Do Ya (The Move song)

"Do Ya" is a song written by Jeff Lynne, that was originally recorded by The Move, which became a hit for the Electric Light Orchestra (led by Lynne, ELO originally being a side project of The Move) in 1976.

"Do Ya"
Single by The Move
A-side	"California Man"
Released	June 1972 (US)
Recorded	19 December 1971 at Philips Studios, London
Genre	Glam rock[1]
Length	4:06 (Album/US single length) 3:16 (UK single edit)
Label	United Artists (US) Harvest (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne
The Move singles chronology
"California Man" (1972) "Do Ya" (1972)

Release

Written by Jeff Lynne in 1971, it was one of two songs featured on the B-side of the UK hit "California Man" credited to The Move (the other was Roy Wood's "Ella James"). In the US the B-side proved to be more popular than the A and so the song became The Move's only hit in the US albeit a minor one (number 93 on the Hot 100 chart).[2] The song was originally titled "Look Out Baby, There's a Plane A Comin'"[3] (which is sung by Wood at the end of the song). The song was later included on the 2005 remastered version of the Message from the Country album, in both the original single version and an alternate take.

The song was recorded on the same multireel tapes alongside the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) tracks "From the Sun to the World" and "In Old England Town", the two songs that Wood appeared on from the ELO 2 album.

Chart position

Chart (1972)	Peak Position
US Billboard Hot 100[2]	93

Electric Light Orchestra version

"Do Ya"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album A New World Record
B-side	"Nightrider"
Released	February 1977 (US)
Recorded	1976 Musicland Studios, Munich
Genre	Power pop[4]
Length	3:47
Label	Jet/United Artists
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"Rockaria!" (1977) "Do Ya" (1977) "Telephone Line" (1977)
A New World Record track listing
9 tracks Side one "Tightrope" "Telephone Line" "Rockaria!" "Mission (A World Record)" Side two "So Fine" "Livin' Thing" "Above the Clouds" "Do Ya" "Shangri-La"

Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) began to perform "Do Ya" live with Lynne on lead vocals during 1973–75, and they recorded it in the studio for inclusion on their 1976 album A New World Record. In a 1978 interview for Australian radio stations 2SM and 3XY, Bev Bevan stated the reason for the re-recording was that after ELO had added the song to their live performances a music journalist asked the band their opinion of "the original version" by Todd Rundgren. (Utopia, a band Rundgren started in 1974, had been performing "Do Ya" in concert, and included a live recording on their 1975 Another Live album.) Bevan said they decided to re-record it as ELO in order to "let everyone know that it's a Jeff Lynne song."

According to Billboard Magazine it has "an irresistibly catchy melody line and syncopated beat."[5]

In 2000, Lynne found an unedited alternative mix for the song, also recorded in 1976, that he decided he preferred over the album cut. A digital remaster of the track is included on the compilation box set Flashback.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1977) Peak position Canada RPM Top 100 [6] 13 German Media Control Singles Chart[7] 42 US Billboard Hot 100[8] 24 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 16 US Record World Singles[9] 25 US Radio & Records (R&R)[10][11] 27

Year-end charts Chart (1977) Rank Canada [12] 120 U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [13] 151

Jeff Lynne version

"Do Ya"
Song by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
Released	8 October 2012 (UK) 9 October 2012 (US)
Recorded	2001–2012 Bungalow Palace
Length	3:56
Label	Frontiers
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra track listing
12 tracks "Mr. Blue Sky" "Evil Woman" "Strange Magic" "Don't Bring Me Down" "Turn to Stone" "Showdown" "Telephone Line" "Livin' Thing" "Do Ya" "Can't Get It Out of My Head" "10538 Overture" "Point of No Return"

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.[14]

References

1. Marsh, Dave (2006). Bruce Springsteen on Tour: 1968-2005. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-59691-282-3.
2. "The Move - Chart history: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
3. "Do Ya". Jefflynnesongs.com.
4. Cantwell, David (4 November 1998). "Power Pop It Ain't". MTV News. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
5. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. February 5, 1977. p. 88. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
6. "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
7. "charts.de - Electric Light Orchestra". charts.de. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
8. "Electric Light Orchestra - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
9. Hawtin, Steve. "Song artist 171 - Electric Light Orchestra". Tsort.info. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
10. "ELO". Wweb.uta.edu. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
11. "Charts!". Wweb.uta.edu. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
12. "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 11, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
13. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
14. "Releases : elo - Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra". Elo.biz. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2013.

External links

• In-depth Song Analysis at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (jefflynnesongs.com)
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics