's leader and soul for many years. Between 1974 and 1982 ELO released many concept albums and gained worldwide recognition, becoming one of the best prog-rock bands on the music scene. The article is about Electric Light Orchestra's 1981 hit entitled "Ticket to the Moon".

Creation process

In 1981. ELO with Jeff Lynne on electric guitar and vocals, Beav Beavan on drums, Richard Tandy on synths and piano, Kelly Growcat on bass guitar, Mick Kaminski on violin and two session musicians release one of their best concept records titled "Time". All compositions on this album are linked by a common narrative idea: it tells about the future, specifically the life story of a time-travelling man.

The third single on the album is a composition with a cryptic title "Ticket to the Moon". The fact that the song "shot up" and gained legendary status in ELO's discography is largely due to Jeff Lynne, who wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. On the album "Time." he dramatically reflects on the future while reminiscing about the good old 1980s. Aesthetics This song is off the charts, and its conceptualism made it ELO's best record of 1981.

Audio journalist about the song: "Ticket to the Moon" is an incredibly beautiful ballad with gorgeous vocals and instrumentation. The composition shows Jeff Lynne's compositional skills in a positive light".

The magic of sound... 

Considering that Jeff Lynn is a fine melodistand his music is particularly vivid and expressive, to expect ELO in the "Ticket to the Moon" anti-melodicism does not follow. On the contrary, the single reflects the band's traditions that allowed ELO to earn their status as titans of prog-rock.

Moreover, it should be noted that the magic of ELO's sound is revealed in the track in the best possible way. String arrangementThe melancholy piano chords in the song's background bring it closer to the prog-rock band's early work, while the melancholic piano chords of the Richard Tandy makes the ELO sound unique.

Music critic Barry Delve on the composition "Ticket to the Moon": "A beautiful ballad that, in the intro, is reminiscent of Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata'..."

Lyrical meaning

Single "Ticket to the Moon" is also characterised by strong lyrics. In the song, the hero nostalgic on the past and preparing for a new challenge.

"Do you remember those golden years?
How simple is everything when you're young?
I wish I could go there again,
And change nothing there...," the song sings.

Next, Jeff Lynn romantically speculates about in the future:

"I have a ticket to the moon,
Soon I will soar above the Earth,
And my tears will probably turn into rainstorms,
Which will fall quietly outside your window,
And you'll never know."

At the end of the song. Lynn sadly recounts impossibilities to meet your loved ones:

"Flying aloft,
Soaring like a madman amidst the mysteries to come,
I sadly think about the fact that here are the ways,

that brought me here,
Turned round and I would have seen you there,
Standing there..."

Interesting to know... 

• "Time" is a concept album, so one of its features is its wholeness. ELO recorded the record non-stop without pause, which is why it was often played at discos as a single track.
• Jeff LynnBy his own statements, he didn't feel very good about the "Time" record and the tracks on it. He said that the album was recorded only for the purpose of contract fulfilment with the label. This is quite strange, considering that the compositions from the album "Time", in particular "Ticket to the Moon" are very much loved by the band's fans.

• ELO frontman Jeff Lynne adores classical music and has been imbued since childhood with the works of Chopin, Beethoven and Strauss. Little Jeff's love of this style of academic music was instilled in him by his father.