Secret Messages

Electric Light Orchestra

About Secret Messages

"Secret Messages" is a song recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and is the title track (and opening track) of the 1983 album Secret Messages. The song begins with strange effects and a backmasked voice (saying "welcome to the show") followed by a burst of morse code spelling out E. L. O., something Jeff Lynne did also 10 years earlier on "Ocean Breakup/King of the Universe" from On the Third Day. The song and album were recorded very much tongue in cheek with Jeff Lynne's love of hidden messages in songs. The single peaked at 48 in the UK Singles Chart and at number 14 in the Irish Singles Chart. Parts of the music video featuring a radio telescope were filmed at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, England. 


Year:
1983
4:42
304 
#3

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A moving stream of information 
That is floating on the wind 
The secrets never end 
And now they call, 
They sing, they play, they dance 
For you, from out of the blue, 
What can you do?

The secret messages are calling to me endlessly 
They call to me across the air 
The messages across the atmosphere 
They whisper in your ear, they're calling everywhere

Where words cascade like rainbows tumbling from the sky 
Then I'll be there, I'll be there 
When messages will call to you their secrets all around 
Without a sound, they're all around

Those secret messages that spill into the air from far away 
So far away 
A flowing river of illusion running with confusion 
Never gone - it goes on and on

The secret messages are calling to me endlessly 
They call to me across the air 
The messages across the atmosphere 
They whisper in your ear, they're calling everywhere

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Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are a British rock group from Birmingham, England who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. After Wood's departure following the band's debut record, Lynne wrote and arranged all of the group's original compositions and produced every album. more »

7 fans

Written by: JEFF LYNNE

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Band History
"Secret Messages" is a song from the British rock band, Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). ELO was formed in Birmingham, England in the early 1970s by songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, along with drummer Bev Bevan.
Album Information
The song "Secret Messages" is the title track of the band's tenth studio album, which was released in 1983.
Larger Work
The album originally was intended to be a double album, displaying the technological and progressive nature of ELO's music. However, it was eventually reduced to a single album by record company pressures.
Main Composer
Jeff Lynne, who is credited with the songwriting for "Secret Messages", was the main creative force behind ELO. He wrote most of the band's original material and served as the lead vocalist.
Album Concept
The album Secret Messages, including the song itself, were influenced by the idea of secret and hidden messages in the music. This was in response to the rumors alleging that ELO's music, when played backwards, contained satanic messages.
Music Style
ELO's music, including "Secret Messages", is characterized by a fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements and futuristic, electronic sounds.
Chart Performance
Despite the album's controversial history, "Secret Messages" reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart and No. 36 in the US Billboard 200.
Absence of Original Member
"Secret Messages" was one of ELO's albums produced without the presence of Roy Wood. He left the band after their debut album in 1971.
Music Video
ELO often supplemented their releases with creative music videos. The video for "Secret Messages" was in heavy rotation on MTV, although it lacked the distinctive CGI and special effects present in other ELO videos.
Original Design
The original concept for the album included a feature where the vinyl disc was designed to be played from the inside out, further developing the theme of 'secret messages'. However, this idea was ultimately scrapped.

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