Song · ELO
“Livin' Thing” by ELO
“Livin' Thing” by ELO appears on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2002 and 2006. Its best result is #363 on the Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,282 alternative song of all time.
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Jeff Lynne wrote and produced "Livin' Thing" for Electric Light Orchestra's 1976 album A New World Record, and it went out as a single on Jet and United Artists with "Fire On High" on the flip, a tune that grew into the band's best-loved instrumental. Patti Quatro sings on it too, uncredited.
The secret weapon is the augmented chord. Lynne pointed to George Harrison as another fan of those chords and said an odd, Victorian-sounding chord dropped into a modern tune lifts it and makes it special, not least because nobody can work out how to play it. It's progressive rock with a pop heart, ornate and giddy at once.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 471 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2005 | 363 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 383 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
Also listed as: Living Thing.
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