Don't Walk Away (Electric Light Orchestra song)
Encyclopedia
"Don't Walk Away" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra
(ELO). It is featured in the 1980 feature film
Xanadu
in an animated sequence by Don Bluth
.
The song also appears on the soundtrack
album Xanadu
. It was the last single released from the album.
The song is being performed as part of the 2007 Broadway
musical Xanadu
.
The song is written in a standard key signature of C Major and was #21 hit in the UK.
and performed by Electric Light Orchestra
.
It is track 4 on their highly successful album Out of the Blue
. In 1980 the track became the B-side to the hit single Don't Walk Away.
The song opens with a steam train and horn sound effect, then switching into a small bridge with the violin and the moog
, then switching to an upbeat rock song, with the opening verse being reminiscent of The Beach Boys
track Heroes and Villains
. Mik Kaminski
features on violin
, one of only three songs he performed on from "Out of the Blue" and the song also features a Latin mariachi
style brass section.
"Listen out for the train noises first, also some Spanish style trumpets. Big finish with much phasing on the drums."
- Bev Bevan (1977 - Japanese Out Of The Blue LP liner notes)
the song was intended to be the lead off track on a proposed Across the Border EP which also included Don't Bring Me Down
, Telephone Line
and Mr Blue Sky. For reasons unknown the EP was withdrawn and the intended EP artwork which matched the parent box set was used as the slip cover for their 1982 double A-side single "Here is the News/Ticket to the Moon" instead. The EP version of the song made its debut on the 1997 compilation album "Light Years
".
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
(ELO). It is featured in the 1980 feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Xanadu
Xanadu (film)
Xanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
in an animated sequence by Don Bluth
Don Bluth
Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail ,The Land Before Time , and All Dogs Go to Heaven ,...
.
The song also appears on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
album Xanadu
Xanadu (Soundtrack)
Xanadu is the soundtrack of the 1980 musical film of the same name, featuring the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and the Britsh group Electric Light Orchestra....
. It was the last single released from the album.
The song is being performed as part of the 2007 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical Xanadu
Xanadu (musical)
Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A...
.
The song is written in a standard key signature of C Major and was #21 hit in the UK.
Across the Border
"Across the Border" is a song written by Jeff LynneJeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
and performed by Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
.
It is track 4 on their highly successful album Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue (Electric Light Orchestra album)
The 30th Anniversary Edition was released on February, 20th 2007 with three bonus tracks.-Personnel:ELO*Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion*Bev Bevan – drums, percussion, backing vocals, fire extinguisher on "Mr...
. In 1980 the track became the B-side to the hit single Don't Walk Away.
The song opens with a steam train and horn sound effect, then switching into a small bridge with the violin and the moog
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
, then switching to an upbeat rock song, with the opening verse being reminiscent of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
track Heroes and Villains
Heroes and Villains
"Heroes and Villains" is a song by the American rock band The Beach Boys, co-written by the group's leader Brian Wilson and lyricist Van Dyke Parks. Originally intended by Wilson to be the centerpiece of the ambitious but shelved album Smile, a re-recorded version of the song was released on Smiley...
. Mik Kaminski
Mik Kaminski
Mik Kaminski is best known for playing violin in the Electric Light Orchestra between 1973 and 1979.-Biography:...
features on violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, one of only three songs he performed on from "Out of the Blue" and the song also features a Latin mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
style brass section.
"Listen out for the train noises first, also some Spanish style trumpets. Big finish with much phasing on the drums."
- Bev Bevan (1977 - Japanese Out Of The Blue LP liner notes)
EP
In 1980 after the release of the UK box set Four Light YearsFour Light Years
Four Light Years was a boxed set of three studio albums by Electric Light Orchestra. It was released in 1980 by Jet Records.The box contained three albums: A New World Record , the double album Out of the Blue , and Discovery...
the song was intended to be the lead off track on a proposed Across the Border EP which also included Don't Bring Me Down
Don't Bring Me Down
"Don't Bring Me Down" is a song by the band Electric Light Orchestra, and is the last track from their 1979 album Discovery. It is their highest charting hit in the US to date.-History:...
, Telephone Line
Telephone Line (Electric Light Orchestra song)
"Telephone Line" is a song by Electric Light Orchestra.The song is track two on their 1976 album A New World Record and was the final single to be released from the band's LP until September 2006 when Surrender was released from the expanded reissue....
and Mr Blue Sky. For reasons unknown the EP was withdrawn and the intended EP artwork which matched the parent box set was used as the slip cover for their 1982 double A-side single "Here is the News/Ticket to the Moon" instead. The EP version of the song made its debut on the 1997 compilation album "Light Years
Light Years, The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra
Light Years, The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra is a two CD compilation album by Electric Light Orchestra.The album celebrates the band's 25th Anniversary singles career starting in 1972 and contains all of ELO's 29 UK hit singles plus other single edits that either didn't chart or where...
".
Chart positions
| Chart (1980) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| German Media Control Singles Chart | 52 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
7 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
21 |