Can't Get It Out Of My Head
 

Electric Light Orchestra -- Can't Get It Out Of My Head

An in-depth song analysis

Electric Light Orchestra (Original Version)
Electric Light Orchestra (Solo Version)
  • Record Date: February 11 to 15, 1974 (original backing track); June, July and/or August, 1974 (additional recording/mixing)
  • Record Location: De Lane Lea Studios, London
  • Written By: Jeff Lynne
  • Produced By: Jeff Lynne
  • Engineered By: Dick Plant & Mike Pela (with assistance by Kenny Denton & John Richards)
  • Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, moog synthesizer), Richard Tandy (piano, moog synthesizer), Michael De Albuquerque (bass), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Louis Clark (orchestra conductor), Michael Edwards* (cello), Mik Kaminski* (violin), Hugh McDowell (cello)* -- *uncomfirmed

    Initially Released On: Eldorado LP album (1974 September — USA — United Artists UA-LA 339-G)

  • Record Date: Some time between 2001 and 2011
  • Record Location: Bungalow Palace Studio, California USA (Jeff Lynne's home studio)
  • Written By: Jeff Lynne
  • Produced By: Jeff Lynne
  • Engineered By: Steve Jay, Ryan Ulyate & Marc Mann
  • Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, piano, bass, drums, keyboards), Marc Mann (strings), Steve Jay (shakers, tambourine)

    Initially Released On: Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra LP album (2012 October 5 — Europe — Frontiers Records FR LP 570)

    • Comments and Observations

    Billboard adUSA album stickerCan't Get It Out Of My Head was originally recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London, UK between February 11 and February 15, 1974, although this was only the basic backing track. Additional material and orchestra sessions may have beem in July or August later that year.

    According to Jeff Lynne, it was the first Electric Light Orchestra song to use a full orchestra, although this does seem to contradict other statements from Jeff that Eldorado Overture was the first song with an orchestra. It's probably the case that to Jeff's mind, Eldorado Overture and Can't Get It Out Of My Head are one song, as they fit together very well on the Eldorado album and were performed together for every E.L.O. tour up until the 1981 Time tour. In fact, a bootleg recording of an early take of the song demonstrates that the songs were recorded together as one piece. It's not entirely certain if the E.L.O. string players actually performed on the song as during this period of recording, some of the string players parts were simply mixed into the orchestra parts, causing the string players parts to often be indistinguishable amongst the orchestra. According to keyboardist Richard Tandy, the Minimoog keyboard used on the song was multitracked to give it a fuller, harmonic sound.

    Jeff with his parentsThe song was written in response to Jeff Lynne's father, Phil, being critical of Jeff's songwriting. His father, an avid classical music lover, did not like his Electric Light Orchestra songs, saying, "they've got no tune." To prove to his father that he could write a beautiful classical influenced song, Jeff wrote the rock ballad of Can't Get It Out Of My Head. As Jeff wrote it in the front room of his parent's home in Shard End, Birmingham, one could possibly surmise that Jeff heard his father's comment and almost immediately went to the recording equipment in the front room to record the demo and show up his father. Perhaps this comment even spurred Jeff to use a full orchestra on the album, rather than dubbed together cellos as was done before.

    The song was released as a single in England on Warner Brothers records in January 1975 with stock number "K16510" and having an Illusions In G Major on the B-side. In the USA, it's ELO's fifth single release and was released in November 1974, on United Artists records with stock number "XW 573-W" and the same Illusions In G Major on the B-side. It was also released as the second track of side 1 (after Eldorado Overture) on the Eldorado album on September 1974 in the USA and November 1974 in England. Oddly enough, although this song was a top ten hit in the USA, it was never reissued on 7" single in the USA, unlike other non-top ten hits from the USA charts.

    Small UK magazine adFor its original release, Can't Get It Out Of My Head did not chart in the UK at all. It entered the USA Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 21, 1974, reached #9 on March 15, 1975, and spent 16 weeks in the chart and entered the Cash Box chart on December 14, 1974 on, reached #14 on March 22, 1975, spending 17 weeks in the chart. It was ELO's third Billboard chart single and was the first top ten hit for the band in the USA, obviously a big success and marking a new era for ELO's popularity. It is intriguing that the song had no movement at all on the UK charts. At the time, E.L.O. was having rising success in the USA however their singles were virtually ignored in their homeland. So perhaps it's not too surprising that the song was not a success in the UK.

    There has been some confusion over the years about when exactly the UK single was released with many sources claiming it was June of 1974. That is incorrect and it believed to have been intentionally incorrectly claimed by Pete Frames' Rock Family Trees author as a means to find who has been republishing his material. In any case, a June 1974 date is impossible because by that date the recording of the album had just finished and mixing was probably not yet complete. The The Night The Light Went On In Long Beach album had just been released the summer of 1974 in Europe with plans to release it in the UK (which never materialized) and they would not have released two different projects simultaneously. The most obvious evidence that June 1974 is wrong is by the stock number. As stock numbers on Warner Brothers' releases were typically consecutive with respect to the release dates, the release of "K16506" (Graham Central Station's Feel The Need) in early 1975 and "K16497" (Wizzard's Are You Ready To Rock) in late December 1974, that would put ELO's Can't Get It Out Of My Head with "K16510" in early 1975, which would agree with the January 1975 date for the European releases of the song. Note also that although the single is stamped 1974, that is an indication of when the album the song was taken from (Eldorado) was released, not the when the single was released.

    Large USA magazine adAlthough the song had no success in the UK, it was reissued several times over the years. In December of 1978 it was issued as the first track on the first and only ELO EP, simply titled The ELO EP (Jet JET ELO 1). At the same time a single backed by Evil Woman was also issued (Jet ELO 1 JB). The single was intended to be used in jukeboxes only, thus the larger spindle hole and the "JB" in the stock number. These items were released to promote the Three Light Years collection. Although Can't Get It Out Of My Head proper did not chart, The ELO EP made the singles chart, hitting a peak of #34 for four consecutive weeks starting on December 16, 1979. For unknown reasons, the last two weeks of the The ELO EP's chart run, it was credited to Can't Get It Out Of My Head instead of the EP. On November 16, 2007, nearly 29 years later, it was reissued again as a download single (no known stock number) to promote the Ticket To The Moon - The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2 compilation. This download single release had no chart success at all.

    Lyric Sheet - Walking on a wave's chicaneThere has long been debate about a line in the opening verse of the song. Is it "walking on a wave's chicane" or "walking on a wave she came"? The lyric sheet issued with the Eldorado album lists it as "chicane" but lyric sheets have often been known to be wrong so can't be entirely trusted. Even watching Jeff's lips as he sings the song doesn't answer the mystery as the lip movement for either lyric is too similar. And then there is the question, what exactly is a "chicane"? It's not a common word so may not show up in your average English dictionary, but it refers to the frothy tip of a cresting wave. Thus, if the woman in the song is walking on a wave's chicane, she is walking upon the top of the waves. Was Jeff being obtuse and using an obscure lyric in his song or was it simply a transcription error by whoever did the original lyric sheet? It's a mystery.

    The song was also featured in the 1976 music documentary called All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music. It was in the final episode, subtitled Imagine: New Directions, about the at-the-time current state of pop music and where it was thought it was going in the future. It's a mimed music video performance and it only features the first two verses and choruses, cutting off the intro and abruptly cutting away to an interview with Lester Bangs just before the instrumental bridge. The actual origins of this performance are unclear but it is thought to be a music video created exclusively for this documentary as it has never been seen, complete or otherwise, anywhere else. It's filmed footage of the band on a darkened stage in very extreme close-ups. Jeff is wearing has black shirt with the silver wings and Bev is wearing a denim shirt as seen in the Evil Woman video, so it must have been shot during the Face The Music era (late 1975 to 1976). This footage is interspersed with filmed footage of a child playing in the surf (probably inspired by the "walking on a wave's chicane" lyric), an empty surf, a streetcar running in San Francisco, African people rowing on a river, and people walking along the beach. Curiously, the cutaway to the Lester Bangs interview features him disparaging the current state of rock music, implying that he is disparaging the band. Whether this was intended or not is uncertain, but it probably was just a coincidence as he seemed to be targeting his attack at the older bands, such a Rolling Stones.

    Memories of the album Eldorado
    Kenny Denton: Recording engineer 1969 - 2006

    In 1969 I started my career at the legendary Pye studios London. I left Pye in 1971 to join De Lane Lea the first ever-purposed built recording studio in Wembley.

    In January 1974 Jet Records booked the studio for a new ELO album, starting on Monday the 11th February. Dick Plant was the engineer requested as he had recorded the On the Third Day album with the band the previous year. Dick was already booked with another client for that week, so Louis Elman the studio manager asked me to start the recordings. I seem to remember that the band were to continue the sessions the following week, so I made it clear to Louis that I was getting married on the 16th of February and going on honeymoon, therefore I couldn't work after the 15th. I am sure Dick took aver the recordings from Monday the 18th.

    I am still very much in touch with Dick and Mike and Lou Clark and have asked them if they can confirm the dates of the overdubbing and mixing time. Unfortunately Dick Plant and Mike don't remember what year it was never mind what weeks/months the album was recorded. Every session in those days were just general work in a very busy 4 studio complex.

    The recording engineer for the orchestra/choir sessions was John Richards. John like myself was un-credited on the album, no big deal in those days just another gig. Dick Plant and Mike Pela did most of the work on the completion of the tracks and deserved a full credit.

