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Rockaria! Lyrics
Just got back from the downtown palais
Where the music was so sweet
It knocked me right back in the alley
I'm ready, yea, yea, yea, I'm ready,
Wo, wo, wo, I'm ready
And I'm really gonna rock tonight.
Sweet little lady sings like a songbird
And she sings the opera like you ain't never heard
But she ain't ready,
No, no, no, she ain't ready
No, no, no, she ain't ready,
And she ain't gonna rock & roll
Chorus:
She's sweet on Wagner,
I think she'd die for Beethoven,
She loves the way Puccini layes down a tune,
And Verdi's always creeping from her room
Come on I'll show you how to sing the blues
Now baby, come on over you got nothin' to lose
Are you ready, hey, hey, hey, are you ready
Ooh, ooh, ooh, are you ready
I wanna show you how to rock and roll
Now listen here baby she said to me
Just meet me at the opera house at quarter to three.
'Cos I'm ready, yea, yea, yea, I'm ready,
Woo, hoo, hoo, I'm ready,
I'm gonna show you how to sing the blues
Chorus: Repeat
(Far, far away, the music is playing)
Yea, we were reelin' and rockin' all through the night
Yea, we were rockin' at the opera house until the break of light
And the orchestra was playin' all Chuck Berry's greatest tunes
And the singers in the corner saw us get off on singin' blues
And as the night grew older, everybody watched us run
The people on the streets came runnin' in to join in song
To see the opera singer singin' rock and roll so pure
I thought I saw the mayor there, but I wasn't really sure
But it's alright
Where the music was so sweet
It knocked me right back in the alley
I'm ready, yea, yea, yea, I'm ready,
Wo, wo, wo, I'm ready
And I'm really gonna rock tonight.
And she sings the opera like you ain't never heard
But she ain't ready,
No, no, no, she ain't ready
No, no, no, she ain't ready,
And she ain't gonna rock & roll
She's sweet on Wagner,
I think she'd die for Beethoven,
She loves the way Puccini layes down a tune,
And Verdi's always creeping from her room
Now baby, come on over you got nothin' to lose
Are you ready, hey, hey, hey, are you ready
Ooh, ooh, ooh, are you ready
I wanna show you how to rock and roll
Just meet me at the opera house at quarter to three.
'Cos I'm ready, yea, yea, yea, I'm ready,
Woo, hoo, hoo, I'm ready,
I'm gonna show you how to sing the blues
Yea, we were rockin' at the opera house until the break of light
And the orchestra was playin' all Chuck Berry's greatest tunes
And the singers in the corner saw us get off on singin' blues
And as the night grew older, everybody watched us run
The people on the streets came runnin' in to join in song
To see the opera singer singin' rock and roll so pure
I thought I saw the mayor there, but I wasn't really sure
But it's alright
Song Info
Submitted by
kenobi65 On Jun 06, 2002
More Electric Light Orchestra
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Telephone Line
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Livin' Thing
Can't Get It Out Of My Head
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Lots of references to classical composers aside, I think this song could be about sex. The "she ain't ready" and "I'll show you how to sing the blues" are fairly typical allusions to a young woman and the singer's attempt to "woo" her, if you catch my meaning. I'm just not sure how the mayor fits in to the equation....!
That seems to fit with the writers lyrical style, another example being Livin' thing. Very thick allusions to sex/love. The Mayor could be her father :D
That seems to fit with the writers lyrical style, another example being Livin' thing. Very thick allusions to sex/love. The Mayor could be her father :D
The other element that has always attracted me to this song (but hasn\'t been mentioned) is the parallels between all music types and what constitutes popular music. For example the opening operatic lines are singing "far away the music is playing" to exactly the same chord progression in both the rock and operatic parts. Rock was popular in the 70\'s, but back in the day opera could be considered the pop music of it\'s day.
The other element that has always attracted me to this song (but hasn\'t been mentioned) is the parallels between all music types and what constitutes popular music. For example the opening operatic lines are singing "far away the music is playing" to exactly the same chord progression in both the rock and operatic parts. Rock was popular in the 70\'s, but back in the day opera could be considered the pop music of it\'s day.
I don't know if it's a bad edit, or if it supposed to be there, but if you listen in the very beggining, the singer starts too soon and then goes 'oops' and then starts on cue. At least that's what it sounds like to me.
@Grebulous Good catch. Been listening to that song since the 1970s, and never heard that!
@Grebulous Good catch. Been listening to that song since the 1970s, and never heard that!
@Grebulous 100%
@Grebulous 100%
@Grebulous According to what I\'ve read, the singer started too early on the first take. They rerecorded it but Jeff wanted it left in, I presume to catch the listeners attention (it certainly did that)!
@Grebulous According to what I\'ve read, the singer started too early on the first take. They rerecorded it but Jeff wanted it left in, I presume to catch the listeners attention (it certainly did that)!
I cant say I heard that.
The meaning is fairly self explantory (but just in case: opera singer gets taught how to do Rock'n'roll) and its just a damned good song all round.
For some reason i find the last verse very uplifting
Agreed on the last verse, the pace really picks up there and brings the song to a great end, and yes on my version the opera singer does say oops, I think its done to take the glory out of opera, show that it really is a rock song.
i think that "the mayor" is wrong, it should say "the man", the Man is probably Jesus, the speaker is saying that the music was so pure, even Jesus was there lol
@findsomepeace the album includes a lyric sheet. It's definitely "the mayor," doesn't sound remotely like "the man," and there's certainly nothing to suggest Jesus.
@findsomepeace the album includes a lyric sheet. It's definitely "the mayor," doesn't sound remotely like "the man," and there's certainly nothing to suggest Jesus.
The idea that there is an alusion to sex here is interesting and entirely credible. Don't forget, though, that he finds he doesn't have to teach her about rock'n'roll – she surprises him in the last verse by not only being ready, but teaching him a thing or two and rocking all night!!
Grebulous: you're exactly right. They hired a female opera singer (German, IIRC) to sing the aria portions, and the beginning of the song features her mis-starting, and, I think, saying something in German.
findsomepeace: "Mayor" is what it says on the album's lyric sheet.
@Kenobi65 She is literally singing Far away the music is playing in German and stumbles on the first word (weit = far).
@Kenobi65 She is literally singing Far away the music is playing in German and stumbles on the first word (weit = far).
not everything is about sex!
but Rockaria! is...
When I got to see EII live, I was darn impressed by Kelly nailing the aria in falsetto.
This song is hilarious.