The Electric Light Orchestra song Jeff Lynne never gets tired of playing live: “It just worked”
Given that Jeff Lynne has always possessed an innate adoration for all kinds of music, it’s not too difficult to imagine him writing a hit in no time. After all, even among heroes like Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Tom Petty, he established himself as the integral component, knowing exactly when to apply pressure or tweaks to transform their sound to a new level of excellence.
However, Petty’s bone-deep love for music started long before he floated the idea of creating a supergroup, forming the basis of what would become the force that was Electric Light Orchestra. Hotwiring off the success of previous bands like The Beatles, the beauty of ELO wasn’t about originality—or even authenticity, in some cases—rather, it continued a party that many long worried was over, taking earlier sounds and making them feel as exciting as if they were being heard for the first time.
Alongside achieving the nod of approval from several band members, Lynne earned respect by masterfully fusing many components the Fab Four previously revolutionised, utilising the power and delicacy of a good string section to enhance the foundational rock sounds and structures. While obvious examples include songs like ‘Mr Blue Sky’, another to maximise this endearing blend was ‘Evil Woman’, which not only incorporated an intricate string arrangement but evoked the kind of simple pop arrangement championed by earlier songs by The Beatles.
Lynne wrote the song in about six minutes during the band’s recording sessions in Germany in 1975 after many began to feel frustration at the musician consistently agonising over a series of similar chords and arrangements. After pushing them to distract themselves for a little while, ‘Evil Woman’ came to him quickly, without him failing to sprinkle in a subtle reference to the Liverpudlian quartet and their song ‘Fixing A Hole’ in the line: “There’s a hole in my head where the rain comes in.”
But the song also paralleled the band’s perceived simplicity, with the same chords running throughout. This allowed Lynne to quickly and easily write the lyrics without feeling restricted by any variations in structures or arrangements, particularly with the verses and chorus. This also meant that they didn’t need to apply any tweaks or tampering, and the song stayed almost exactly the same as when he first sat down to write it the same morning.
“It just worked,” he explained on SiriusXM, saying that the simple structure meant that they “didn’t have to mess with it” because it was already the perfect version of what it needed to be. The song also became special to Lynne for many reasons, particularly after it naturally became their typical show opener, setting the tone for the show with the kind of rhythmic feel that, in many ways, captured the entire appeal of the band.
“It’s always one of my favourite ones to play still,” Lynne said, a sentiment that reflects his natural ability to connect with his audience, stemming from his humble demeanour underscored by an innate confidence in his musical expertise. He might have written the song in just a handful of minutes, but the resonance continues to uphold the appeal and legacy of those who came before while giving a glimpse into who and what ELO was and would become.
