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Electric Light Orchestra — Roll Over Beethoven
Album: Best of ELO
Avg rating:
5.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 342









Released: 1973
Length: 4:30
Plays (last 30 days): 1
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Gonna write a little letter, gonna mail it to my local D.J.
Well, it's a jumping little record I want my jockey to play
Roll over Beethoven, gotta hear it again today.

You know, my temperature's rising, need a shot of rhythm and blues
Well, my heart's beating a rhythm, shakin' out rhythm and blues
Roll over Beethoven, rockin' in two by two.

Well, if you feel you like it
Go get your lover and reel and rock it
Roll it over and move on up now
Go for cover and reel and rock it
Roll it over
Roll over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news.

Well, early in the mornin' I'm a-givin' you the warnin'
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Hey, diddle diddle, gonna play my fiddle
I ain't got nothing to lose
Roll over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news.

Well, she wiggles like a glow-worm, she dances like a spinning top
Yeah, she got a crazy partner, you should have seen her reel and rock
Long as she got a dime, the music will never stop.

Well, if you feel you like it
Go get your lover and reel and rock it
Roll it over and move on up now
Go for cover and reel and rock it
Roll it over
Roll over Beethoven, dig these rhythm and blues?

Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven
Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven
Roll over Beethoven, dig these rhythm and blues?

Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven
Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven
Roll over Beethoven, dig these rhythm and blues?

Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven
Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven
Roll over Beethoven, roll over Beethoven.
Comments (75)add comment
The short version?  Why?
Posted 23 hours ago by ZephyrListener    [ Reply ]
Really wish this was the full album version, not the 45 RPM radio edit. Much more RP-esque. 
Posted 1 year ago by Stratocaster    [ Reply ]
That color grid is all over the place.
I don't think I've noticed one like that.
Posted 1 year ago by Aud    [ Reply ]
Who would have guessed when this was released that Jeff would be so influential in the years to come.
Posted 4 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
 DanFHiggins wrote:

Umm Umm.(clear throat) Maybe in Britain but certainly not in the US. Did not crack the top 100 albums sold in the 70's here.
And important in what way?  
Interested in your reasoning not back handing you Sir.  {#Ask}
 

 
All but one of ELO's albums released in the 70s broke the US top 100, including four top 10s.  They were hugely influential and important.
Posted 7 years ago by Imkirok    [ Reply ]
{#Bananajam}{#Drummer}
Posted 9 years ago by Eric_Gustafsson    [ Reply ]
I believe this was the short 'radio' version, not the LP version
Posted 9 years ago by rharvey658    [ Reply ]
 coloradojohn wrote:
There's no denying this band was one of the most important — and well-loved — bands of the early and mid-70s!

 
Umm Umm.(clear throat) Maybe in Britain but certainly not in the US. Did not crack the top 100 albums sold in the 70's here.
And important in what way?  
Interested in your reasoning not back handing you Sir.  {#Ask}
 
Posted 9 years ago by DanFHiggins    [ Reply ]
 Proclivities wrote:

I never really minded the musical aspect of this version, but he completely screws up the lyrics.   It does seem as if they were running out of ideas by this time.

 
This was their 1st hit single (while Roy Wood was still with them in 1973), and (IMHO) the best thing they ever did!
As for the rest of their catalogue - please chuck it on the pile over there with the likes of UB40s Red Red Whine.
Now, anyone got a light?
If anyone plays Mr-sodding-Blue Sky just once more, just once . . .
Rant over. Play on.
.
Damn, i forgot 'Ticket To The Moon' - don't burn that one !!!
Posted 9 years ago by springof63    [ Reply ]
Yer man Ludwig having been quite an iconoclast and revolutionary in his day, I like to think that he'd have approved of this song :)

When I was younger, this was the first time I'd heard this song, not knowing that it had been written by Chuck Berry, so I always think of this as the definitive version (sorry, Chuck). It's the absolute dog's bollox and more fun than a barrelful of monkeys. 9 from the rockin' and rollin' Nottingham jury.
Posted 9 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
 anotherlistener wrote:
Thought we were in for a little classical interlude.  Must say I'm a tad disappointed.