    I can't help with what tracks went down on what days as Jeff hadn't written the lyrics yet so the boxes would have been marked title one/two etc. the backing tracks were recorded in studio 2 and the guide slurring vocals and some overdubs were put down in studio 3.

    There was a piano vocal of a song, chorus line entitled The Last Days Of September. A few years ago I found a copy of it in my loft and sent the unfinished recording to Lou Clark and asked him if he knew why Jeff never finished it and why this track never made it on the album. He replied to me with the following:

    "I think the track could have come to something. Well it kind of did in as much as the sequence at the intro and outro and bridge is pretty well CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD and the vocal line above it is what the choir sang on that song. I remember Jeff calling me a couple of days before the sessions and singing that line and asking me to include it".

    My overview of the album is that the guys were really easy to get on with, although Jeff and I never had what would be called close working relationship.

    I was never really happy with my work on the recording. With most artist you would get and idea of what they wanted, but this was difficult with Jeff as I am not sure he had a definite idea, or maybe it just found it hard working with me as he had already built a relationship with Dick Plant on their previous album.

    Whenever I heard the finished album over the years the edits I did on the original mulittracks are appalling. Cutting 2 inch in those days was in its infancy, but this is no excuse my edits are dreadful.

    I can tell you honestly the only time that week I thought those backing tracks had any legs, was when Jeff slurred through the guide vocals, hitting occasional lyrics. One of the guide chorus lines was "I'm dying", at that time the feel of the backing tracks I believed the album was going to be a concept album relating to the American Indians. Because Johnny Cash had recorded an awareness album to the plight and the true story of the suffering of those people, and the Movie Soldier Blue had been a huge success, and Jane Fonda and many others were promoting the same vibe. It wasn't just that one line there were several other lines, and the backing tracks had a very different feel before Lou's additions and final overdubs, and of course Jeff really wanted major success the USA.

    One morning I had a session in studio 3 it was the morning after Dick had been recording the vocals on Can't Get It Out of My Head. I arrived early to set up my session and I knew the vocal session had been a late one. Engineers rules you must clear the desk and leave the studio completely clean and ready for the next session. On this particular morning, the studio was a mess the studio still had the vocal booth and Mic still in position. On the music stand there was Jeff lyrics, Midnight on the water etc., I read them through and thought what a pile of old rubbish and put the page of lyrics in the bin. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

    It would be easy now to say I thought the whole album was a masterpiece from the start but honestly I stick by my original thoughts when I first heard the finished playback in the studio, with the strings and choir and no bloody reverb NONE! Only the echo effect on the vocals. It sounded like a bunch of expensive demos and I also think JET records and Mike Albuquerque could have thought the same at the time.

    -Kenny Denton 11th August 2014

    In the late 2000s, Jeff Lynne rerecording a new solo version of the song, wherein he is thought to have played all the instruments himself in his own home studio. He stays as faithful as possible to the 1974 Eldorado album version. Ostensibly this was done because Jeff felt that he could improve the the song (and other ELO hits that appear on the Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra) using modern recording techniques, stating that when he hears the original recordings, he's not entirely happy with them. Some have suggested that Jeff may have rerecorded it because he does not own the full rights to the original songs. Instead the rights are owned by Sony and when the songs are used in films, ads and other money making ventures, Sony gets most (if not all) of the money. By being able to market his own self-recorded versions, Jeff gets all the money instead. Jeff, however, denies this is the reason for the rerecordings.

    It's not entirely clear if the newer solo version should be credited to Jeff Lynne alone or Electric Light Orchestra. All sources and interviews are very clear that these are Jeff Lynne solo recordings, yet there has been no definitive statement about exactly how the artist for the recordings should be credited. Strangely, the Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra collection gives only the album's title and does not state the artist anywhere. Other sources such as iTunes credit the artist as Electric Light Orchestra. And Frontiers Records shop originally did not give an artist credit, but revised the artist to Electric Light Orchestra shortly after release. Yet clearly these are solo recordings. Jeff, in interviews, implies that this is to be an Electric Light Orchestra recording as the "group" is now a one-man band and he is the band.

    Structure and Lyrics

    Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released song by Electric Light Orchestra as available on the standard issues of the Eldorado album and the Jeff Lynne solo version as on the Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album. The arrangements and lyrics are essentially the same for both recordings, but for a couple of slight changes. The third line on the second verse is changed from "Morning don't get here 'til night" on the original version to "Morning don't get here tonight" on the solo version; and the last line of the fourth and final chorus is changed from " 'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no no no" on the original version to " 'Cos I can't get it out of my head, oh no, oh no" on the solo version.

    Original Electric Light Orchestra Version
    Lyric sheet from Eldorado album
    -Piano and string intro
    -Verse 1
       Midnight on the water
       I saw the ocean's daughter
       Walking on a wave's chicane/wave she came
       Staring as she called my name
    -Chorus 1
       And I can't get it out of my head
       No, I can't get it out of my head
       Now my old world is gone for dead
       'Cos I can't get it out of my head
    -Verse 2
       Breakdown on the shoreline
       Can't move, it's an ebbtide
       Morning don't get here 'til night
       Searching for her silver light
    -Chorus 2
       And I can't get it out of my head
       No, I can't get it out of my head
       Now my old world is gone for dead
       'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no
    -Instrumental Bridge
       String part
       Minimoog part 1
       Minimoog part 2
       Minimoog part 3
    -Verse 3
       Bank job in the city, yeah, yeah
       Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot, they don't envy me, yeah
       Sitting 'til the sun goes down
       In dreams the world keeps going round and round
    -Chorus 3
       And I can't get it out of my head
       No, I can't get it out of my head
       Now my old world is gone for dead
       'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no
    -Chorus 4
       No, I can't get it out of my head
       No, I can't get it out of my head
       Now my old world is gone for dead
       'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no no no
    -String and choir ending
    		 Original Lyric Sheet

    Variations

    There are seven known non-live variations of the original Can't Get It Out Of My Head by Electric Light Orchestra. They are:

    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Standard Release)
    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Single Version)
    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited USA Mono Single Version)
    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Quadraphonic Mix)
    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Argentina Promo Version)
    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
    -Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Take 5)

    The single version simply cuts the whole first chorus, the second verse, and a large portion of the intstrumental bridge. This edited version also has a mono version available on the B-sides of the USA issued promotional single. The version found on a promotional 7" single from Argentina to promote the 1979 ELO's Greatest Hits release is simply the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the standard album version. The version from the 1984 Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP cuts a large portion of the instrumental bridge (but a different portion than the single version. Although the entire Eldorado album is known to have been mixed to quadraphonic sound, it has never been released, nor has it been bootlegged so any differences in it are unknown at this time.

    The take 5 version is actually a bootleg recording only. It is a raw, instrumental version of the song, complete with the band count-in, the Eldorado Overture beginning attached, and a non-fading end where the band and orchestra can be heard randomly tuning instruments after the final note. It is only the basic backing track (drums, bass, piano) with the orchestral overdub. It does not include the the minimoog on the bridge, either. It's a rather raw mix as the horn sections and string parts can clearly be heard that were mixed out in the final mix version.

    The Jeff Lynne solo version, although a whole new recording, is the exact same arrangement.

    Song Section Lyric/Part Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Standard Release) Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Single Version)
    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited USA Mono Single Version)     		Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Argentina Promo Version) Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version) * Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Solo Version)
    Piano and string intro Piano and string intro
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Verse 1 Midnight on the water
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    I saw the ocean's daughter
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Walking on a wave's chicane/wave she came
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Staring as she called my name
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Chorus 1 And I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    No, I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Now my old world is gone for dead
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    'Cos I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Verse 2 Breakdown on the shoreline
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Can't move, it's an ebbtide
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Morning don't get here 'til night
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Searching for her silver light
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Chorus 2 And I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    No, I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Now my old world is gone for dead
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Instrumental Bridge String part
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Minimoog part 1
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES, but only the first two seconds before merging with the next minimoog part
    *
    YES
    Minimoog part 2
    YES
    -
    YES, but fades and ends
    YES
    *
    YES
    Minimoog part 3
    YES
    YES, but you can also hear a snippet of Minimoog part 1 at the beginning
    -
    -
    *
    YES
    Verse 3 Bank job in the city, yeah, yeah
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot, they don't envy me, yeah
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    Sitting 'til the sun goes down
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    In dreams the world keeps going round and round
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    Chorus 3 And I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    No, I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    Now my old world is gone for dead
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    Chorus 4 And I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    No, I can't get it out of my head
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    Now my old world is gone for dead
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    'Cos I can't get it out of my head, no no no no
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES
    String and choir ending String and choir ending
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    *
    YES

    Music Charts

    These are the known statistics for the various country's music charts. The song failed to chart on original release in the UK. However, something very peculiar happened with the song in late 1978: The ELO EP was released and the song, the first song on the EP, charted in the UK from it for eight consecutive weeks. Very curiously, the EP charted the first six weeks as The ELO EP, but for the final two weeks, it charted as Can't Get It Out Of My Head. It's not clear why that happened. In late 2007, it was reissued as a download single to promote the Ticket To The Moon - The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2 compilation, but it failed to chart in this instance.

    Equally curious, The ELO EP charted for the first week as Can't Get It Out Of My Head, then the following two weeks as Ma-Ma-Ma Belle.

    Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18
    UK Official Top 50 Did not chart
    USA Billboard Hot 100 Chart Entry Date: December 21, 1974
    87
    76
    65
    52
    41
    33
    29
    23
    19
    15
    11
    10
    9
    (March 15, 1975)
    18
    36
    57
    USA Cash Box Top 100 Chart Entry Date: December 14, 1974
    85
    72
    60
    51
    46
    41
    35
    30
    28
    24
    21
    18
    16
    15
    14
    (March 22, 1975)
    50
    79
    USA Record World Top 40 Chart Entry Date: [UNKNOWN]
    Peak of 23
    during a run of an unknown number of weeks on the chart
    Australia Top 100 Chart Entry Date: September 22, 1975
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    Peak at #59 on [UNKNOWN DATE] during a run of 10 weeks on the chart
    Canada RPM Top 100 Chart Entry Date: December 21, 1974
    100
    84
    no chart published
    50
    41
    37
    36
    36
    34
    25
    (February 22, 1975)
    25
    (March 1, 1975)
    no chart published
    28
    39
    39
    41
    48
    81
    Holland Top 40 (De Nederlandse Top 40) Chart Entry Date: March 1, 1975
    33
    23
    19
    (March 15, 1975)
    20
    31
    Holland Top 30 (Uncertain origin) Chart Entry Date: March 1, 1975
    27
    20
    (March 8, 1975)
    25
    28
    - - - -
    UK Official Top 75 Chart Entry Date: December 9, 1978
    50 *
    34 *
    (December 16, 1978)
    34 *
    (December 23, 1978)
    34 *
    (December 30, 1978)
    34 *
    (January 6, 1979)
    40 *
    52 **
    58 **
    Ireland Top 30 Chart Entry Date: December 30, 1978
    28 **
    (December 30, 1978)
    19 ***
    15 ***
    (January 13, 1979)
    * charted as The ELO EP
    ** charted as Can't Get It Out Of My Head
    *** charted as Ma-Ma-Ma Belle

    Releases

    Here are all the known USA and UK releases of the song:

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Standard Release)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Single Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited USA Mono Single Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Quadraphonic Mix)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Argentina Promo Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Take 5 Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (The Midnight Special - November 25, 1974)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Eldorado Tour)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Winterland February 14, 1976)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (London June 20, 1976)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (A New World Record Tour)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Out Of The Blue Tour)

    ELO Hits Medley #1 (Time Tour)

    ELO Hits Medley #2 (Time Tour)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (VH1 Storytellers, April 20, 2001)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (5.1 Mix - Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Live Acoustic Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Solo Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Bungalow Palace - March 2011)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Hyde Park - September 14, 2014)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Porchester Hall - November 9, 2015)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Irving Plaza - November 20, 2015)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Fonda Theatre - November 24, 2015)

    Tours

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head was played on all tours following its release except the brief Balance Of Power tour.

    The live performances that have seen official release are three versions from the Face The Music tour (from Winterland, London and Portsmouth) and one version from the PBS performance for the aborted Zoom tour. All of the Face The Music performances were part of a larger Eldorado Suite, between Eldorado Overture and Illusions In G Major.

    Performances of Can't Get It Out Of My Head from the Eldorado, A New World Record, Out Of The Blue and Time tours have not been officially released, although they have been bootlegged from various sources. It should also be noted that the version of the song performed during the Time tour was part of a hits medley, so only included 2 minutes and 18 seconds, blending in from Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, cutting everything after the instrumental bridge part of the song, and then blending into Strange Magic on the US leg of the tour and Wild West Hero on the European leg of the tour.

    The song was also performed for the 2001 Zoom Tour Live concert and the 2014 Hyde Park concert, both with the same basic album arrangement of the song.

    Pictures

    UK 7-inch single (Warners K 16510) USA stock 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW573-X) USA promo 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW573-X) Eldorado album cover UK The ELO EP EP (Jet ELO 1)
    UK vinyl single * Warners * K 16510
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		USA stock vinyl single * United Artists * UA-XW573-X
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		USA promo vinyl single * United Artists * UA-XW573-X
    [b/w Can't Get It Out Of My Head (mono)]     		USA Eldorado album * United Artists * UA-LA339-G UK The ELO EP EP * Jet * Jet ELO 1
    UK 7-inch single (Jet ELO 1 JB) UK download single USA 7-inch single (Silver Spotlight Series, United Artists US X 1176-Y) Argtentina 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 32.299) Argentina promo 7-inch single (Warner Brothers * 32.299)
    UK vinyl single * Jet * Jet ELO 1 JB
    [b/w Evil Woman]     		UK download single * Epic * ? USA single * Silver Spotlight Series, United Artists * US X 1176-Y
    [b/w Strange Magic]     		Argentina vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 32.299
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Argentina vinyl single promo * Warner Brothers * 32.299
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Argentina promo 7-inch single (Epic DEP-139) Australia 7-inch single (Warner Brothers WB-6399) Belgium 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16510) Brazil promo 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 3-01-101-060) Canada 7-inch single (United Artists UAXW 573-X)
    Argentina vinyl single promo * Epic * Epic DEP-139
    [b/w Evil Woman]     		Australia vinyl single * Warner Brothers * WB-6399
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Belgium vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 16510
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Brazil vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 3-01-101-060
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Canada vinyl single * United Artists * UAXW 573-X
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Canada 7-inch single (Columbia C4-1028) France 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16 510) Germany 7-inch standard single (Warner Brothers 16 510)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Germany 7-inch promo single (Warner Brothers 16 510) Holland 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16-510)
    Canada vinyl single * Columbia * C4-1028
    [b/w Evil Woman]     		France vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 16 510
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Germany standard vinyl single * Warner Brothers * WB 16 510
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Germany promo vinyl single * Warner Brothers * WB 16 510
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Holland vinyl single * Warner Brothers * WB 16-510
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Japan 7-inch single (Warner Brothers P-1373W) Mexico 7-inch single (Warner Brothers G-1462) New Zealand 7-inch single (Warner Brothers B 6399) Russia flexi-disc single (Budkon 2728)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Spain 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 45-1184)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Japan vinyl single * Warner Brothers * P-1373W
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]     		Mexico vinyl single * Warner Brothers * G-1462
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		New Zealand vinyl single * Warner Brothers * B 6399
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Russia flexi-disc single * Budkon * 2728 Spain vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 45-1184
    [b/w Illusions In G Major]
    Thailand 7-inch single (4-Track FT-186) Thailand 7-inch single (Royal Sound TKR-255) Thailand 7-inch single (Top Teen Talent F-024) Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album with solo version
    Thailand vinyl single * 4-Track * FT-186 Thailand vinyl single * Royal Sound * TKR-255
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Thailand vinyl single * Top Teen Talent * F-024
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album containing newer solo version

    Use in Movies and TV Programs

    Electric Light Orchestra's Can't Get It Out Of My Head

    Jeff Lynne's solo Can't Get It Out Of My Head

    Use in Advertising

    Electric Light Orchestra's Can't Get It Out Of My Head

    Jeff Lynne's solo Can't Get It Out Of My Head

    Cover Versions


    Sample Uses


    Sheet Music

    Sheet music for this song is unavailable at this time.

    Promotional Videos and TV Performances

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head promo videoThere was a promo video for Can't Get It Out Of My Head produced that features the band miming to the single version of the song. It starts off showing the exterior of an English building on Forshaw Heath Lane in Birmingham, then zooms into a small building beside the main building that is marked "Forshaw Heath Social Centre Hall" and fades to show the band playing in a very small room, as if the band is playing inside the building (although they may likely be on a sound stage). It's a very small, crowded room and there is no room for the band to move about. Each band member except Hugh McDowell is wearing a t-shirt with a logo for Avro's Toppop; Bev and Richard's are red while all the others' are yellow. Hugh, who had apparently just rejoined the band, is instead wearing a blue long sleeve shirt, but an Avro's Toppop sticker is clearly attached to his white cello and it gets several close-ups in the video. Avro's Toppop was a TV show from the Netherlands, modeled after the UK's Top Of The Pops, and presumably they were the sponsors of the video. Both Jeff and Kelly are wearing black shirts over their t-shirts, with Jeff's also having a print of large white wings across the chest and shoulders, which would make an appearance many more times in the following years. It's the first appearance of Mik Kaminski playing his famous blue violin and it's also the first appearance of a quite nervous looking Kelly Groucutt in the band. The Can't Get It Out Of My Head promo video can be seen HERE

    The song was also featured in the 1977 documentary called All You Need Is Love about the history of popular music. In it, they have a special promo clip of the band performing the song that was supposedly recorded just for this special. It shows extreme closeups of the band performing the song, interspersed with footage of waves and a San Francisco trolley car. Jeff is seen in his Face The Music era wardrobe, so clearly it was created well after the Eldorado promotion. The band is miming to the album version and only about the first minute of the video is shown. This performance can be seen HERE.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head on The Midnight SpecialThe song was performed live on The Midnight Special (recorded November 25 or 26, 1974; broadcast January 17, 1975) along with Eldorado Overture as part of a mini-concert set to promote the Eldorado album. The song was not broadcast at all on the UK's popular Top Of The Pops program and indeed, no promotion at all was done in the UK, which may have attributed to the song's failure there. The performance on The Midnight Special can be seen HERE.

    Further televised performances of the song, if any, will be documented at length at a future date.

    Fan Comments

    Enter comments only about this song. (Inappropriate comments will be removed.)

