"Boy Blue" is a song written by

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has cont ...

and performed by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which first appeared as track number 3 from their 1974 album ''

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

''.

Content

Composition

The album version of the song starts with a Baroque-style

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

fanfare – reminiscent of

Jeremiah Clarke Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674 – 1 December 1707) was an English baroque composer and organist, best known for his ''Trumpet Voluntary,'' a popular piece often played at wedding ceremonies or commencement ceremonies. Biography The exact date of Cla ...

's "

Prince of Denmark's March The ''Prince of Denmark's March'' ( da, Prins Prince George of Denmark, Jørgens March), commonly called the ''Trumpet Voluntary'', was written around 1700 by the English composer Jeremiah Clarke, the first organist of the then newly-rebuilt St ...

" (ca. 1700) — and then develops into a minimoog sequence before the song properly begins. The song includes a midway solo of the band's three string players. At the end of the song the string instruments quickly fade, immediately leading into the LP's fourth track "Laredo Tornado". Bassist

Mike de Albuquerque Mike de Albuquerque (born 24 June 1947, Wimbledon, London) is an English musician, who was a member of the progressive rock band Electric Light Orchestra from 1972 to 1974. Biography In 1971, in partnership with percussionist Frank Ricotti, A ...

sings on the song - one of his final appearances in the ELO catalogue. The US edited single version of the song is missing the fanfare intro, parts of the orchestral bridge, and the second to last chorus.

Lyrics

The song is an

anti-war song Some anti-war songs lament aspects of wars, while others satirize war. Most promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Still others depict the physical and psychological destruction that warfare causes to ...

set during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

and forms the second dream as part of the overall ''Eldorado'' dreamscape. It tells the story of Boy Blue, a war hero returning from a far-off war and the rapturous welcome he receives from his town folk. Boy Blue rebuffs the hero worship and declares his hatred of war, stating his refusal to ever “take up arms again”.

Reception

The song was released as the second single from the ''Eldorado'' album but failed to chart. '' Billboard'' said that it had a catchy

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

and a similar "smooth sound" to ELO's previous single "

Can't Get It Out of My Head "Can't Get It Out of My Head" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (also known as ELO). First released on the band's fourth album ''Eldorado'' in September 1974, the song is the second track on t ...

," and had expected it to achieve similar chart success. '' Cash Box'' said "a big symphonic sound surrounds and cushions a driving rock beat on this excellently produced Jeff Lynne track." The song was covered by

Rick Altizer Rick Altizer is a film director, recording artist, music producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and radio show host. In 2021, Altizer wrote and directed ''Show Me the Father'', produced by Mark Miller and executive produced by the Kendrick ...

on the tribute album ''

Lynne Me Your Ears ''Lynne Me Your Ears – A Tribute to the Music of Jeff Lynne'' is a compilation of compositions written by songwriter Jeff Lynne. Most tracks on the album are cover versions of Lynne's longest-running and most successful group, Electric Light ...

'' in a harder rock style.

References

Bibliography

* * {{authority control 1975 singles Electric Light Orchestra songs Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Anti-war songs Songs written by Jeff Lynne 1974 songs United Artists Records singles