Turn to Stone
Encyclopedia
"Turn to Stone" is a 1977 song by Electric Light Orchestra
.
The song is the opening track to the double album Out of the Blue
. It was the first song released as a single from the LP. The single reached #18 in the U.K. charts and stayed there for 12 weeks. Out of four singles from the album, "Turn to Stone" was the only song not to reach the top ten in the U.K. singles charts. The song was more successful across the Atlantic, reaching #13 in the U.S and hitting the top spot in Canada
in early-1978.
The song was composed in Switzerland
during Jeff Lynne
's two week writing marathon for his double album. Lynne played the moog
bassline of the song.
On November 4, 2008, Jeff Lynne was awarded a BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) Million-Air certificates for "Turn To Stone" for having one million airplays.
." The song was also reviewed by allmusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco who stated "This dynamic opener from the Out of the Blue
album is a good example of Electric Light Orchestra’s skill for mixing string-laden pop
hooks with driving rock and roll
. He also stated "It also works in an array of swirling string lines that dart in and out of the mix and some dazzling falsetto harmonies that interact with Lynne’s lead vocal in call-and-response style".
episode "Love & Monsters
" (2006), along with "Mr. Blue Sky
" and "Don't Bring Me Down
", both of which were performed by characters in the episode.
The song is also featured in the movie Detroit Rock City
.
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...
.
The song is the opening track to the double album Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue (Electric Light Orchestra album)
The 30th Anniversary Edition was released on February, 20th 2007 with three bonus tracks.-Personnel:ELO*Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion*Bev Bevan – drums, percussion, backing vocals, fire extinguisher on "Mr...
. It was the first song released as a single from the LP. The single reached #18 in the U.K. charts and stayed there for 12 weeks. Out of four singles from the album, "Turn to Stone" was the only song not to reach the top ten in the U.K. singles charts. The song was more successful across the Atlantic, reaching #13 in the U.S and hitting the top spot in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in early-1978.
The song was composed in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
during Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
's two week writing marathon for his double album. Lynne played the moog
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
bassline of the song.
On November 4, 2008, Jeff Lynne was awarded a BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) Million-Air certificates for "Turn To Stone" for having one million airplays.
Details
Allmusic reviewer Zachary Curd called the song "Essentially a love song, "Turn to Stone" is orchestrated, computerized, epic rock music courtesy of Jeff LynneJeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
." The song was also reviewed by allmusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco who stated "This dynamic opener from the Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue (Electric Light Orchestra album)
The 30th Anniversary Edition was released on February, 20th 2007 with three bonus tracks.-Personnel:ELO*Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion*Bev Bevan – drums, percussion, backing vocals, fire extinguisher on "Mr...
album is a good example of Electric Light Orchestra’s skill for mixing string-laden pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
hooks with driving rock and roll
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...
. He also stated "It also works in an array of swirling string lines that dart in and out of the mix and some dazzling falsetto harmonies that interact with Lynne’s lead vocal in call-and-response style".
In popular culture
The song featured in the Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "Love & Monsters
Love & Monsters
"Love & Monsters" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In this episode, an ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with a man called the Doctor and his strange blue box, and joins a group of like-minded people in hopes of finding him...
" (2006), along with "Mr. Blue Sky
Mr. Blue Sky
"Mr. Blue Sky" is a song by English rock group Electric Light Orchestra, featured on the band's seventh studio album Out of the Blue . Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite, on side three of the original double...
" and "Don't Bring Me Down
Don't Bring Me Down
"Don't Bring Me Down" is a song by the band Electric Light Orchestra, and is the last track from their 1979 album Discovery. It is their highest charting hit in the US to date.-History:...
", both of which were performed by characters in the episode.
The song is also featured in the movie Detroit Rock City
Detroit Rock City (film)
Detroit Rock City is a 1999 film about four teenagers in a Kiss cover band who try to see their idols in Detroit in 1978. Comparable to Rock 'n' Roll High School, Dazed and Confused, The Stöned Age, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Detroit Rock City tells a coming of age story through a filter of 1970s...
.
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 |
17 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles |
1 |
| 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... |
11 |
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
9 |
| German Media Control Singles Chart | 35 |
| South African Singles Chart | 17 |
| 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 ... |
18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 11 |
| U.S. Record World Record World Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Box magazines. It was founded in 1946 under the name Music Vendor, but since 1964 changed it to Record World, under the ownership of Sid Parnes and Bob Austin, both... Singles |
9 |