 
Shouldn't it precisely be the purpose of this song?
Posted 9 years ago by eveliko    [ Reply ]
 BobLoblaw wrote:
This song is missing the most important ingredient; Chuck Berry.

 

and there he is...! {#Wink}Derek and the Dominoes — Key To The Highway

Posted 11 years ago by Dinges,_the_Dude    [ Reply ]
I use "A 5th of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy as a ringtone for my cellphonemessages. In Worldwar II Dutch resistanceradio used the original 5th of Beethoven as the begintune for Radio Oranje (Radio Orange), which was at that time send from England to inform the Dutch and to support  them mentally.
Posted 11 years ago by Dinges,_the_Dude    [ Reply ]
If this makes you yawn, what pops your cookies? Cowboy Junkies?
I expect a fellow Ontario homie to be more hip.
As our licence plates state: Yours to Discover.


michaelgmitchell wrote:


 


Posted 11 years ago by ThePoose    [ Reply ]
This song is missing the most important ingredient; Chuck Berry.
Posted 11 years ago by BobLoblaw    [ Reply ]
 ubuntourist wrote:
Amusing segue...

 
Yes, but look at the ratings.  Grieg wins with his oldie but goodie!
Posted 11 years ago by RedGuitar    [ Reply ]
Thought we were in for a little classical interlude.  Must say I'm a tad disappointed.
Posted 11 years ago by anotherlistener    [ Reply ]
Amusing segue...
Posted 11 years ago by ubuntourist    [ Reply ]

Posted 11 years ago by michaelgmitchell    [ Reply ]
There's no denying this band was one of the most important — and well-loved — bands of the early and mid-70s!
Posted 11 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]

Agreed.   Jeff is a genius.    

 

Imkirok wrote:

Love it!  A fun piece incorporating ELO's signature combo of rock and roll and classical influences.  Plus it brings back a lot of memories!
 


Posted 11 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
 lemmoth wrote:


I took a few of those back in the 70's —— and I still never liked this version of this classic song.
 
I never really minded the musical aspect of this version, but he completely screws up the lyrics.   It does seem as if they were running out of ideas by this time.
Posted 11 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
He Bill,stop it.i am driving! The speedtickets are flying around my ears with this,pleazzzee....
Posted 11 years ago by chris_the_man    [ Reply ]

Nice to hear.   Yes IMHO this is a 10.


Posted 11 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
 Imkirok wrote:
Plus it brings back a lot of memories!
 

Spot-on :)
Posted 11 years ago by Karmala    [ Reply ]
 gypsyman wrote:
Was never really an ELO fan. This is OK to hear occasionally, but it would never be included in a personal collection.
 

I agree whole heartily.

Are we snobs?
Posted 11 years ago by number7    [ Reply ]
Aw, HELL yeah!!!
Posted 11 years ago by robbeek    [ Reply ]
Oh!...what a mix...Hall of the Mtn King into Beethoven!...wait!...
Posted 11 years ago by agd3    [ Reply ]
How wonderfully unfortunate.
Posted 11 years ago by ziakut    [ Reply ]
 karljonasson wrote:
Jeff, you forgot music rule 1 - never play any song the Beatles also played. Even if your version is better (which this is), people have a knee-jerk reaction, "Beatles equals perfect, therefore this sucks because it is not Beatles."
 
Please give me a massive break here.  This version doesn't remotely compare to either the Beatles or Berry - the original and still the best.

And I give massive - like that word today - props to artists who take original Beatle tunes and make them uniquely theirs, for example:

Joe Cocker - A Little Help from My Friends & She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Elton John - Lucy in the Sky
Aretha Franklin - Eleanor Rigby
Bowie - Across the Universe
Ray Charles - Let it Be

to name a few.