    I have been a big fan of Jeff Lynne and ELO since 1975. Love this song and as a trained musician greatly appreciate singing it. Awesome writting and performing.
    Just had a look at the video done at Forshaw Lane, and it appears Melvyn Gale is in it as well. He's briefly visible only twice. That sounds to me as though whenever you think this promo was recorded, it might not have been!
    What Jeff Lynne can't get out of his head is the melody of Love's Theme by Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra which was released months before Can't Get It Out Of My Head was recorded. Get these two songs and play Can't Get It Out Of My Head and Love's Theme back to back to back to back. You will hear the melody connection.
    Lynne contributed many songs to the Move 's last two albums while formulating, with Roy Wood and Bev Bevan, a band built around a fusion of rock and classical music - a project which would eventually become the highly successful Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). The original idea was that both bands would exist in tandem.
    This is a classic composition by Lynne indeed.
    I always have attributed this tune to be possibly linked
    to a depressive or trapped mental state, in the way of Lynne messaging that
    someone in this mindset might be saying to his or herself,
    "can't get it (the depression or trapped feelings) out of my head"-a cry of
    despair & help.

    Ray in Calgary, Canada:)
    Keep up the great work on this site!
    I just heard a Jeff Lynne piano only version on a local radio show this morning, The Acoustic Storm. Please, someone tell me where this version came from and if I can hear it again somewhere.
    -Anonymous

    Editor's Note: What you probably heard was the Bungalow Palace performance from March 2011 with Richard Tandy on piano and Jeff on guitar and vocals. It was released on the deluxe download edition of Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra as well as appearing on the Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO documentary.

    He seems to use both "she came" and "chicane." Sometimes his lips don't come together for the "M" sound but other times they do and you can hear two words.
    -Anonymous
    I think it's chicane also. He may have changed the lyrics in later live performances and videos, to match the public's misinterpretation of the original lyrics.
    -Anonymous
    The prog rock band Transatlantic covered this song on their new CD, Kaleidescope, 2014.
    -Anonymous
    It's "chicane". Not so that you can't read his lips. Maybe the writer should consult a deaf person who can actually read lips. There is a big difference between what the lips do for an "m" sound and an "n". Think about it. Methinks writer likes to cultivate "mystery" on this one.
    -Anonymous
    I remember listening to this song when i was 14 years old, it came out in the US around my birthday. I really liked it, still do. I always thought he said "walking all the way she came". But you know how sometimes when you don't know the lyrics you just kinda' put in words?...like in that Steve Miller band song where he says "bingo jed had the light on", well it's really big 'ol jet air liner...it's kinda' like that. Also i thought he said "now my whole world is gone cold dead"...when ever I hear this song, that's what I hear. ELO needs to remaster their video/audio material and put it out on a lossless audio blu ray disc. I would buy it and blast it through my surround system, maybe then I might figure out what Jeff's saying...or not.
    -Anonymous
    Love Can't Get It Out of My Head... Now I Can't Get It Out of My Head. :-)
    -Anonymous
    Whenever I hear this song, the image conjured up is along the lines of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" (c. 1486), a famous painting incorporating the Venus Anadyomene iconography. Venus (a.k.a. Aphrodite) is born from the sea as a full-grown woman ("the ocean's daughter"). Of course, Jeff's song doesn't mention any "scallop shell" which is normally associated with this idea. But Botticelli does picture Venus (on her shell) on top of the tips of the waves. To my mind, this argues for the "wave's chicane" interpretation, for whatever that's worth.
    -Anonymous
    In the original promo clip referred to here, Geoffrey's lips don't close at the end of the "walking on a wave" line, which they would to form an M sound. Not closing them produces instead an N sound, creating a final syllable of "-cane", part of the word "chicane".

    This original promo clip is the best evidence I've found so far in my long quest to solve this mystery.

    Since chicane is somewhat archaic, it's unlikely that anyone connected with the record company would make the mistake of changing what sounded so much like a simple "she came" to "chicane". Based on that, it's more likely that Mr. Lynne provided the original lyrics in this form to the record company. No person used to plain modern English would hear what sounds like "she came" and change it to "chicane", a word many might not have heard of.

    I took chicane as to refer to magic, since the word "chicanery" usually means trickery. I've never heard of it meaning the cresting tip of a wave. This clearly is more strong evidence that the word he sings is probably chicane. If the wave tip definition is accurate, it fits perfectly with the song and the image he created in that verse.

    I don't agree with a poster below who said "she came" is "more in keeping with his lyrics in general." Not at all on Eldorado, on which he says strange things such as "The painted ladies of the Avalon". I've never heard of Avalon referred to as "the Avalon", unless his Arthurian references have suddenly shifted to the name of a hotel or brothel or God knows what. With his mention of "Lancelot" on the song in question, a later stating of "Avalon" would seem to mean the Arthurian Avalon.

    There are some strange lyrics on Eldorado, the album, so chicane wouldn't be out of place.

    Keep in mind that if in some later clips he seems to say "she came", he does alter lyrics sometimes, and also song titles. When performing "Ocean Breakup/King of the Universe" early on he said "This is 'On The Third Day'". I think he has also even, very early on, swapped song titles or lyrics between songs when developing them and performing them; this was in the first to second album period, possibly before the studio recordings were finalized, but not sure. It seemed he had working titles and sometimes working lyrics, which could wander from one song to another.

    Based on that original promo video clip, this new-to-me info of chicane referring to the tip of a wave, and the near-impossibility that a late 20th century proofreader or printer would write "chicane" instead of the plain modern "she came" for the lyric sheet insert, all fuel and support the idea that what he sang was "chicane".

    It's not certain to me, but that promo clip, which I watched a few years ago and several times since, and this other evidence I've listed, have swung the balance for now in favour of "chicane".

    I only wish he would create more work a la the first four albums and late Move, but those days of daring experimentation and exploration seem to be gone for good.
    -Eric Bryan
    This song had a tremendous affect on me in 1975, while I was attending Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. I had fallen for a girl named Pat, a third year student and therefore two years older than me. I still remember her jet black eyes, black hair, and curvaceous figure. At the time, I was still a virgin and extremely shy when it came to the opposite sex. As time went on, I escaped my fear of approaching her by doing drugs, which only intensified, and made more ambiguous, the line "can't get it out of my head". What was eating me up, her or the drugs?

    God those were different times.
    -Anonymous
    Is the melody based on Beethovens Emperor Piano Concerto? Sure sounds like it to me. Thank you.
    -Anonymous
    I just heard the acoustic performance he gave for the Zoom tour. It seems clear that he's saying "wave she came," which is also more in keeping with his lyrics in general.

    Can you imagine having a son as talented as Jeff Lynne and criticizing him for lack of ability? Geez.

    I enjoy your site.
    -Anonymous

    I bought the vinyl in 1974; still have it. Lyrics in liner notes quote, "walking on a wave's chicane."
    -Anonymous

    Editor's Note: See the song comments at the top of this page. The liner notes may be wrong. It's still an ongoing debate.

    Artwork by Lynnette Johansson for Can't Get It Out Of My Head
    -Fan artwork by Lynnette "Cicky" Johansson
    I appreciate the labor that went into making this page. The level of detail provided here is both amazing and maddening.
    -Anonymous
    This song has been a favored ballad. Jeff Lynne knows how to compose soft-moving emotional songs as easily as rock. This is a song for which I always raise the volume. This song has never, nor will ever lose Its magic.
    -Anonymous

    Quotations

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Standard Release)
    Can't Get It Out Of My Head page in Wembley Or Bust book"Can't Get It Out Of My Head is an immediate favorite, vaguely suggestive of the Kinks, with a lush, irresistibly pretty melody."
    Ken Barnes (January 2, 1975 Rolling Stone #177)

    "ELO are following up their current Stateside success with a single, I Can't Get It Out Of My Head [sic], released on February 28. The cut is taken from their Eldorado album which has already gone gold in America."
    Unknown (February 22, 1975 - Record Mirror)

    "Can't Get It Out Of My Head, track two, side one; is harder [to tell where the melody came from]. There was something called I Think I'm Going Out Of My Head that may have been recorded by Dusty Springfield (How about Little Anthony and the Imperials? - ed). But it's hard to pin it down. As the actress said to the French Cardinal."
    Bob Edmands (February 1975 - New Musical Express)

    "Eldorado opens with... Eldorado Overture, the first leg of a journey that takes the dreamer far from the commonplace banality of his bank job in the city (Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot/They don't envy me) through a series of adventures..."
    Ellen Mandell (February, 1975 - Circus Raves)

    "The last single, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, just died over here [in the UK], rolled over and died."
    Jeff Lynne (Fall 1975 - Melody Maker)

    "Eldorado, the album which produced the beautifully melodic hit, Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Unknown (March 13, 1976 - Billboard)

    "Equally, ELO have had singles in the upper reaches of the charts: among them Can't Get It Out Of My Head, regarded here as a classic, and Evil Woman, also big in the UK."
    Bob Edmands (April 1976 - New Musical Express)

    "The Eldorado Overture and Can't Get It Out of My Head are masterpieces on record with their intricate cuts and violin passages."
    Mark Fowler (April 20, 1976 - Houston Daily Cougar)

    "Our first top 20 record..."
    Author Unknown (June 1976 - liner notes for Ol ELO album)

    "The first single [from Eldorado], Can't Get It Out Of My Head, became a big hit-- their first Top Ten entry in the US..."
    Joel Bellman (December 1976 - Trouser Press #17)

