Rockaria!
Encyclopedia
"Rockaria!" is a song by Electric Light Orchestra
. It was the third track on the band's successful 1976 album A New World Record
and was the second single from the album. Featuring the operatic voice of Mary Thomas during the introduction, she flubbed the first take by starting the vocals too early. However, Jeff Lynne elected to use the take (complete with her interjection, "Oops!") anyway. During live performances, the 'aria' was provided by the band's bassist Kelly Groucutt
, illustrating his wide-ranging vocal talents.
The song itself is a unique fusion of rocking blues
, glam rock
, opera
and power pop
. The lyrics are about a sweet lady who sings like a songbird and she sings the opera like you ain't never heard, but she ain't ready and she ain't gonna rock & roll. According to the lyrics, she is obsessed with the operatic masterworks of Wagner, Beethoven, Puccini and Verdi and the singer's intent is to show her how to rock and roll. By the end of the song, however, the twist becomes that the opera singer has proven that she actually can rock 'n' roll with the best of them and that she has a few tricks to teach to the singer.
The title of the song is not used within the lyrics, thus it is often mispronounced, usually as rhyming with mamma mia. It is actually a fusion of two different words, rock
and aria
, thus giving rock-ahr'-ia.
On some CD pressings of A New World Record, it appears without the exclamation point.
.
The song first appeared on the band's LP, Face The Music as track #5, It is the shortest song in length at 3:34, off the Face The Music LP. During recording, Kelly Groucutt
sang most of the song's lyrics, (Normally, Jeff sung the vocals.)
The song twice appeared as a B side, first in the UK then in 1979 as the flip side of the US single version of Confusion.
"Poker rocks along with murderous intent, despite corn ball lyrics."
John Ingham (1975 - from a transcribed UK Face The Music album review of unknown origin)
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
. It was the third track on the band's successful 1976 album A New World Record
A New World Record
A New World Record is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra, released in 1976.-Overview:The second album to be recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, the LP proved to be the band's long awaited breakthrough in the UK: after seeing their previous three studio recordings fail to chart...
and was the second single from the album. Featuring the operatic voice of Mary Thomas during the introduction, she flubbed the first take by starting the vocals too early. However, Jeff Lynne elected to use the take (complete with her interjection, "Oops!") anyway. During live performances, the 'aria' was provided by the band's bassist Kelly Groucutt
Kelly Groucutt
Kelly Groucutt , born Michael William Groucutt, was an English musician who was best known for being the bass player for the band Electric Light Orchestra , between 1974 and 1983. He was born in Coseley, West Midlands.-Early career:Groucutt began his musical career at 15 as Rikki Storm of Rikki...
, illustrating his wide-ranging vocal talents.
The song itself is a unique fusion of rocking blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
. The lyrics are about a sweet lady who sings like a songbird and she sings the opera like you ain't never heard, but she ain't ready and she ain't gonna rock & roll. According to the lyrics, she is obsessed with the operatic masterworks of Wagner, Beethoven, Puccini and Verdi and the singer's intent is to show her how to rock and roll. By the end of the song, however, the twist becomes that the opera singer has proven that she actually can rock 'n' roll with the best of them and that she has a few tricks to teach to the singer.
The title of the song is not used within the lyrics, thus it is often mispronounced, usually as rhyming with mamma mia. It is actually a fusion of two different words, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
, thus giving rock-ahr'-ia.
On some CD pressings of A New World Record, it appears without the exclamation point.
Chart positions
| Chart (1977) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Austrailian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
10 |
| Austrian Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
7 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
28 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
9 |
Poker
"Poker" is a song written and performed by Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
.
The song first appeared on the band's LP, Face The Music as track #5, It is the shortest song in length at 3:34, off the Face The Music LP. During recording, Kelly Groucutt
Kelly Groucutt
Kelly Groucutt , born Michael William Groucutt, was an English musician who was best known for being the bass player for the band Electric Light Orchestra , between 1974 and 1983. He was born in Coseley, West Midlands.-Early career:Groucutt began his musical career at 15 as Rikki Storm of Rikki...
sang most of the song's lyrics, (Normally, Jeff sung the vocals.)
The song twice appeared as a B side, first in the UK then in 1979 as the flip side of the US single version of Confusion.
"Poker rocks along with murderous intent, despite corn ball lyrics."
John Ingham (1975 - from a transcribed UK Face The Music album review of unknown origin)