Shortly after the release of Electric Light Orchestra‘s sixth album A New World Record, Jeff Lynne went to work on the band’s next release and locked himself inside a chalet near Lake Geneva in Switzerland to write songs for Out of the Blue. It was there that Lynne wrote 13 songs, including ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.”
Lynne wrote the song after a dreary day along the Alps. “When I wrote those words to that song, it had been vile weather,” shared Lynne in 2016 on the origins of the song. “It was mist and fog and cloudy; it was just horrible. One day, I got up, and the weather was just suddenly all beautiful and shiny, and that’s when all the words came along for me on for that song.”
Released in 1977, Out of the Blue went to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and the UK chart, while “Mr. Blue Sky,” went to No. 6 on the UK chart and made the top 40 (at No. 35) on the Billboard Hot 100, took on another life in film and television.
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[RELATED: 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Jeff Lynne Wrote for Other Artists]
Since its release, “Mr. Blue Sky” has been used across film and television, including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Role Models, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and more along with TV series Doctor Who and during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
“I wish it sounded better than that”
Despite the success of the song, Lynne was always surprised at how big the song became and regretted the sound of the final recorded track. “I’ve always been amazed at how popular ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ is,” said Lynne. “At the time, I remember mastering it as a single in England and thinking, ‘I wish it sounded better than that.’”
Lynne continued, “The speakers were so flat-sounding in the cutting room where they cut the disc that it misled me into thinking it wasn’t sounding very good. But when I heard it finished and mastered, it sounded great, so all those worries were gone.”
‘Mister Blue Sky is Living Here Today’
The lyrics follow the end of a rainy day when a bluer sky appears.
Sun is shining in the sky
There ain’t a cloud in sight
It’s stopped raining everybody’s in a play
And don’t you know
It’s a beautiful new day
Hey, hey
Running down the avenue
See how the sun shines brightly in the city
On the streets where once was pity
Mister blue sky is living here today
Hey, hey
Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long (so long)
Where did we go wrong?
“Sons of the Beatles”
When ELO formed in 1970 there was some intent to “continue” where the Beatles had left off, which could be heard in the movement of “Mr. Blue Sky.” Electric Light Orchestra were even christened “Sons of the Beatles” by John Lennon.
“It’s a nice group,” said Lennon. “I call them ‘sons of Beatles,’ although they’re doing things we never did, obviously. But I remember a statement they made when they first formed was to carry on from where the Beatles left off with ‘Walrus,’ and they certainly did.”
Lynne later elaborated on the Beatles’ link to the song and cleared up the band’s previous statement. “Roy Wood said that not me, and he left the group two months after and lumbered me with that kind of quote,” revealed Lynne on the “carrying off where the Beatles left off” quote.
“My intention behind the sound of ELO was simply to get away from what all the other groups seemed to be doing around that time,” added Lynne. “Around ’71, ’72, all the big long guitar solos were the rage, 10-minute guitar solos. I wanted to do stuff that had more of a tune. I wanted tunes because I love tunes.”
Photo: Electric Light Orchestra (l-r): Richard Tandy, Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan, Kelly Groucutt, 1970 (Everett/Shutterstock)
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