Jeff is obviously a gifted musician/producer and was a great friend to George.  But ELO's music just never did it for me.
Posted 11 years ago by lemmoth    [ Reply ]
Hmm. This has not dated well - or maybe it was just as excruciating when first released {#Think}
Posted 11 years ago by RobN    [ Reply ]
 gypsyman wrote:
Was never really an ELO fan. This is OK to hear occasionally, but it would never be included in a personal collection.
 
OK. Standing corrected. Masterpiece! - following Edvard Grieg with ELO. Kinda like snorting a huge line right after a Quaalude.
Posted 11 years ago by DD gypsyman    [ Reply ]
Love it!  A fun piece incorporating ELO's signature combo of rock and roll and classical influences.  Plus it brings back a lot of memories!
Posted 11 years ago by Imkirok    [ Reply ]
Recording this track demonstrates a waste of oxygen.
Posted 12 years ago by joelbb    [ Reply ]
 Thin_Air wrote:
Far too many anally retentive comments re this track.

Just a good fun piece of music - sometimes it's simply cool not to be cool.
 
Yes indeed, I noticed that also.  What is it about Kama Sutra position #43 that makes men crazy?  I've heard it opined (in some very special discussions I've had on line with some very special "friends") that it has to do with homo sapient species very close descent from the apes and other lower animals .... Man is the only mammal which fornicates face to face, by the way.  In any event, I doubt that after 300 years in the crypt Beethoven would want to roll over for anyone, even J. Edgar Hoover.  That's all folks,


Posted 12 years ago by Misterfixit    [ Reply ]
Was never really an ELO fan. This is OK to hear occasionally, but it would never be included in a personal collection.
Posted 12 years ago by DD gypsyman    [ Reply ]
Will Ode to Joy or the Emperor adagio be next? 
Posted 12 years ago by kingart    [ Reply ]
 gregorbill wrote:
Some "classic" rock is best forgotten.

 

go stick your head in the ove
Posted 12 years ago by solrac    [ Reply ]
at least this is the short version
Posted 12 years ago by max_p    [ Reply ]
takes  me to the concert at the cow palance in the 70's
Posted 12 years ago by solrac    [ Reply ]
Hellish. 
Posted 12 years ago by Lonestar    [ Reply ]
 gregorbill wrote:
Some "classic" rock is best forgotten.
 
Indeed.
Posted 12 years ago by michaelgmitchell    [ Reply ]
 LongGoneDaddy wrote:

another bad example of quaalude use

 

I took a few of those back in the 70's —— and I still never liked this version of this classic song.
Posted 12 years ago by lemmoth    [ Reply ]
 xtalman wrote:

Lighten up Francis!
 
...and don't call me Francis. 
Posted 12 years ago by scraig    [ Reply ]
Devo is next, right?
Posted 12 years ago by NoEnzLefttoSplit    [ Reply ]
 megaboogieman wrote:
One of the best performances of Roll Over Beethoven!
 

Other than every single recorded and live version by Chuck Berry and the Beatles.  And pretty much any other version by any garage band I've ever heard.

And I love Geoff as a producer/musical director for George, Tom Petty and the Wilbury's. 
Posted 12 years ago by lemmoth    [ Reply ]
 Algis wrote:
Pure trash! As well as an ignorant sentiment.
 
Lighten up Francis!
Posted 12 years ago by xtalman    [ Reply ]
Pure trash! As well as an ignorant sentiment.
Posted 12 years ago by Algis    [ Reply ]
Far too many anally retentive comments re this track.

