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Don't Bring Me Down

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This article is about the Electric Light Orchestra song. For other uses, see Don't Bring Me Down (disambiguation).

"Don't Bring Me Down"
Song
B-side"Dreaming of 4000"

"Don't Bring Me Down" is the ninth and final track on the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 album Discovery. It is their highest charting hit in the US to date.

History

It's a great big galloping ball of distortion. I wrote it at the last minute, 'cos I felt there weren't enough loud ones on the album. This was just what I was after.

— Discovery remaster (2001), Jeff Lynne

"Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's second highest charting hit in the UK where it peaked at number 3[2] and their biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] It also charted well in Canada (number 1) and Australia (number 6). This was the first song by ELO not to include a string section.[4]

The drum track is in fact a tape loop, coming from "On the Run" looped and slowed down.[4]

The song ends with the sound of a door slamming. According to producer Jeff Lynne, this was a metal fire door at Musicland Studios where the song was recorded.[4]

The song was dedicated to the NASA Skylab space station, which re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia on 11 July 1979.[4]

On 4 November 2007, Lynne was awarded a BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) Million-Air certificate for "Don't Bring Me Down" for the song having reached two million airplays.

Misheard lyric

A common mondegreen in the song is the perception that, following the title line, Lynne shouts "Bruce!". According to the liner notes of the ELO compilation Flashback, he is saying a made-up lyric, "Grroosss," which some have suggested sounds like the southern German expression "Grüß Gott." After the song's release, so many people had misinterpreted the word as "Bruce" that Lynne actually began to sing the word as "Bruce" for fun at live shows.[5]

Music video

A music video for the song was produced, which showed video of the band performing the song interspersed with various animations relating to the song's subject matter, including big-bottomed majorettes and a pulsating neon frankfurter. The band's three resident string players are depicted playing keyboards in the music video.

Jeff Lynne version

"Don't Bring Me Down"
Song

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.[6]

Cover versions, samplings and remixes

  • In 1998, punk rock band J Church recorded a version that appears on the Mailorder is Fun compilation released by Asian Man Records.
  • In 1998, North Carolina sludge metal band Buzzov•en covered the song on their album ...At a Loss.
  • In 2001, Op:l Bastards covered the song as a single.
  • In 2003, Status Quo covered the song on their album Riffs.
  • In 2005, Parthenon Huxley covered the song on his Homemade Spaceship album. Huxley's version is a Goons-ish sendup featuring ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt (credited as Jelly Donut) on spoken vocals and ELO violinist Mik Kaminski (credited as Poppadom Screech) on violin.
  • In 2006, L.E.O. includes a shortened cover of the song as a hidden track on their album Alpacas Orgling.
  • In 2006, J-pop band PUFFY (a.k.a. Puffy AmiYumi) have a cover of the song featured on the B-side of their single "Hataraku Otoko".
  • In 2007, Finnish symphonic metal supergroup Northern Kings covered the song on their album Reborn.
  • In 2010, Donna Loren covered the song on her album Love It Away.
  • In 2012, The Hives released a song called "Go Right Ahead". Though not a direct cover, the main riff in the song is nearly identical to the one in "Don't Bring Me Down",[7] and as a result Jeff Lynne was officially credited as a co-writer.
  • OK Go performed the song and released on their Live From SoHo EP in 2007.
  • The New Pornographers have covered this song in various concerts.[8]
  • Jungle Brothers sample the song on "Because I Got It Like That" from their debut album Straight out the Jungle in 1988.
  • "Don't Bring Me Down" was remixed by Remix Artist Collective member Karl Kling.

Appearances in other media

Chart and sales

Preceded by Canadian RPM 100 Singles number-one single
6 October 1979 (1 week) 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Don't Bring Me Down – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Electric Light Orchestra – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Porter, Robert (May 2013). "Electric Light Orchestra and Jeff Lynne -- Don't Bring Me Down: An in-depth song analysis". Jefflynnesongs.com. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  5. ^ Wild, David. "The Story of a Rock and Roll Band and the Pop Genius Who Dared to Go Baroque". Flashback (Media notes).
  6. ^ "Mr. Blue Sky – The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra". Elo.biz. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  7. ^ Johnston, Maura (27 March 2012). "The Hives: Go Right Ahead". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  8. ^ Padgett, Ray (20 August 2010). "Consequence of Sound Presents…Best Fest Covers". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – Don't Bring Me Down" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – Don't Bring Me Down" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 6 oktober 1979" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  13. ^ Template:Wayback. CHUM. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6839a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  15. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Electric Light Orchestra" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Bring Me Down". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Electric Light Orchestra - Don't Bring Me Down" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  18. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – Don't Bring Me Down" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  19. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – Don't Bring Me Down". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  20. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (E)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  21. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  22. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – Don't Bring Me Down". Swiss Singles Chart.
  23. ^ Template:Wayback. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  24. ^ Template:Wayback. Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  25. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1979" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  27. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 32, No. 13, December 22, 1979". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  28. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1979" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1979". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  31. ^ Template:Wayback. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  32. ^ "British single certifications – ELO – Don't Bring Me Down". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Don't Bring Me Down in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  33. ^ "American single certifications – Electric Light Orchestra – Don_t Bring Me Down". Recording Industry Association of America.
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