    "[Eldorado was] a far more melodic disk [which] gave birth to the hit single Can't Get It Out Of My Head and immediately laid down the style with which Lynne has grown so confident."
    Steve Wosahla (April 10, 1978 Good Times #194)

    "Eldorado became ELO's fist gold album in May 1975, spurred by the hit, Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Unknown (May 1979 - Discovery press kit)

    "Can't Get It Out Of My Head ('74) was the first song on which we used a 30-piece string section playing along with us. Previously we had used just our 2 cellos and 1 violin and kept overdubbing them for weeks to try and get a bigger sound. This song was from (and still is) the album Eldorado, which earned us our first gold disc in the U.S.A."
    Jeff Lynne (November 1979 ELO's Greatest Hits)

    "Eldorado became ELO's first gold album in May 1975, spurred by the hit, Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Unknown (November 1979 - Song Hits magazine)

    "Once our attention is well and truly grabbed by this fully-fledged c1assical attack [Eldorado Overture], the orchestra ebbs, and gently lets us down to earth, to the accompaniment of the piano introduction to Can't Get It Out Of My Head, lushly romantic and extremely melodic, and perhaps the most beautiful ballad Jeff's ever written. Particular highlights are the chorus harmonies, understated but extremely effective, and the keyboard solos, which showed Richard branching out and finding even more wierd and wonderful sounds for our ears to feast on. Eldorado was masterfully edited - each track, although obviously recorded separately, was segued directly onto the next one, so that your attention is focused on the LP as a whole, and not just the individual tracks - which helps the concept to flow smoothly as well. Thus, no sooner do the choir and orchestra reach their crescendo at the end of Head [sic], than the opening bars of Boy Blue begin. [...] Mister Kingdom is a strong contender for second-best track on the LP (Head [sic], being the best, naturally)."
    Andrew Whiteside (1988 - Face The Music fanzine #4)

    "[An ELO cover] by an American group called Silent Rage, who saw fit to rename it Can't Get Her Out Of My Head, but despite that, it remains a pleasant enough Journey/Toto-like retread. It appears on Gene Simmons (he of Kiss fame's) record label Simmons Record (funny, that!) 9703-I-R."
    Andrew Whiteside (1989 - Face The Music fanzine #6)

    "...Greatest Hits [sic] shoehorned only eleven of the band's eighteen Top 40 hits up to that point (Can't Get It Out... [sic] having charted as part of The ELO EP)... [...] What of the track listing [of ELO's Greatest Hits] itself? Only two songs represent the pre-1975 band; namely Showdown and Can't Get It Out Of My Head. [...] In contrast, Can't Get It Out... is the full length LP version, not the brutal three-minute single edit, as indeed are Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, Strange Magic and Rockaria!."
    Andrew Whiteside (1992 - Face The Music fanzine #12)

    "That was the beauty of the seventies, y'know. Whatever I gave 'em, they said, 'Oh, thanks. That's great.' Y'know, it wasn't like, 'Oh, we don't hear a single.' It was always like, 'Oh, this is cool stuff.' But they did hear a single on [the Eldorado album], 105..., uh, Can't Get It Out Of Me Head [sic], and, uh, they put that out there and it did actually get into the Top 40. So it made a lot more people aware of us."
    Jeff Lynne (circa late 1990s or early 2000s - Off The Record interview with Uncle Joe Benson)

    "The recent CD re-issue of ELO's 1974 classic Eldorado (JET ZK 35526) sent thirtysomething music mag Q into raptures of praise, earning it a four-star rating: '...the melodies are of the exquisitely handcrafted variety... the utterly swoonsome ballad Can't Get It Out Of My Head, the equally lamentful Laredo Tornado and the cantering Poor Boy all wouldn't disgrace Lennon and McCartney, while the dizzily cascading instrumental theme warrants comparison to Vivaldi.' (Martin Aston). Couldn't agree more."
    Andrew Whiteside (1994 - Face The Music fanzine #17)

    "I wrote this in the front room of me mom and dad's house, in Birmingham, and I did have a good feeling about it."
    Jeff Lynne (2000 - Flashback)

    "Lynne's decision to utilize a real 30-piece orchestra (instead of ELO's previous synthesized version) paid off when U.S. audiences overheaded to Can't Get It Out Of My Head and sent the song to the Top 10 in Billboard (it was not even issued as a single in England)."
    Unknown (May 2001 - 2001 ELO remasters press kit)
    Editor's Note: ELO's previous works did not use a synthesized orchestra and Can't Get It Out Of My Head actually was issued as a single in the UK.

    "All the songs on [the Eldorado] album were recorded at the old De Lane Lea studios in Wembley, London, right next to the Stadium."
    Jeff Lynne (2001 - Eldorado Remaster)

    "An old sausage of a number."
    Jeff Lynne (June 6, 2001 - Rockline)

    "Yes, I thought there was something special [about Can't Get It Out Of My Head], um, I think because you had like a hypnotic sort of feel to it and was quite repetitive as well. But it was still have lots of melody. [sic] And I was very pleased because just prior to that, me dad-- y'know, we were having an argument about something-- and he said, uh, 'that's the trouble with your tunes.' I says, 'what is?' And he said, 'they got no bloody tune.' [Laughs] So I said, 'I'll show you the tune, then.' And that's how I wrote, um, that one-- this tune-- showing him I could write a tune."
    Jeff Lynne (June 24, 2001 - Off The Record interview with Joe Benson)

    "The utterly swoonsome ballad Can't Get It Out Of My Head, the equally lamentful Laredo Tornado and the cantering Poor Boy all wouldn't disgrace Lennon & McCartney"
    Martin Aston (2001 - Q Magazine, Eldorado album review)

    "'Me dad said, The trouble with your tunes is that they've got no tunes,' laughs Jeff. 'I was a bit upset by that, but then I thought, He's right, you know. I'm not doing myself justice. That made me write Eldorado - I'll show you, I'll write something with a tune in it. And that included Can't Get It Out Of My Head, which became a big hit in America.'"
    Jim Irvin (August, 2001 - The Bullring Variations article in Mojo)

    "...It took a 40-piece orchestra and 30-person choir to achieve the dream. The effort and expense were worth it, if only because it produced the aptly titled Can't Get It Out Of My Head, their first US Top 10."
    Jaan Uhelszki (April 1, 2003 liner notes for The Essential Electric Light Orchestra)

    "The [keyboard on the original Can't Get It Out Of My Head] was done with a MiniMoog, multitracked many times."
    Richard Tandy (March 20, 2004 - Showdown mailing list)

    "Critics like to say [Jeff] got his ideas from others for early hits like Showdown (Marvin Gaye), Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (the Rolling Stones) and Can't Get It Out Of My Head (the Beatles). But it was never that easy. [...] In America, Eldorado was ELO's breakthrough album. Both it and the single from it, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, were Top Ten smashes and for the first time in my career I had a group who seemed capable of emulating the success in America of the Beatles."
    Don Arden (2004 - Mr. Big)

    "[Can't Get It Out Of My Head] was just like a go at a real serial kind of orchestral work. And I'd never done one of those before and I was really thrilled with the way I came out."
    Jeff Lynne (July 5, 2005 - Face The Music: The Story of the Electric Light Orchestra BBC 2 Radio show)

    "This collection doesn't include Can't Get It Out Of My Head or Roll Over Beethoven or 10538 Overture, which might make some question why it's called The Very Best of ELO."
    Angela Pancella (July 2005 - Playback St. Louis review of All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra)

    "...where in God's name does a label get the nerve to call a collection the 'Very Best Of' ELO without Can't Get It Out of My Head"?"
    Ed Masley (August 4, 2005 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette review of All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra)

    "Only two reasonable complaints can be lodged: the baffling omission of choice slow jam "Can't Get It Out of My Head", and the pointless just-barely-two-discs length."
    Rob Mitchum (August 8, 2005 - Pitchfork Media All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra review)

    "Although the recently issued compilation All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra contains many of ELO's biggest hits, it differs from its predecessor The Essential Electric Light Orchestra in that it forsakes several vital singles (Can't Get It Out of My Head and Do Ya) in favor of lesser known material."
    John Metzger (August 2005 - The Music Box Volume 12, #8)

    "Only two tracks the pillow-soft Can't Get It Out of My Head and the Wagner-ian new wave of Twilight didn't hold up with repeat listens. "
    Andrew Gaerig (October 27, 2005 - Stylus online magazine's On First Listen article)

    "It was the next album, Eldorado (remastered and reissued in 2001) featuring Can't Get It Out Of My Head that saw the band really hit its stride in America."
    Rock Cesario (October 16, 2006 - The Daily Sentinal (Grand Junction, Colorado))

    "I tend to use piano for writing ballad-type songs with big fat chords, like Telephone Line and I Can't Get It Out Of My Head [sic]. I've got a nice nine-foot Yamaha concert grand that I've written many, many songs on. It's mellowed quite nicely over the years."
    Jeff Lynne (Summer 2007 - Yamaha All Access)

