‘Telephone Line’ is a song by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in May 1977 as part of the album A New World Record. It was commercially successful, topping the charts of Canada and New Zealand and entering the top 10 in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The ballad is track two on their 1976 album, A New World Record, and was the final single to be released from the album until September 2006, when ‘Surrender’ was released from the expanded reissue of the album. It became their biggest single success in the US and was their first UK gold award for a single.
The lyrics are about a man listening to the ringing on his telephone waiting and hoping for a girl to answer his call and imagining what he'd say if she answers. With ELO's continuing success in America it seemed obvious to frontman Jeff Lynne to use an American ring tone during the song. Lynne explained: “To get the sound on the beginning, you know, the American telephone sound, we phoned from England to America to a number that we know nobody would be at, to just listen to it for a while. On the Moog, we recreated the sound exactly by tuning the oscillators to the same notes as the ringing of the phone.”
The song charted in the Top Ten in both the UK and the US, peaking at number 8 in the UK and number 7 in the US. The tune was on the Hot 100 for 23 weeks, nearly a full month longer on that chart than any other ELO tune. Billboard ranked it as the No. 15 song of 1977. In 1977, the song reached number 1 in New Zealand and Canada. ‘Telephone Line’ and Meri Wilson's ‘Telephone Man’ were back-to-back on Hot 100's top 40 for two non-consecutive weeks in the summer of 1977.
AllMusic's Bruce Eder said that ‘Telephone Line’ "might be the best Lennon–McCartney collaboration that never was, lyrical and soaring in a way that manages to echo elements of Revolver and the Beatles without ever mimicking them." Stereogum contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's best song, calling it "a high watermark for harmony, humor, arrangement, production, engineering, and emotion." Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it ELO's 4th best song, calling it a "futuristic-sounding song with a classic melody." Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as ELO's 3rd best song, calling "perfect pop music surrounded by incredible production and originality that had made Jeff Lynne one of rock and roll’s greatest treasures." Kachejian also said that the song seems to encompass every genre of music "from doo-wop to pop to progressive."
Billboard felt that production elements such as the telephone sound effects and "doo-wah chorus" gave the song a "50s feel" and credited the orchestration for the song's success. Cash Box said that "Jeff Lynne's voice verges on the choking sob, and the unearthy strings and "doobie-doo-wa's" should clinch top 40 ears." Record World called it a "rock ballad of lost love" that is an example of "ELO's ability to take familiar rock 'n' roll structures and transform them into space epics."
Label – Jet
Songwriter – Jeff Lynne
Producer – Jeff Lynne
SONG LYRICS
Hello, how are you?Have you been alright through all those lonely
Lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights?
That's what I'd say, I'd tell you everything
If you pick up that telephone, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hey, how you feelin'?
Are you still the same, don't you realize the things we did
We did were all for real, not a dream
I just can't believe they've all faded out
Of view, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh
Blue days, black nights
I look into the sky (the love you need ain't gonna see you through)
And I wonder why (the little things you planned ain't comin' true)
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
Okay, so no one's answering
Well, can't you just let it ring a little longer
Longer, longer oh, I'll just sit tight
Through shadows of the night
Let it ring forever more, oh
Blue days, black nights, doo wah doo lang
I look into the sky (the love you need ain't gonna see you through)
And I wonder why (the little things you planned ain't comin' true)
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
Oh, oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight