Album: From Out of Nowhere (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When two doves made their nest right above a window in the back of Jeff Lynne's house, he got a front-row seat to watch the wonders of nature. The doves and their babies were all looking at the ELO leader through the kitchen window. For 10 days, the baby heads were sticking out, then Lynne got to watch them learn to fly. He told The Sun how the life-affirming scene inspired a song that avoided a songwriting cliché.

    "They say that songbirds usually come back to the same place to lay their eggs," he said. "I have written a lot of gloomy songs actually, like some of Roy Orbison's. A few years ago, it would have been, 'My songbird's gone away' but this songbird comes home."
  • Jeff Lynne plays virtually every note of every instrument on From Out of Nowhere, apart from letting his engineer Steve Jay play tambourine and shakers. Lynne told Mojo magazine. "I let Steve do that, because he's really good at them." Jay's tambourine work is especially prominent on this track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).