    "Ahh, that was really Brendan O'Brien (producer). He came up with the idea, and he was so into it. Even though the band really wasn't, we knew Scott could probably sing the crap out of it. I mean, Slash really was not into it. [Laughs] But somehow managed to get us to try it. And that really was Brendan's thing on this album, he'd come in, pick up a guitar and say 'hey guys, have you thought about doing this? You might think it sucks, but just humour me, ok?' He tried everything in order to make it sound great to us. By the time Slash put a solo on it, it came out great and I think it's ok that we have a cover on the record. It's kinda tongue-in-cheek, and I'm happy made the record... although, I don't think we'll ever do it live. Jeff Lynne has heard it and he loves it, so that's cool in of itself."
    Duff McKagan (Summer 2007 - heavymetalmusic.biz on the Velvet Revolver cover version)

    "[The Velvet Revolver cover of Can't Get It Out Of My Head] was spearheaded by producer Brendan O' Brien. He came in with that, and I think it fits Scott Weiland perfectly. It was not my first choice. All those synthesizers; I liked the original, thought it was fine the way it is. But then Scott sang an acoustic scratch track that sounded perfect for him. It's one of those things you just stop and concentrate: How would I hear it with guitars? Jeff Lynne and I had dinner the other day, and he said he liked it. That was nice coming from him."
    Slash (October 2007 - Creative Loafing)

    "The realisation of the classic ELO sound was the beginning of Top 10 single chart success in America and the first time Lynne had recorded with a 30-piece orchestra and choir: 'This is the way I've always wanted the group to sound-- what I was aiming for in the first place. It's the first time it's actually sounded like an Electric Light ORCHESTRA.'"
    Rob Caiger (October 2007 - liner notes for Ticket To The Moon - The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2)

    "There's been some changes at SonyBMG which has seen a slow down in interest in ELO's catalogue. I was going to do a promotion based around the UK release of Can't Get It Out Of My Head as a download single (who knew?!) but without any feedback or support, it becomes difficult."
    Rob Caiger (February 5, 2008 - Showdown mailing list)

    "There are cuts [on Ticket To The Moon - The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2] from as early as 1974 (Can't Get It Out Of My Head) from the Eldorado album"
    Matt Rowe (February 15, 2008 - Musictap)

    "Where was Do Ya, Can't Get It Out of My Head, and Calling America [on the All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra compilation]?"
    Devin Grant (February 21, 2008 - The Post and Courier)

    "Can't Get It Out of My Head became an FM classic."
    Alan McGee (October 16, 2008 - The Guardian)

    "Can't Get It Out Of My Head was one of ELO's first big hits, but I wish this [Ticket To The Moon - The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2] compilation was actually focused more on the period of, say, Face The Music up to Zoom. There's no denying this track's ability to epically build and deliver."
    Alun Williams (2008 - About.com Ticket To The Moon - The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2 album review)

    "An early one of mine that I liked also was Can't Get It Out Of My Head from Eldorado. That was a lot of fun because that was all the big strings and first time using big orchestra and some harmonies and..."
    Jeff Lynne (April 24, 2009 - live interview at the ASCAP Expo 2009)

    "What [my father] said was, 'The trouble with your tunes, it's got no bloody tune.' I said, 'I'll show you a tune.' and I did [an album] called Eldorado which is where Can't Get It Out Of My Head came from."
    Jeff Lynne (October 18, 2012 - Smooth Radio interview)

    "[Can't Get It Out Of My Head is] the band's first Top 10 single and first moment of greatness. After three albums of stilted classical-inspired orchestral rock, Lynne loosened the reins a little and let ELO stray into more modern melodic territory. Parts of Eldorado still follow some of the rigid rules of the past -- it's almost required, since it's a concept album. But this gorgeous ballad stands out."
    Michael Gallucci (December 30, 2012 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine article 'Top 10 Electric Light Orchestra Songs')

    "But I always remember my dad saying to me: 'The trouble with your tuns is they've got no tunes,' because he didn't think much of my songs. So I thought, I'll show ya. And I wrote Can't Get It Out Of My Head, a tune full of tunes. We put that on the fourth record, Eldorado."
    Jeff Lynne (December 2012 - Classic Rock magazine)

    "I actually like Eldorado very much-- some pretentious songs, but some really nice ones, like Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Jeff Lynne (November 2012 - MOJO magazine)

    "Can't Get It Out Of My Head: This sweetly tuneful love song became the group's first US Top 10 hit, but it went unnoticed in the UK."
    Mark Blake (December 2012 - Classic Rock magazine)

    "The song that helped the band break the USA was Can't Get It Out Of My Head-- which oddly failed to chart in the UK-- when came from the highly-successful Eldorado album."
    Author Unknown (December 2012 - Record Collector magazine)

    "The first single from Eldorado, Can t Get It Out of My Head, reached the U.S. Billboard top ten, promoting American awareness of ELO..."
    Kayla Roth (2012 - South Central Music Bulletin Volume XI, Numbers 1-2 (Fall 2012 Spring 2013))

    "As for ELO, I like so many ELO tracks. Those songs are so solid. Can't Get It Out Of My Head is incredible. Just the chords alone to that song are incredible. There's so many."
    Tom Petty (January 2013 - Goldmine magazine)

    "Born Dec. 30, 1947, in Birmingham, England, Lynne scored many hits throughout the 1970s with the Electric Light Orchestra, including Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Livin' Thing and Don't Bring Me Down."
    Unknown (April 23, 2015 - Westside Today)

    "The anything-but-horrible single from Eldorado, Can t Get It Out Of My Head, was written in part as a response to his father Phil s criticism of his song-writing. 'The trouble with your tunes, it s got no bloody tune,' remarked Mr Lynne Senior. 'I said, I ll show you a tune' was his son s response. Everyone loves a challenge, and Jeff was thus spurred on to prove that he could write a beautiful classically-influenced song, which he promptly did in the front room of the family home in Shard End. Released in America in November 1974 and in Britain two months later, ironically it was their first to miss the top fifty in their home territory altogether, but on the other side of the Atlantic, it would at last give them a top-ten hit, peaking at No. 9. The [Eldorado] album was [and still is] loaded with excellent songs, [including] the single [Can't Get It Out Of My Head... [...] On the week ending 13 January [1979]... a four-track EP featuring Can t Get It Out Of My Head, Strange Magic, Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, and Evil Woman fell six places to No. 40 in the British singles chart... [...] Can t Get It Out Of My Head at last saw fleeting chart action for the week ending 20 January as well. Jukeboxes were ill-adapted to 7-inch EPs with a total playing time of around seven or eight minutes per side, and Jet issued a small pressing for the jukebox trade with this track on one side and Evil Woman on another. This little-publicised contribution to the discography sold sufficiently to make an appearance at No. 52."
    John Van der Kiste (August 2015 - Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After)

    "[Bryan Adams'] We Did It All might have reminded Lynne of one of his ballads such as I Can't Get It Out Of My Head [sic]."
    Tom Harrison (October 20, 2015 - The Province)

    "Eldorado gained ELO their first US top 10 single, Can't Get It Out of My Head. The title sums up Lynne s ear for melody. "
    Ludovic Hunter-Tilney (October 30, 2015 - The Financial Times)

    "[Jeff's father], plain-speaking Philip Lynne, who spent his working life paving roads for Birmingham City Council, thought [Jeff's music was not very good]: 'My dad said: The trouble with your tunes, son, is they've got no tunes. I thought: I'll show ya. Enter ELO's fourth album, Eldorado, and it's big 'tune with a tune', Can't Get It Out Of My Head. But it didn't come easily. [...] Eldorado's brand of what the press called 'rock 'n' roll chamber music' cracked the US Top 20 with Can't Get It Out Of My Head, giving ELO their first US Top 10 hit."
    Mark Blake (November 2015 - Classic Rock magazine)

    "Each song included in this study begins with an introduction. In thirteen of the twenty-two songs (approximately 59%), the introduction is simply a riff or ostinato pattern that incorporates the chords of the upcoming verse. Examples of this type of introduction can be found in... Can t Get It Out Of My Head.... [...] In each song, the introduction is followed by the first of several verses, which recur between chorus sections. The labeling of a section as verse is linked more to the music than to the text, as each verse has a similar melody, rhythm, and harmonic progression accompanying different text, although slight variations in the melody from verse to verse is common. In eight of the songs, the verses and chorus are divided by a brief transitional section that can be characterized by a shift in the musical material (such as harmonic progression, rhythm, etc.) as well as by its location. Examples of a typical transition can be found in Can t Get It Out Of My Head... [...] Still, the harmonic progressions of the interludes in other songs, such as... Can t Get It Out Of My Head..., include completely new material and may be interpreted as unique formal structures within each song. In popular music, the term 'bridge' is usually used to refer to the penultimate section before the final repeat of any opening materials. Though the label 'bridge' implies some sort of transitional or connecting material from chorus to verse or vice versa, frequently the bridge does not have any harmonic or melodic associations to the surrounding material. By providing a contrast to previous material, the bridge serves to build tension before the resolution of a tonic-based final chorus."
    Kayla Roth (2015 - South Central Music Bulletin XII-XIII (2013-2015))

    "Upset by his father s criticisms that ELO songs were tuneless, lacking the elegance of classical music, Lynne composed this lush ballad as a pointed melodic attack. The strategy paid off, as Can t Get It Out Of My Head became the band s first American top 40 single. The song, the most accessible moment from orchestra-assisted concept LP Eldorado, tells the imaginative story of a lonely man daydreaming about a magical life as he wastes his days working as a bank clerk. Head [sic] opens with Richard Tandy s soft piano chords, luring us into the fantasy. 'I saw the oceans daughter/ walking on a wave s chicane,' Lynne croons. Eldorado and, by extension, this song marks a turning point in the band s discography, more fluidly blending their classical and rock influences."
    Ryan Reed (January 7, 2016 - Stereogum online magazine article entitled 'The 10 Best ELO Songs')

