Can't Get It Out Of My Head

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

An in-depth song analysis

  • Record Date: Between February and June, 1974
  • Record Location: De Lane Lea Studios, London
  • Written By: Jeff Lynne
  • Produced By: Jeff Lynne
  • Engineered By: Dick Plant & Mike Pela
  • Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, moog synthesizer), Richard Tandy (piano, moog synthesizer), Hugh McDowell (cello)*, Michael De Albuquerque (bass), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Michael Edwards* (cello), Mik Kaminski* (violin), Louis Clark (orchestra conductor) -- *uncomfirmed

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

    • Comments and Observations

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head was originally recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London, UK some time between February and June of 1974, although it was probably quite early in the sessions.

    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.

    The 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.

    For 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.

    Although 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.

    There 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.

    Structure and Lyrics

    Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released song as available on the standard issues of the 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
       Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot, they don't envy me
       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

    Variations

    There are seven known non-live variations of the original Can't Get It Out Of My Head 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.

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

    Music Charts

    These are the known statistics for the various country's music charts. If you can fill in the missing information or know of charting information in other countries, please let me know at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

    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
    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
    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
    Australia Top 100 Chart Entry Date: September 22, 1975
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    Peak at #59 on [UNKNOWN DATE] during a run of 10 weeks on the chart

    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 - January 17, 1975)

    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)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (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)

    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.

    Pictures

    UK 7-inch single (Warners K 16510) USA 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW573-X) Eldorado album cover UK The ELO EP EP (Jet ELO 1) UK 7-inch single (Jet ELO 1 JB)
    UK vinyl single * Warners * K 16510 USA vinyl single * United Artists * UA-XW573-X USA Eldorado album * United Artists * UA-LA339-G UK The ELO EP EP * Jet * Jet ELO 1 UK vinyl single * Jet * Jet ELO 1 JB
    UK download single Argentina 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 32.299) Argentina promo 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 32.299) Argentina promo 7-inch single (Epic DEP-139) Australia 7-inch single (Warner Brothers WB-6399)
    UK download single * Epic * ? Argentina vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 32.299
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Argentina vinyl single promo * Warner Brothers * 32.299
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Argentina vinyl single promo * Epic * Epic DEP-139
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Australia vinyl single * Warner Brothers * WB-6399
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Brazil 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 3-01-101-060) Canada 7-inch single (United Artists UAXW 573-X) Canada 7-inch single (Columbia C4-1028) France 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16 510)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Belgium 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16510)
    Brazil vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 3-01-101-060
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Canada vinyl single * United Artists * UAXW 573-X Canada vinyl single * Columbia * C4-1028 France vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 16 510 Belgium vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 16510
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Holland 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16-510) 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) Germany 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 16 510)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Holland vinyl single * Warner Brothers * WB 16-510
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Japan vinyl single * Warner Brothers * P-1373W
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Mexico vinyl single * Warner Brothers * G-1462
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		New Zealand vinyl single * Warner Brothers * B 6399
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		Germany vinyl single * Warner Brothers * wB 16 510
    Spain 7-inch single (Warner Brothers 45-1184)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		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) Russia flexi-disc single (Budkon 2728)
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Spain vinyl single * Warner Brothers * 45-1184 Thailand vinyl single * 4-Track * FT-186
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock     		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     		Russia flexi-disc single * Budkon * 2728
    Argentina promo 7-inch single (Epic DEP-139)
    Argentina promo 7-inch single * Epic * DEP-139

    Cover Versions


    Use in Movies and TV Programs Use in Movies and TV Programs

    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.

    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 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 is an immediate favorite, vaguely suggestive of the Kinks, with a lush, irresistibly pretty melody."
    Ken Barnes (January 2, 1975 Rolling Stone #177)

    "The last single, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, just died over here [in England], rolled over and died."
    Jeff Lynne (1975 - transcribed from an interview of unknown origin)

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

    "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)

    "...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!."
    Unknown (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)

    "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)

    "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)

    "[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)

    "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)

    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 firsr chorus, the second verse and a large portion of the intstrumental bridge.

    "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 - January 17, 1975)

    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.

    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.

    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)

    Can't Get It Out Of My Head (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)
    "[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.

    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 elofan@juno.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.

    Robert Porter
    February 2012