“Flat-sounding”: the classic ELO track Jeff Lynne has regrets about
Jeff Lynne has always been a vital force in the music industry, his contributions through Electric Light Orchestra filling a significant gap that emerged after The Beatles. Before ELO, no other band seemed to capture the same level of excellence and originality, but once they arrived, they demonstrated to audiences that contemporary bands could be equally impactful.
Despite each going on to explore their respective territories, the former members of The Beatles also noticed the similarities, particularly John Lennon, who once described the band as the “son of Beatles”. Despite ELO using The Beatles merely as a springboard, the ongoing parallels were impossible to ignore.
“I remember the statement they made when they first formed was to carry on from where The Beatles left off with ‘[I Am the] Walrus,’ and they certainly did,” Lennon said.
During a time when rock music seemed somewhat deflated, Lynne came along and refreshed the scene with notes of optimism, reminding the industry that energy and enthusiasm in mainstream spaces were far from redundant. ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ epitomised this, its joyous beat and rhythmic appeal immediately drawing you into a place where “there ain’t a cloud in sight”.
Lynne has repeatedly attempted to explain why the song became so popular, his deliberation only proving that, no matter how he looks at it, it has become an inexplicable phenomenon. The Beatles’ influence is there in plain sight, but so is its childlike essence, providing something that is equal parts accessible and delectably nuanced.
The song itself feels akin to grabbing a cold one in the peak of summer, which wasn’t entirely serendipitous, as it initially came together following a miserable period of uninspiring weather. As Lynne explained during an interview with Rock Cellar: “When I wrote those words to that song, it had been vile weather. 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.”
However, despite the continuous, consistent celebration of the track and its prolific use across the entertainment industry, Lynne regards it through a critical lens, admitting that he could have made it even better, at least at first. He added: “I’ve always been amazed at how popular ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ is. At the time, I remember mastering it as a single in England and thinking, ‘I wish it sounded better than that.'”
Detailing the track’s specifics and the aspects that he feels he could have improved, he continued: “It was just that 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.”
While the tune became an unlikely hit in Lynne’s eyes, the reasons why it catapulted to global stardom are clear. From start to finish, the track is playful, its simplicity tapping into one of humanity’s most basic emotions: joyful fun. “Hey, you with the pretty face,” he invites, “Welcome to the human race.” It’s lighthearted and impossible to resist, making it a timeless piece that will likely be referred to as a significant cultural touchstone for many more years to come.