    "Can t Get It Out of My Head - Like meringue mix and Outkast, symphonic pop requires a craftsman s balance; too much of either ingredient and you end up with a watery mess. The Move s Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne first conceived their side-project Electric Light Orchestra as a way to 'pick up where the Beatles left off' by bringing classical instruments into their songwriting, but their early experiments lurched lopsidedly between the two. Though the first ELO song, 10538 Overture, perfected the formula from the off, their 1971 debut album let the classical dominate; pop hooks played second fiddle to lengthy baroque evocations of English civil war battles that couldn t have been more prog if they d pulled on a fox s head 24 minutes in and announced supper. In 1973, after Wood departed to form Wizzard, ELO 2 upped the tune tally, but buried them within lengthy classical structures to mimic a five-movement pop concerto. Beethoven rolled over. On the Third Day refined the recipe by sifting Lennon tributes like Bluebird Is Dead and Oh No Not Susan from their take on Grieg s In the Hall of the Mountain King, but it wasn t until 1974 s Eldorado that Lynne struck on the magic formula, thanks in no small part to his father telling him he was crap. 'My dad said to me one day: The trouble with your tunes is they have no tune,' Lynne said in 2012. 'I said, Bastard! You rat! I ll show you a tune!' Hiring in a full orchestra gave ELO the authentic oomph the concept demanded, and instantly they blasted class. Eldorado Overture, with its fantasy intonations about mythical cities and its oceanic strings, tossed and tumbled into Can t Get It Out of My Head, the album s grand panning shot settling on Lynne, alone, adrift on some midnight shoreline as a vision of Neptune s daughter 'walking on a wave' imprinted on his memory forever. Operatic choirs, sonata pianos and a dash of mystic mystique at least until the verse where Robin Hood, William Tell, Ivanhoe and Lancelot all get together to rob a bank, presumably calling themselves the Green Tights Gang made this simple ballad sound like the backing track to Coleridge s Kubla Khan opium reverie."
    Mark Beaumont (March 30, 2016 - The Guardian)

    "[Eldorado] even contained a US Top 10 hit, Can't Get It Out Of My Head... The success of Can't Get It Out Of My Head opened up doors for the band to tour America, under the watchful eye of their notorious manager, Don Arden, father of Sharon Osborne."
    Paul Lester (April 2016 - Prog magazine)

    "But best of all [on Eldorado] is Can t Get It Out Of My Head, one of Lynne s most beautiful songs, surprisingly covered in 2007 by Velvet Revolver"
    Paul Elliott (December 19, 2016 - Teamrock.com)

    "On the brilliant song cycle Eldorado, Lynne realized ELO s earliest ambitions the album ranks among the most successful hybrids of rock and classical music while continuing to hone his rapidly burgeoning talent for pop wizardry on the Top 10 hit Can t Get It Out Of My Head (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrffDM3hHk8)."
    Steven Hyden (April 25, 2017 - Uproxx website)

    "The first single from [Eldorado was] Can t Get It Out Of My Head was their first US top 10 hit and the album went gold."
    Andrew Gutteridge (September 5, 2018 - Counteract website)

    "My dad loved classical music. I did think about him because the whole Eldorado album had the concept of using a 40-piece string section. I thought my dad would like it, although he never used to pay much attention to my music. He'd listen, usually when I wasn't there. All he ever said was, 'That's a smasher that is, son.'"
    Jeff Lynne (November 2018 - Wembley Or Bust book)

    "Jeff Lynne recalled how he d written 1974 Electric Light Orchestra track Can t Get It Out of My Head in order to prove a point to his dad after they d had an argument. The song appeared on the band s fourth album, Eldorado, and it went on to become their first hit in the U.S., reaching No. 9 in November of that year. Lynne remembered believing it was a good song as soon as he d created it, as he told Uncle Joe Benson on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show. 'I thought there was something special, because you had like a hypnotic sort of feel to it and it was quite repetitive as well,' he said. 'But it still had lots of melody. I was very pleased because, just prior to that, my dad had said something we were having an argument about something and he said, That s the trouble with your tunes. I said, What is? He said, They ve got no bloody tune!' That sent Lynne into a creative frenzy. 'So I said, I ll show you a tune then,' he reported, and went on to write the bittersweet story of a man who has big dreams about a life with a women he knows he can never have, and about ambitions he knows will never come to fruition. Its success helped propel Eldorado to becoming the 16th best-selling album of 1974. 'And that s how I wrote that one,' he said, 'just to show him I could write a tune!' "
    Martin Kielty (February 23, 2019 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine)
    E
    ditor's Note: Can't Get It Out Of My Head was not ELO's first hit, but rather ELO's first Top Ten hit. The first ELO it every is Roll Over Beethoven.

    "The band s first American top 10 hit was the appropriately titled Can t Get It Out of My Head, a sumptuous piano ballad augmented by rococo strings, a heavenly choir, and appealingly primitive synthesizers. It sounds like a half-remembered dream, or the theme song from a classic Hollywood movie, or a transmission beamed from a galaxy far away. It sounds like all those things at once. It s the sound of Electric Light Orchestra, and, more specifically, the unconventional, enduring genius of Jeff Lynne. Can t get it out of my head, indeed."
    Ned Lannamann (June 20, 2019 - Portland Mercury)

    "From Can t Get You Out of My Head to Telephone Line, his writing always echoes the Beatles but with its own distinctive rising key shifts."
    Stuart Derdeyn (October 29, 2019 - Vancouver Sun)

    "Word is, ELO leader Jeff Lynne had been toying with the idea of a concept piece for some time. He finally made it happen with this masterful tale of fantasy through dreams to escape a disillusioned world [Eldorado]. Critics were quick to the point out the influence of the Beatles in the record, while the centerpiece of the project remains one of the group's biggest hits in Can't Get It Out of My Head. "
    Jeff Mezydlo (November 23, 2019 - Yardbarker website)

    "Eldorado Overture flows seamlessly into a landmark of production balance, the mellow Can t Get It Out of My Head. Paced by Bev Bevan s soft drum rattle and light cymbal taps, Moog swatches from Lynne and Richard Tandy, rich orchestration atop which the cellos of Michael Edwards and Hugh McDowell float, and a well of vocals (from a full chorus also employed in album sessions), it yields density without disorder in a generally straightforward, sweet-hooked pop-rock ballad. As the album s first single that November, it didn t make the U.K. charts, but internationally it was a different story. It climbed as high as #9 on the Billboard singles chart, easily the band s biggest stateside hit to that point, and one of seven times in the next decade an ELO single would reach the top 10 in the U.S."
    Thomas Kintner (April, 2020 - Best Classic Bands website)

    "They charted huge hits with Can t Get It Out of My Head (1974) from fourth album Eldorado breaking the top ten in the US."
    James Iles (May 8, 2020 - Redditch Standard)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Single Version)
    The difference between this version and the Eldorado version is that it's missing the whole first chorus, the second verse and a large portion of the intstrumental bridge.

    "I Can't Get It Out Of My Head [sic] (Warner Bros. K 16510). An edited version of the track from their Eldorado album, this is a huge success in the States. It's a down-tempo number that's best described as insidious-- watch out, 'cos it'll creep up on you after a couple of listens. Should do very well."
    Unknown (March 8, 1975 - Record Mirror)

    "A single was taken from the [Eldorado] LP, the inevitable Can't Get It Out Of My Head (WB Kl6510). This too, was left bleeding on the cutting room floor, shorn down to 3 minutes, missing a verse and the keyboard solos. The B-side was Illusions In G Major, which wasn't edited. Even though it was appalingly edited, this ultra-commercial track did not chart in Britain, becoming their first outright flop. The single, rare because it didn't chart, is worth 3 today."
    Andrew Whiteside (1987 - Face The Music fanzine #3)

    "The first single taken from the [Eldorado] album was Can't Get It Out Of My Head which was once again edited: The Continental European version only left out five seconds of the bridge, whereas the UK version left out the first chorus and second verse and edited the bridge even more than the European [version]. The US version was the same as the UK but with the longer European bridge. Confused?"
    Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)
    Editor's note: It has since been confirmed that these comments about various edits of the song are incorrect. There is only one single version of the song and it is the same edit used in the UK, USA and worldwide.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited USA Mono Single Version)
    This is a mono version of the USA single version of Can't Get It Out Of My Head.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Quadraphonic Mix)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited Argentina Promo Version)
    This version is simply the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the standard album version, fading on the second part of the instrumental break. It was issued only on a Can't Get It Out Of My Head/Evil Woman promotional 7" single, designed to promote the Argentenian release of ELO's Greatest Hits.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
    This version, found on the Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP from 1984, differs from the original Eldorado version in that it cuts most of the first minimoog part and the third minimoog part in the instrumental bridge.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Take 5 Version)
    This is a raw, instrumental version of the song, complete with the band count-in, the Eldorado Overture beginning attached, and a non-fading end where the band and orchestra can be heard randomly tuning instruments after the final note. It is only the basic backing track (drums, bass, piano and guitar) with the orchestral overdub. It does not include the the minimoog on the bridge. It's a rather raw mix as the horn sections and string parts can clearly be heard that were mixed out in the final mix version.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (The Midnight Special - November 25, 1974)
    The 2014 release of The Midnight Special on DVD contains the January 9, 1976 broadcast of this performance, which is in turn is a repeat of the January 17, 1975 broadcast performance. The performance is labeled as just Can't Get It Out Of My Head, however the uncredited Eldorado Overture begins the performance.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Eldorado Tour)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Winterland February 14, 1976)
    The Live At Winterland '76 labels this song as Eldorado Suite (Including Can't Get It Out Of My Head), which runs [13:14] and includes several Eldorado songs other than this one.

