Rockaria!

9 tracks
Side one "Tightrope" "Telephone Line" "Rockaria!" "Mission (A World Record)" Side two "So Fine" "Livin' Thing" "Above the Clouds" "Do Ya" "Shangri-La"

"Rockaria!" is a song by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), written by Jeff Lynne. It was the third track on the band's successful 1976 album, A New World Record and was the second single from the album. On some CD pressings of A New World Record, it appears without the exclamation point.

Recording

Featuring the operatic voice of Mary Thomas during the introduction, on the first recording take, she mistakenly started the vocals too early. However, Lynne elected to use the take (complete with her interjection, "Oops!") anyway (although some later pressings of the album are missing this part). During live performances, the 'aria' was provided by the band's bassist Kelly Groucutt, illustrating his wide-ranging vocal talents.

Music

The song itself is a unique fusion of rocking blues, glam rock, opera and power pop. According to the lyrics, a woman is obsessed with the operatic masterworks of Wagner, Beethoven, Puccini and Verdi and the singer's intent is to show her how to rock and roll. By the end of the song, however, the twist becomes that the opera singer has proven that she actually can rock 'n' roll with the best of them and that she has a few tricks to teach to the singer. When Beethoven is mentioned, the iconic opening of his Fifth Symphony is heard on the piano.

The title of the song is not used within the lyrics, thus it is often mispronounced, usually as rhyming with "diarrhoea". It is actually a fusion of two different words, rock and aria, thus giving rock-ahr'-ia.

B-side

"Poker" is a song written and performed by Electric Light Orchestra.

The song first appeared on the band's LP, Face the Music as track number 5, It is the shortest song in length at 3:34, off the Face the Music LP. During recording, Kelly Groucutt sang most of the song's lyrics. (Normally, Jeff sang the vocals.)

The song twice appeared as a B side, first in the UK then in 1979 as the flip side of the US single version of "Confusion".

"Poker rocks along with murderous intent, despite corn ball lyrics." John Ingham (1975 – from a transcribed UK Face the Music album review of unknown origin)

Chart positions

Chart (1977)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[1]	10
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[2]	7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[3]	26
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)^[4]	17
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[5]	28
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[6]	23
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)^[7]	9

Jeff Lynne version

"Rockaria!"
Song by Electric Light Orchestra from the album Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (Deluxe Edition)
Released	8 October 2012 (UK) 9 October 2012 (US)
Recorded	2001–2012 Bungalow Palace
Length	3:13
Label	Frontiers
Writer	Jeff Lynne
Producer	Jeff Lynne

Jeff Lynne re-recorded the song in his own home studio. It was released in a compilation album with other re-recorded ELO songs, under the ELO name,^[8] as an iTunes Store exclusive bonus track.^[9]

References

↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Electric Light Orchestra – Rockaria!" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Electric Light Orchestra – Rockaria!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 9 april 1977" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Electric Light Orchestra - Rockaria search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Electric Light Orchestra – Rockaria!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
↑ "Archive Chart: 1977-03-19" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
↑ "Mr. Blue Sky – The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra". Elo.biz. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
↑ "Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (Deluxe Edition) (Rerecorded) by Electric Light Orchestra". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2013.

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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