"Look at Me Now" is a 1971 song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's debut album The Electric Light Orchestra (1971). It was written by singer-songwriter Roy Wood and was the second track on the album. Wood plays all the instruments in the song.[1]
| "Look at Me Now" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Electric Light Orchestra | |
| from the album The Electric Light Orchestra | |
| Released | 1971 |
| Recorded | 31 December 1970–June 1971 |
| Studio | Philips, London |
| Genre | Baroque and roll |
| Length | 3:17 |
| Label | Harvest |
| Songwriter(s) | Jeff Lynne |
| Producer(s) |
|
Background
editThe song takes large inspiration from The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", a fact that several critics note.[2][3]
Composition and lyrics
edit"Look at Me Now" is follows a grim, dark narrative about the murder of a former lover, which leads to several ghostly presences.[4] The instrumentation includes woodwind instruments such as clarinets, flutes,[4] oboes, and recorders, while also having string instruments like the guitar and the cello,[5] the song having a strong reliance on the latter. A french horn on the track is tuned to sound more like a medieval instrument such as crumhorn or a shawm.[1]
Critical reception
editBruce Eder of AllMusic described the track as a "sweet, melodic follow-up" to The Move's "Beautiful Daughter" (also written by Wood).[6]
Personnel
editElectric Light Orchestra
Additional personnel
- Roger Wake - engineering
- Pete Cliff - engineering
References
edit- ^ a b c Delve, Barry (4 August 2022). Electric Light Orchestra on Track. Sonicbond Publishing Ltd. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-78952-224-2.
- ^ Kiste, John Van der (19 August 2017). Electric Light Orchestra: Song by Song. Fonthill Media. pp. 54–55.
- ^ "The History of Rock Music. Electric Light Orchestra: biography, discography, reviews, ratings, best albums". Scaruffi. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Altrockchick (27 September 2016). "The Electric Light Orchestra – No Answer – Classic Music Review". Altrockchick. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ a b Porter, Robert. "Electric Light Orchestra - Look at Me Now". Jeff Lynne Songs. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3.