[music] Electric Light Orchestra: Latitude 88 North

785 After this discussion on Successful-Blog, me and my The Wife™ went out for a bit of food and a bit of music purchasage. Since peeping this video (and effusing about it perforce) a week or two back, I was in search of the music, and was surprised to find that is was Henry Mancini–a piece called Symphonic Soul, from the album of the same name from 1975. That tune surprised me. Most un-Mancini, at least as far as I was concerned. But this missive isn't about Mancini, worthy though he is.

The iceman came to me tonight,
So very near but out of sight.
I heard the footsteps in the hall
And I heard a cold voice call,
It’s such a lonely world.

It would seem that Jeff Lynne, a/k/a Electric Light Orchestra, has released a new single that's been 30 years in the making, and it's named with the wonderfully quirky name Latitude 88 North.

Then I knew that you were gone,
It came to me, I was alone.
Now I’m left out in the cold
But the story’s far from told,
It’s such a lonely world.

Naturally, since I generally live in a cave (going from one job to the next) I kind of missed the campaign to make this song a charter on iTunes. You see, after that discussion on Successful-Blog, me and my The Wife™ found ourselves at Everyday Music over on NE Sandy Blvd, to pick up the Mancini album that we had special-ordered. And there I found the 30th Anniversary re-release of ELO's Out Of The Blue.

The recent re-releases have had nifty extras and bonus tracks that, in some cases, are more tasty than some of the original releases: "Julie Don't Live Here Anymore" from Secret Messages and the remix of "Endless Lies" from Balance of Power spring to mind.

But Latitude 88 North...that got under my skin immediately. I've been playing it and replaying it. I still have a The Wife™, so she must like it too.

Chorus:
It’s like Latitude 88 North,
It’s so cold, cold as hell.
35 below and falling,
How I wish that she was calling me

To hear this song is to be teleported back (how very Time of me, neh?) to the days when ELO was one of the rock monsters. I adored each one of thier hits when I heard them on the radio; it was Out Of the Blue that finally won me over. Gerry Rafferty was my first favorite solo act; Electric Light Orchestra became, and still remains, my favorite band.

Frozen shadows in the doorways,
They will linger there always
And as the dawn begins to break,
She’s gone it’s hard to take,
It’s such a lonely world.

The ironic thing about Latitude 88 North is that it was intended to be released back in the 70s, but it was like Jeff had only one part left...and it took 30 years to discover. As a result, we have the first new ELO song in over 5 years–that was 30 years in the making. Sure, I missed the campaign by about three months, but nevermind that now.

You need this song. Go to iTunes and get it, will you?

If you need more information, check out ftmusic.com's excellent stuff here, where they have wallpapers, lyrics...and a sleeve for the single you can print out.

Tags: Electric Light Orchestra, ELO, Jeff Lynne, Latitude 88 North, Out Of The Blue