The technique Jeff Lynne uses to make sure he never gets “bored” with his music
For some reason, Jeff Lynne has always adorned the sort of aura of a musician who truly adores all music. While some exist independently in their legendary statuses, Lynne emerged alongside the greats, unflinching in his excitement to be a part of something bigger than himself, even when he’s steering the ship. Then, among heroes, he was the glue—despite owning the label in his own right.
Although there is much to say about this approach within Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne showed this disposition more openly and fully during his time in The Traveling Wilburys. Without him, it’s easy to imagine the rest of the group ambling somewhat idly or awkwardly, waiting for someone to take control. And that’s not just because the whole project was Lynne’s idea, but because he knew exactly when to apply pressure and when to make tweaks to bring their sound together.
While that’s an odd observation about a supergroup that included five of the best and most legendary names in music history, Lynne’s ability to take everything in his stride spoke volumes about not only his artistic craft but also his energy and enthusiasm for understanding and appreciating his situation’s uniqueness.
Once, he snuck into the studio after hours, plagued by an itch to make changes to a song they had recorded earlier in the day, executing the kind of drive and confidence of someone who knew that their input was vital to the entire piece. After all, it takes a real musician with deep intuition to know that a track with efforts from Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison needed work, and it ultimately worked out in their favour.
Still, Lynne has always had this inexplicable ability to be suddenly hit with a wave of inspiration, whether it concerns different facets of the musical arrangements, the lyrics, or the general tone and cadence of a particular song. Some write in a more structured way, knowing exactly how they want the end product to look and feel. Lynne, on the other hand, operates from deep within, letting his emotions guide whatever happens on paper and in the studio.
This happened earlier in 1977 with the ELO song ‘Turn To Stone’ when Lynne exercised his emotional spontaneity to enhance the track’s appeal. After writing it, he felt that the mid-section needed something a little off-kilter to make it more fun and exciting, so he placed some playful lyrics in there as a much-needed change of pace. He would do this often, adding something silly or unexpected so his music never felt boring.
“‘Turn to Stone’ is one of my favourites I ever did,” he told Rolling Stone, adding, “It’s just so primary and simple, but yet very evocative. I love the shuffle beat. There’s a part in the middle where I talk super fast. I just felt like it needed something simple in the middle of the song. I often used to put a funny little piece in a song just in case I get bored with it. I’d go, ‘Well, maybe this is going on too long. I’ll think of something daff to put in there.'”
Perhaps that’s the secret to Lynne’s entire persona: instead of allowing himself to become a “serious” musician in a more one-dimensional way, he never lets himself be weighed down by pragmatism, instead knowing inherently what a song needs to reach the next level. In other words, he has mastered the art of holistic creativity, knowing how to stir the pot in the right ways to arrive at an end product that is swimming with layered magnetism.
