Rock 'n' Roll Is King

10 tracks
Side one "Secret Messages" "Loser Gone Wild" "Bluebird" "Take Me On and On" Side two "Four Little Diamonds" "Stranger" "Danger Ahead" "Letter from Spain" "Train of Gold" "Rock 'n' Roll Is King"

Music video

"Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (audio only) on YouTube

"Rock 'n' Roll Is King" is a song written and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released as a single from the 1983 album Secret Messages. With this song the band returned to their rock roots. It features a violin solo by Mik Kaminski.

The song went through many changes during recording and at one point was going to be called "Motor Factory" with a completely different set of lyrics. The single proved to be ELO's last UK top twenty hit single, and reached no. 19 in the US in August 1983.

"I sang on quite a few tracks; I sang on Rock 'N' Roll Is King. I played on that one, but it wasn't called that, it was something about something about working at Austin Longbridge! It was full of car plant sounds, you could hear it going clank, clank, clank, like somebody hitting a lathe with a hammer, and Jeff went away and made it into Rock 'n' Roll Is King, wiped off everything we'd done, no, there was still some backing left in there, It was much better how he finished it off than it was before." Dave Morgan (4 March 1999 – King Of The Universe #8)

Professional wrestling tag team Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, also known as The Rock 'n' Roll Express, began using Rock 'n' Roll Is King as their ring entrance music after 1983.

Chart positions

Chart (1983)	Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[2]	13
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[3]	16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[4]	4
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)^[5]	5
Canada (CHUM)^[6]	4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[7]	6
Germany (Official German Charts)^[8]	17
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[9]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[10]	8
Ireland (IRMA)^[11]	4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[12]	17
Norway (VG-lista)^[13]	6
Poland (LP3)^[14]	2
South Africa (Springbok Radio)^[15]	7
Spain (AFYVE)^[16]	30
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[17]	20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[18]	8
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)^[19]	13
US Billboard Adult Contemporary^[20]	36
US Billboard Hot 100^[20]	19
US Billboard Top Tracks^[20]	19
US Cash Box^[21]	22

References

↑ Mathews, Kevin. "Electric Light Orchestra: Secret Messages". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 June 2014. the rock 'n' roll homage of "Four Little Diamonds" and "Rock 'N' Roll Is King"
↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970—1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 6 augustus 1983" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
↑ CHART NUMBER 1392 – Saturday, September 17, 1983 at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 July 2007). CHUM. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4325." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Electric Light Orchestra - Rock 'N' Roll Is King search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rock 'n' Roll Is King". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King". VG-lista. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
↑ "ROCK AND ROLL IS KING – Electric Light Orchestra" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (E)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Rock'n'Roll Is King". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
↑ "Archive Chart: 1983-07-16" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
1 2 3 "Electric Light Orchestra – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 27, 1983 at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2014.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Electric Light Orchestra singles discography

1970s

1972	"10538 Overture" / "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" "Mr. Radio" (withdrawn)

1973	"Roll Over Beethoven" / "Queen of the Hours" "Showdown" / "In Old England Town (Instrumental)"

1974	"Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" / "Daybreaker" (US) "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" / "Oh No Not Susan" (UK) "Can't Get It Out of My Head" / "Illusions in G Major"

1975	"Boy Blue" / "Eldorado" "Evil Woman" / "10538 Overture (live)"

1976	"Strange Magic" / "New World Rising" (US) "Nightrider" / "Daybreaker (live)" "Strange Magic" / "Showdown (live)" (UK) "Livin' Thing" / "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (US) "Livin' Thing" / "Fire On High" (UK)

1977	"Rockaria!" / "Poker" "Do Ya" / "Nightrider" "Telephone Line" / "Poor Boy (The Greenwood)" (US) "Telephone Line" / "Poor Boy (The Greenwood)" and "King of the Universe" (UK) "Turn to Stone" / "Mister Kingdom"

1978	"Mr. Blue Sky" / "One Summer Dream" "Sweet Talkin' Woman" / "Fire On High" (US) "Wild West Hero / "Eldorado" "Sweet Talkin' Woman" / "Bluebird is Dead" (UK) "It's Over" / "The Whale" The ELO EP

1979	"Shine a Little Love" / "Jungle" "The Diary of Horace Wimp" / "Down Home Town" "Don't Bring Me Down" / "Dreaming of 4000" "Confusion"/"Last Train to London" (UK) "Confusion" / "Poker" (US) "Last Train to London" / "Down Home Town" (US)

1980s

1980	"I'm Alive" / "Drum Dreams" "Xanadu" (duet with Olivia Newton-John) / "Fool Country" (Olivia Newton-John) (UK) "Xanadu" (with Olivia Newton-John) / "Whenever You're Away from Me" (Olivia Newton-John) (US) "All Over the World" / "Midnight Blue" (UK) "All Over the World" / "Drum Dreams" (US) "Don't Walk Away" / "Across the Border"

1981	"Hold On Tight" / "When Time Stood Still" "Twilight" / "Julie Don't Live Here"

1982	"Here Is the News"/"Ticket to the Moon" "Rain Is Falling" / "Another Heart Breaks" "The Way Life's Meant to Be" / "Wishing"

1983	"Rock 'n' Roll Is King" / "After All" "Secret Messages" / "Buildings Have Eyes" "Four Little Diamonds" / "Letter from Spain" "Stranger" / "Train of Gold"

1986	"Calling America" / "Caught in a Trap" "So Serious" / "Endless Lies" (US) "So Serious" / "A Matter of Fact" (UK) "Getting to the Point" / "Secret Lives"

1990s

1990	"Destination Unknown" (promo)

2000s

2001	"Alright" / "Love Changes All" / "Do Ya" (Unedited Alternative Mix) "Moment in Paradise" / "Alright" (PBS 2001 Version) / "Mr. Blue Sky" (PBS 2001 Version) / "Livin' Thing" (PBS 2001 Version)

2006	"Surrender"

2007	"Latitude 88 North"

2010s

2015	"When I Was a Boy"

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