ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - LIVIN’ THING / FIRE ON HIGH

LIVIN’ THING

Released: October 29, 1976

Charted:  UK: #4   US: #13 

"Livin' Thing" is a song written by Jeff Lynne, released as the first single of ELO's 1976 album “A New World Record”. This song features a little bit of everything that made ELO great: a string-solo opening, soulful backing vocals, synth waves occasionally crashing into the chorus and a gigantic hook. 

"Livin' Thing” is a song about cherishing the moments we have and taking risks in life, even if things don't always turn out exactly as we planned. The singer explores how life is, how it's ever-changing and unpredictable, and emphasizes that it's a blessing just to be alive. He encourages the listener to recognize the beauty and potential in life, despite its fragility, and to not be afraid take chances. The chorus states that while living is a beautiful thing, it can also be a terrible thing to lose. The song is a reminder to embrace life courageously and to recognize that while it can be fragile, there is still so much to be grateful for.

Discussing the track, Jeff Lynne described the 'living thing' as being love itself, with the lyrics alluding to the loss of love. He said: "The song is just about love, love being a living thing". This can be heard in the lyrics: "It's a livin' thing, it's a terrible thing to lose. It's a given thing, what a terrible thing to lose". Despite this, the initial inspiration behind it was allegedly a bout of food poisoning. Laughing about the song's inspiration, Jeff told Hi-Fi News & Record Review in 2014: "You'll never be able to listen to it the same again. I wouldn't want anyone to think it's about a bad paella on a Spanish holiday".

The Beautiful South covered the song for their 2004 covers album “Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs”. Released as a single, their version reached #24 on the UK charts.

Fun fact: Patti Quatro (the sister of Suzi Quatro) was an uncredited contributor to the song's backing vocals.

The original single had "Fire On High" on the flip side, a tune that became one of the band's most popular instrumental pieces.

FIRE ON HIGH

This instrumental piece defined ELO’s attempt to merge classical music and rock music together in one song. It was a concept defined in the roots of Progressive music, but Electric Light Orchestra brought an original sound to the crossing of genres. Jeff Lynne crafted some of the ’70s’ hookiest classic rock songs, but people forget he’s also a first-rate art-rocker – most ELO LPs feature at least one extended prog excursion, packed with dense arrangements and instrumental fireworks. 

“Face The Music” opener “Fire On High” presents ELO at their most excessive, which is precisely what makes it a forgotten classic. Like Ian Anderson on Jethro Tull’s “Thick As A Brick”, Lynne offers a winking, tongue-in-cheek celebration of the genre. The soaring choral voices, the sawing cellos, the breathless tempo shifts, the “Hallelujah” nods to Handel’s Messiah, Bev Bevan’s pummeling triplet tom-toms: “Fire” displays the complexity and widescreen scope of symphonic prog, but with a playfulness that many of the era’s legends often lacked.

This track become one of the most heard songs in the mid 1970s due to its use on CBS Sports Spectacular.  From the song’s creepy opening to the sports-themed glass-sounding mighty guitar riff, it has remained one of the most interesting and exciting Electric Light Orchestra songs in the band’s catalog. 

There are some lyrics in the intro that were recorded backwards (backmasking). When played backwards, it says: "The music is reversible, but time is not! Turn back, turn back, turn back."