"Getting to the Point" is a song by the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

(ELO) from their 1986 album '' Balance of Power''. Released in the UK as the last single from the album in July 1986, it was the last original release from the band for 15 years.

Overview

Due to a strike on Epic's distribution department at the time of its release, the single did not make much of an impression on the singles chart. It peaked at number 95 in the UK. There was no release in the rest of Europe. The lyrics reflect Lynne's feeling trapped by the "ELO machine" at the time. Lynne described how he came up with the lyrics: ELO writer Barry Delve describes the song as ELO's "last great song" that is "an expertly crafted

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

that also boasts one of Jeff Lynne's finest vocal performances." The B-Side of this single is the 1986 ''Balance of Power'' album-track "Secret Lives". It was meant to be a separate single outtake as labelled on the ''Balance of Power'' album cover (Dutch pressings with JET or EPIC Label Catno. 26467). There was also a UK 12 inch Epic 3 track version with the "ELO Megamix" on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. The mix featured the songs from ''

A New World Record ''A New World Record'' is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in October 1976 on United Artists Records in the U.S., and on 19 November 1976 on Jet Records in the United Kingdom. ''A New World Record'' mar ...

'', ''

Out of the Blue Out of the Blue may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Out of the Blue'' (1931 film), a British musical by Gene Gerrard * ''Out of the Blue'' (1947 film), an American comedy directed by Leigh Jason *'' Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley'', a ...

'', ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' and ''Balance of Power''. It was mixed by

Paul Dakeyne Paul David Dakeyne (born 30 January 1961), known by his stage name Tinman, is an English house music producer/ remixer from Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. In 1994, his single "Eighteen Strings" (also written as "18 Strings") became an inte ...

for DMC.

Track listing

All songs 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 music, rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, h ...

. ;7-inch single #"Getting to the Point" – 4:28 #"Secret Lives" – 3:26 ;12-inch single #"Getting to the Point" – 4:28 #"ELO Megamix" ("

Don't Bring Me Down "Don't Bring Me Down" is the ninth and final track on the English rock band the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 album ''Discovery''. It is their highest-charting hit in the United States to date. History "Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's s ...

Sweet Talkin' Woman "Sweet Talkin' Woman" is a 1978 single by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) from the album '' Out of the Blue'' (1977). Its original title was "Dead End Street", but it was changed during recording. Some words that survived from that version can be ...

Livin' Thing "Livin' Thing" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It appears on ELO's 1976 album ''A New World Record'' and was also released as a single. Patti Quatro sang uncredited vocals, particularly the "hig ...

Calling America "Calling America" is a song by the rock music group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released as a single from their 1986 album '' Balance of Power''. The single reached number 28 in the United Kingdom, making it their 26th and final Top 40 hit ...

So Serious ''So Serious'' is the second album by indie rock band The Like Young. It was released on Parasol Records Parasol Records is an American independent record label based in Urbana, Illinois. The label was founded by Geoff Merritt as an outgrowth ...

Shine a Little Love "Shine a Little Love" is a song by the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released as a single in the US and UK in 1979. Summary The song is the first track on their 1979 album ''Discovery''. This was one of the band's m ...

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...

/ Turn to Stone/ Hold on Tight") – 9:57 #"Secret Lives" – 3:26

Chart positions

References

1980s ballads 1986 singles 1986 songs British soft rock songs Electric Light Orchestra songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Jeff Lynne {{1980s-rock-song-stub