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Classic but not so well-known ELO tracks: 2. “Tightrope”

“Tightrope” is, in my opinion, the most perfect piece of music that Jeff Lynne has ever created – the best-ever merger of classical-type arrangements with pure-pop sensibilities, plus a driving rock rhythm. 

It’s the opening track to ELO’s classic 1976 album,  A New World Record (which spawned the hits Livin’ Thing, Telephone Line and Rockaria), and I still remember the delicious feeling I had when listening to it the first time, with the synthesiser at the start gradually filling up my speakers … then the roar of the gong, and then, most magnificent of all, those sweeping, Wagnerian strings, accompanied by a heavenly choir.  As Mr. Spock might have said, it’s rock music, Jim, but not as we know it ;-)

And then, just as you start to wonder whether this is going to be a pop/rock song at all, the strings suddenly start descending crazily, in the process merging with the synthesisers so that it’s impossible to tell which is which … and then in come the drums and what sounds like lead guitar, but which in fact is yet another synthesiser! 

From this point, it’s unmistakeably a pop/rock track, with a driving riff, the classic ELO “wall of sound” and Jeff Lynne's amazing vocals,  all the way through to the uplifting end, which is beautifully closed with piano, strings and synthesiser.

Lyrically, too, Tightrope is a masterpiece.  It starts off in a very downbeat way - “I tell you, I’ve got news for you, you’re losing all the time, you never win, no-oh.”  

But things end happily!  After telling a nameless person (maybe it’s a Sweet Talkin’ Woman) that “I want to look you straight in the eye/I want to tell you how I really feel/I can feel the wheels turnin’ round/Won’t somebody throw me down a line?” – and those are feelings that we have all surely had many times in our life – Jeff suddenly springs a pleasant surprise: “When I closed my eyes/I was so surprised/Somebody had thrown me down the line/Stopped me drownin’”.  It really feels as this came from the heart - and again, many of us will identify with the feeling of having been saved by someone, maybe someone we don't even know particularly well ...

Here’s a link to the song - it’s well worth repeated listenings, as there is so much going on, and it’s a real grower: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC5kuFIAztA 

There is also an instrumental version, which is also superb - the music stands up very well without vocals (apart from some choral backing vocals).  Unfortunately, the YouTube version doesn’t play at all well (at least not on my PC!) which rather spoils the impact.  Worth a go though if you like the song as much as I do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uIUXjAgj5Q

Tags: ELO