"Livin' Thing" is a song written by

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder and, latterly, sole member of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which was formed in 1970. He has written all of ...

and performed by

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

(ELO). It appears on ELO's 1976 album ''

A New World Record ''A New World Record'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 15 October 1976, by United Artists Records in the United States and on 19 November 1976, by Jet Records in the United K ...

'' and was also released as a single. Patti Quatro sang uncredited vocals, particularly the "higher and higher" parts. The original single had " Fire On High" on the flip side, a tune that became the band's most popular instrumental piece. The UK version was released in a blue vinyl format.

Background

"Livin' Thing" makes prominent use of

augmented chord An augmented triad is a chord (music), chord, made up of two major thirds (an augmented fifth). The term ''augmented triad'' arises from an augmented triad being considered a major chord whose top note (fifth) is raised. When using Chord names ...

s. Lynne said about that:

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's writer Stewart Mason described the song structure: " topens with a mock-Spanish orchestral flourish before swinging into a more typical mid-tempo ELO rocker, driven by a battery of acoustic rhythm guitars on the verses and modulating upwards into a falsetto Jeff Lynne vocal on a chorus that’s powered by an even more prominent than usual contribution from the group's string section", adding that it lacks "that impossible-to-dislodge hook that typified Lynne's most successful songs from this era, but it's still a darn sight better than most of what was at the top of the charts in late 1976".

Critical reception

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' critic

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...

called it an "extremely catchy record that has all the vocal and instrumental

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

s to keep you listening." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' said that it "moves through a dark U.K. rock distillation into a soaring, ethereal

chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...

and a return to the minor-key mode. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "a diabolical arrangement hits hard along with some ever ready harmonies which sew this record up into sure hit potential." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it a "Jeff Lynne masterwork" and said that "a savory rock sound makes it happen." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated it ELO's 2nd best song, specifically praising the "string-solo opening, soulful backing vocals, synth waves occasionally crashing into the chorus and a gigantic

." ''Classic Rock History'' critic Brian Kachejian rated it as ELO's 6th best song. ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's 5th best song, saying that "From the dramatic classical opening, incorporating

pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as 'pinched', and sometimes roughly as 'plucked') is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument: * On bowe ...

strings, to the extended chorus fade-out, this one’s pure pop pleasure." In August 2006, "Livin' Thing" was named by the UK's '' Q'' as the number 1 "Guilty Pleasure" single of all time – a list designed to celebrate "uncool" but excellent records, and which received considerable publicity.

Personnel

– lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar *

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 a drum ...

– drums, percussion, backing vocals *

Richard Tandy Richard Tandy (26 March 1948 – 1 May 2024) was an English musician. He was the full-time keyboardist in the band Electric Light Orchestra ("ELO"). His palette of keyboards (including Minimoog, Clavinet, Mellotron, and piano) was an important ...

– piano, electric guitar *

Kelly Groucutt Kelly Groucutt (born Michael William Groucutt; 8 September 1945 – 19 February 2009) was an English musician best known as the bassist and secondary vocalist for the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) between 1974 and 1982. Early career ...

– bass guitar, co-lead and backing vocals *

Mik Kaminski Michael Kaminski (born 2 September 1951) is an English musician. He played violin in the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) between 1973 and 1980 and toured with the band from 1981 to 1986. He was a member of Electric Light Orchestra Pa ...

– violin *

Hugh McDowell Hugh Alexander McDowell (31 July 1953 – 6 November 2018) was an English cellist and member of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and related acts. Career McDowell started playing the cello at the age of four-and-a-half; by the age of 10, he ...

– cello *

Melvyn Gale Melvyn Gale (born 15 January 1952) is an English cellist. Career Born in London, Gale attended the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He played his first professional concert with the London Palladium Orchestra ...

– cello Additional personnel * Patti Quatro, Brie Brandt, Addie Lee – uncredited backing vocals * Orchestra conducted by

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 o ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jeff Lynne version

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.

Covers

In 2001, PFR covered the track on the album '' Lynne Me Your Ears – A Tribute to the Music of Jeff Lynne''. In 2004,

The Beautiful South The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, two former members of the Kingston upon Hull, Hull group the Housemartins, both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members stayin ...

covered the track for their covers album ''

Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs ''Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs'' is the ninth and penultimate album by The Beautiful South, released in 2004. It is almost entirely a cover version, covers album, with one notable exception. The track "This Old Skin" was originally ...

''. It reached number 24 on the UK charts and number 26 on the Irish charts. ;Livin' Thing – CD1 (Sony Music UK; 6753711) #Livin' Thing :17#I'm Living Good :00 ;Livin' Thing – CD2 (Sony Music UK; 6753712) #Livin' Thing :17#Lovin' You :53#Another Night with the Boys :32

Uses in other media

In 2017, "Livin' Thing" was featured in Telltale's ''

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

'' game. The 1997 feature film ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic ...

'' includes the track for the final scene and

end credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at the ve ...

of the movie. Initially, Jeff Lynne refused to release the rights to the song, but changed his mind after viewing a screening of the film with director

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...

and being impressed. The song was featured in the film '' Cruella''.

References

{{authority control 1976 songs 1976 singles 2004 singles Electric Light Orchestra songs The Beautiful South songs Jet Records singles Number-one singles in South Africa Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Jeff Lynne United Artists Records singles