"Can't Get It Out of My Head" 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 originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (also known as ELO). First released on the band's fourth 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 ...

'' in September 1974, the song is the second track on the album and follows " Eldorado Overture". The song was released in November the same year as a single. The song became the band's first top 10 single in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, reaching number 9, and helped boost public awareness of the band in the U.S.; however, back in the UK the single and LP failed to chart. In 1978, it was included as the lead song on the four-track '' The ELO EP'' (UK release), reaching number 34 on the UK charts. The song has appeared on many ELO compilation albums.

Background

Lynne wrote "Can't Get It Out of My Head" partially in response to his father's criticism that the previous songs he wrote didn't have any tune. Lynne wanted to show that he could write a song with a beautiful melody. Lynne has stated that the lyrics "were about a man who was dreaming, sees this vision of loveliness and wakes up and finds that he's actually a clerk working in a bank" and so won't be able to act on this dream.

Critical reception

'' Record World'' said that "Jeff Lynne and company brew up a brilliant batch of hook melody strains from the last decade of ballads into one fresh triumph."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Mike DeGagne said the song would become "one of Electric Light Orchestra's most beautiful ballads" thanks to "the rich backdrop of strings (especially cello) and the steady, delicate cymbal taps that enhance the song's charm", adding: "there's an honest simplicity built around the dynamics of the relaxed rhythm and it's this enchanting air, mixed with the storybook lyrics and poetic wonderment of the song that carries the listener away, even if they're indecipherable at times", considering the song as "the band's best example of this recipe implemented toward a slower style". ''Classic Rock History'' critic Brian Kachejian rated it as ELO's 10th best song, calling it a "sentimental grooving ballad." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated it as ELO's 9th best song. '' Stereogum'' contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's 4th best song.

Personnel

Credits adapted from "Can't Get It Out of My Head" liner notes. Electric Light Orchestra *

– lead vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, Moog synthesizer, arrangements *

Richard Tandy Richard Tandy (born 26 March 1948) is an English musician. He is best known as the keyboardist in the rock band Electric Light Orchestra ("ELO"). His palette of keyboards (including Minimoog, Clavinet, Mellotron, and piano) was an importan ...

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, Moog synthesizer, arrangements * Michael De Albuquerque – bass *

Bev Bevan Beverley Bevan (born 25 November 1944) is an English rock musician, who was the drummer and one of the original members of The Move and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). After the end of ELO in 1986, he founded ELO Part II. Bevan also was drumm ...

– drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

* Michael Edwards –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

Mik Kaminski Michael Kaminski (born 2 September 1951) is an English musician. He is best known for playing violin in the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) between 1973 and 1979 and touring from 1981 to 1986, as well as being a member of Electric Ligh ...

–

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

Hugh McDowell Hugh Alexander McDowell (31 July 1953 – 6 November 2018)ELO and ...

–

Additional musicians *

Louis Clark Louis Clark (27 February 1947 – 13 February 2021) was an English music arranger and keyboard player. He trained at Leeds College of Music. He is best known for his work with Electric Light Orchestra and '' Hooked on Classics''. Clark started ...

– orchestra conducting, arrangements Production * Jeff Lynne –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

* Dick Plant –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

* Mike Pela – engineering * Kenny Denton – engineering assistance * John Richards – engineering assistance Recording * Recorded at

De Lane Lea Studios Warner Bros. De Lane Lea Studios is a recording studio, based in Dean Street, Soho, London. Although the studios have mainly been used for dubbing feature films and television programmes, major artists such as the Animals, the Beatles, Soft M ...

, London.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Jeff Lynne versions

re-recorded the song in his own home studio. It was released in a compilation album with other re-recorded ELO songs under the ELO name. In 2012, as part of the concert from his home studio, Live From Bungalow Palace, Lynne performed an acoustic version of the song with longtime ELO pianist

References

External links

In-depth Song Analysis
at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (jefflynnesongs.com)
List of "Can't Get It Out of My Head" cover versions with YouTube & Spotify links
at SecondHandSongs.com {{authority control 1974 songs 1974 singles Electric Light Orchestra songs Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Jeff Lynne Velvet Revolver songs British soft rock songs United Artists Records singles Warner Records singles