| "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) |
|
"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.
Background
The song takes large inspiration from The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", a fact that several critics note.
Composition and lyrics
"Look at Me Now" is follows a grim, dark narrative about the murder of a former lover, which leads to several ghostly presences. The instrumentation includes woodwind instruments such as clarinets, flutes, oboes, and recorders, while also having string instruments like the guitar and the cello, 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.
Critical reception
Bruce Eder of AllMusic described the track as a "sweet, melodic follow-up" to The Move's "Beautiful Daughter" (also written by Wood).
Personnel
Electric Light Orchestra
- Roy Wood – french horn, vocals, cello, clarinet, oboe, guitar, recorder, flute
Additional personnel
- Roger Wake - engineering
- Pete Cliff - engineering
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Altrockchick (27 September 2016). "The Electric Light Orchestra – No Answer – Classic Music Review". Altrockchick. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ 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.