    "A group of pieces from ELO's fourth album turned out to be the best of their latter day songs, Eldorado, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Illusions, Poor Boy, and The Eldorado Overture [sic] were all done well."
    Michael Bloomfield (March 9, 1976 - Daily Kent Stater review of March 6, 1976 show)

    "Songs like Can't Get It Out Of My Head and Poor Boy drive American audiences strictly bananas. Not to mention the quaintly titled Illusions In G Major, with is a hard nosed flat-out rocker, the sort Jerry Lee would like."
    Bob Edmands (April 1976 - New Musical Express)

    "The Eldorado Overture and Can't Get It Out of My Head are masterpieces on record with their intricate cuts and violin passages. The live versions, while equally satisfying to the ear, were at the same time fun to watch due to ELO's added stage antics."
    Mark Fowler (April 20, 1976 - Houston Daily Cougar review of April 17, 1976 show)

    "The orchestra returned for the more rock oriented should and singing of Showdown, then another glorious amplified build-up of strings and sound ushering in I Can't Get You Out Of My Head [sic], with its rather straight forward melody cushioned in a full orchestral sound, occasionally let loose with intriguing sonic frills and turns."
    Jonas Kover (September, 1976 - Unknown newspaper's review of September 12th concert)
    Editor's Note: These comments are not necessarily for this Winterland performance, but the database does not have another place to store the comments at the moment so they are being placed here for posterity.

    "Things really improve when they move into Can't Get It Out of My Head which is really nicely done."
    Theodore Vrandt (February 21, 2007 - Live At Winterland '76 CD review)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (London June 20, 1976)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
    The E.L.O. Live at the BBC CD incorrectly lists this song title as Eldorado and merges it with Eldorado Overture as one track.

    "Further, Lynnes' melodies were imaginative and moving, particularly in the slower songs such as Kuiama and Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Mitch Tilner (September 4, 1976 - Billboard review of August 10, 1976 show)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (A New World Record Tour)
    "The opening number [Fire On High] did little more than establish the group's rock-classical instrumentation and the placid versions of some early favorites (Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Showdown) also failed to generate momentum."
    Robert Hilburn (January 29, 1977 - Los Angeles Times review of the January 27, 1977 concert)

    "Numbers such as Nightrider, Showdown and Eldorado Overture/Can't Get It Out Of My Head were letter perfect, and made even more interesting by the use of ever-changing slides back projected onto the screen at the rear of the stage."
    Rick Atkinson (February 13, 1977 - The Sunday Record review of the February 11, 1977)

    "Then Lynne couldn't get anything more than a polite applause out of Can't Get It Out Of My Head. There was danger of pizza plates flying again."
    Gary Nuhn (February 20, 1977 - Dayton Daily News review of the February 18, 1977 show)

    "The crowd roared its approval when familiar melodies such as Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Showdown, Evil Woman and Strange Magic came up."
    T. Edward Bell (March 23, 1977 - Houston Daily Cougar review of the March 21, 1977 show)

    "In terms of visual and auditory effectiveness, the 1975 hit Can't Get It Out Of My Head was the weakest and most disturbing number, chiefly because it exposed a nagging problem for ELO-- the tendency to simply re-create the AM sound without the necessary risk-taking that [a] more expansive and complex interpretation would entail."
    Scott Appleby (March, 1977 - Unknown newspaper review of March 25, 1977 show)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Out Of The Blue Tour)
    "But things pick up with Can't Get It Out Of My Head. Piano overture, waterfall strings and Lynne with suitably droll Brummy vocals."
    Robin Smith (May 13, 1978 - Record Mirror review of April 24, 1978 Malm , Sweden concert)

    ELO Hits Medley #1 (Time Tour)
    This song was performed as one long medley of ELO hits during the USA leg of the Time tour. All songs were performed only in part and tended to blend together. Songs include:

    The UK and European performances were similar, but replaced Strange Magic with Wild West Hero and addedDo Ya between Confusion and Rockaria!.

    "But the evening built to the inevitable: a long, impeccably organized medley of ELO's greatest hits, from Can't Get It Out Of My Head on through their current smash, Hold On Tight."
    Ken Tucker (September 26, 1981 - concert review in the Herald Examiner)
    Editor's Note: The reviewer obviously got events mixed up as the medley did not start with Can't Get It Out Of My Head and although Hold On Tight was performed that night, it was certainly not part of the hits medley.

    "[The band] simply launch into a medley of almost a dozen hits, including Showdown, Strange Magic and Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Lennox Samuels (November 1981 - Milwaukee Sentinel)

    "[The Time tour USA] set list differs to UK - Strange Magic played instead of Wild West Hero, and Do Ya performed complete, whilst Don't Bring Me Down performed minus audience participation."
    Rob Caiger (1992 - Face The Music fanzine #13)

    "In the USA they played Strange Magic instead of Wild West Hero [and] Do Ya as another encore in its full version. On Do Ya, by the way Jeff played the heaviest guitar riff he ever played on it."
    Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)

    "With an ever-growing back catalogue of hits, Jeff and the group found that compromises had to be made if they were going to include as many as possible without an excessively long show. 1981 was, in Britain at least, the year of Stars On 45, Hooked On Classics (courtesy of Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), and a plethora of other medleys in the singles charts. To their credit, ELO never stooped to cashing in on the trend by recording a medley of their hits as a single, but they did feature one on stage..."
    John Van der Kiste (August 2015 - Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After)

    ELO Hits Medley #2 (Time Tour)
    This song was performed as one long medley of ELO hits during the UK and European leg of the Time tour. All songs were performed only in part and tended to blend together. Songs include:

    The USA performances were similar, but Strange Magic was replaced with Wild West Hero and Do Ya was not included in the medley as it was played in full later in the show..

    "[The Time tour USA] set list differs to UK - Strange Magic played instead of Wild West Hero, and Do Ya performed complete, whilst Don't Bring Me Down performed minus audience participation."
    Rob Caiger (1992 - Face The Music fanzine #13)

    "In the USA they played Strange Magic instead of Wild West Hero [and] Do Ya as another encore in its full version. On Do Ya, by the way Jeff played the heaviest guitar riff he ever played on it."
    Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (VH1 Storytellers, April 20, 2001)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Los Angeles, May 2001)
    "[The keyboards used on Can't Get It Out Of My Head in] 2001 was a Kurtzweil, as part of a midi set up, with a Roland RS5, and a Roland Juno."
    Richard Tandy (March 20, 2004 - Showdown mailing list)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (5.1 Mix - Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Live Acoustic Version)
    This song is performed live on radio with only an acoustic guitar accompaniment.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Solo Version)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Bungalow Palace - March 2011)
    This performance is included as an exclusive bonus track on the iTunes deluxe edition of the Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album. The track was also heard in full on the Live From Bungalow Palace TV broadcast; and the first two verses and chorus can be heard in the Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO download documentary.

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Hyde Park - September 14, 2014)
    "Jeff was still able to hit those high notes and his voice was soft as velvet on slower numbers Strange Magic and Can't Get It Out Of My Head."
    Adrian Caffrey (September 15, 2014 - Birmingham Mail Hyde Park performance review)

    "The concept album El Dorado [sic] is represented by the impossibly lovely Can't Get It Out Of My Head, the inner monologue of a bank worker who's haunted by a Siren-like apparition he's seen on the sea at night."
    Simon Price (September 16, 2014 - The Quietus Hyde Park performance review entitled The Jesus Of Uncool Has Risen: ELO Live)

    "From Can't Get it Out of My Head and Sweet Talkin' Woman to Don't Bring Me Down and Rock 'n' Roll is King-- from Mr. Blue Sky to Strange Magic-- these are the sounds that have stuck in the collective consciousness for decades and still live as breathing objects. This was a reverberating chunk of the Festival in a Day, a living thing that will last a lifetime, for evermore."
    Alan Haber (September 16, 2014 - Pure Pop Radio Hyde Park performance review)

    "Lynne himself changes things up by switching to a black Les, then on to an acoustic guitar for brooding ballad Can't Get It Out of My Head."
    Unknown (September 15, 2015 - Examiner.com)

    "At first, Lynne announces he feels nervous after all, it was the first time the band played on a festival stage in 30 years but he displays nothing but confidence as he hits the high notes in Evil Woman or sings over the Beatlesque strings of Can't Get It Out of My Head."
    Kit O'Toole (September 26, 2015 - Something Else! website review of Live In Hyde Park)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Porchester Hall - November 9, 2015)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Irving Plaza - November 20, 2015)
    "[The band performed] 18 songs in 90 high-energy minutes, [including] creep-show weepers (Can t Get It Out of My Head, Steppin Out)"
    Rob Sheffield (November 21, 2015 - Rolling Stone review of November 20, 2015 show)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Fonda Theatre - November 24, 2015)

    This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Electric Light Orchestra song Can't Get It Out Of My Head. If you notice any errors or omissions, please contact me at jefflynnesongs@gmail.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.

    Robert Porter
    October 2023