Just a good fun piece of music - sometimes it's simply cool not to be cool.
Posted 12 years ago by Thin_Air    [ Reply ]
Brings back a lot of good memories from much younger care free days.
Posted 12 years ago by xtalman    [ Reply ]
One of the best performances of Roll Over Beethoven!
Posted 12 years ago by megaboogieman    [ Reply ]

another bad example of quaalude use


Posted 12 years ago by LongGoneDaddy    [ Reply ]
They haven't played ELO's "Bend Over Beethoven" since 2007 it seems...
Posted 12 years ago by DaveInSaoMiguel    [ Reply ]
dairyman wrote:
Well good ol' ELO, hmmm...why not play BOY BLUE or LAREDO TORNADO from the album with Dorothy's red shoes...can't remember the name at the moment. Those are great songs that NEVER get played on the radio anywhere! Give 'em a try RP.
AHEM!
Posted 17 years ago by KurtfromLaQuinta    [ Reply ]
I'd much rather hear the version by The Beatles.
Posted 18 years ago by Ian911299    [ Reply ]
How about some Move? Or something from the first ELO album, which, by virtue of having Roy Wood, was, by far, their best.
I second that emotion! How about "Hello Susie" from the Move album "Shazam?" Anyone have a decent copy to upload? Had a hellacious crunch, that song!
Posted 20 years ago by tonypf    [ Reply ]
gregorbill wrote:
Some "classic" rock is best forgotten.
This might be the only version of this song I almost like!
Posted 20 years ago by rulebritannia    [ Reply ]
Mmmm, sharp cheddar.
Posted 20 years ago by rgj13    [ Reply ]
Okay, the song's a time nugget. Interesting re the Lynne bashing, which from one point of view he richly deserves. He and Bev Bevan spent an awful lot of time trashing so much of what passed them by, "That punk rubbish"--which of course missed the point. Then again, since they were the point, maybe they did get it... I think Lynne's work with the Wilburys, George Harrison, and lately the Concert for George more than makes up for past sins.
Posted 20 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
um,...nope!
Posted 20 years ago by Monkeysdad    [ Reply ]
Jeff Lynne isn't the musical anti-christ because he's particularly bad - he isn't. He has talent and a good ear for music. It's because everything he touches is instantly irretrievably infected with his own very distinctive and hellaciously aggressive total blandness. It's as if he abolutely revels in the mediocrity of his product. In my opinion, of course. Ick.
Posted 20 years ago by rsfc_carp    [ Reply ]
arrrg <-(
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]
In context--the early 70s--this was an interesting experimentation by one of the generation's better experimentors. Three decades later, it loses a lot in translation. Nostalgic. And ecclectic. But it didn't stand the test of time. Could hear the original. Or the Beetles. Or, what the heck, this one (but PLEASE not in heavy rotation!).
Posted 20 years ago by Rockabobbie    [ Reply ]
This is the "Best of?" I hate to see the "worst of.."
Posted 20 years ago by stripes    [ Reply ]
Some "classic" rock is best forgotten.
Posted 20 years ago by gregorbill    [ Reply ]
How about some Move? Or something from the first ELO album, which, by virtue of having Roy Wood, was, by far, their best. Jeff Lynne without Roy Wood is a little like Paul without John. Cheesy.
Posted 20 years ago by bluedot    [ Reply ]
please stop
Posted 21 years ago by bHoby    [ Reply ]
No no no no no no no no no! :-&
Posted 21 years ago by Ngoziman    [ Reply ]
dairyman wrote:
Well good ol' ELO, hmmm...why not play BOY BLUE or LAREDO TORNADO from the album with Dorothy's red shoes...
I'll get you my pretty! And your little dog too!
Posted 21 years ago by Skeletor    [ Reply ]
Well good ol' ELO, hmmm...why not play BOY BLUE or LAREDO TORNADO from the album with Dorothy's red shoes...can't remember the name at the moment. Those are great songs that NEVER get played on the radio anywhere! Give 'em a try RP.
Posted 21 years ago by dairyman    [ Reply ]
If I was able to pick a negative number I wolud give this and the original a negative -10. Sorry not in the same leauge as Ludwig Von Greatness
Posted 21 years ago by lumpy    [ Reply ]
Man, this is terrible. I would prefer to hear the original.
Posted 21 years ago by window    [ Reply ]
It's been done.
Posted 21 years ago by timc    [ Reply ]
There are better covers of this tune, but Hot Damn! This does hit the spot this morning!
Posted 21 years ago by GregX59    [ Reply ]