Sweet Talkin' Woman

Jeff Lynne and the guys did a great job with this one, by far one of my favorites by them, alongside Telephone Line and Strange Magic, plus many others. I remember when my cousin and I listened to these on repeat in my grandfather's truck when we were just around 6 years old...

Anyways, this song brings about one topic in particular, which is that "the one that got away" sort of vibe. Although disguised in a very happy and upbeat melody, the guy is almost torn up by the fact that he wouldn't get the girl, so to speak.

The lyrics "I was searchin' (searchin') on a one-way street" suggest that he had been looking for love a long time and that he thought he had finally found the right one. He's become almost obsessed with the thought of her and couldn't see himself without her, even though she likely doesn't feel the same connection he does (take the quote "Don't know what I'm gonna do" as an example)

"(She's gone so long) What can I do? (Where could she be?)" This is where he's lost sight of her, as in she's left the place where he met her or he can't seem to find her anymore. He goes on, "I gotta get back to you," He's driven to get back to her in order to get to know her better in hopes that she feels the same way he does.

The chorus, "You gotta slow down, sweet talkin' woman, you got me runnin', you got me searchin'," displays how desperate he is to get back to her, and in his fruitless attempt at love with a total stranger, he can't seem to stop thinking about her.

The verses, "I've been livin' on a dead-end street I've been askin' ev'rybody I meet Insufficient data coming through" convey how he's feels like he's come to a "dead-end" without her, and how he's trying everything he can to find out more about her through any means he can, but he hasn't found any leads.

This is my opinion, but this is likely where he should've let go of her, but he was either too stubborn or too blinded by love to see that it wasn't meant to be. Even if it was true love, fate wasn't going to have it.

The final verse in the chorus, although repeated many times throughout the song, has the most punch to it out of all of them: "It's so sad if that's the way it's over," Even with it's repetition, I think at the end of the song you understand that this is his realization that maybe she wasn't the one. As sad as it is, he didn't find love as he had once thought.

Now this is such a great song because it's so relatable! Everyone has been walking through a store, or at a carnival, or in a bar and seen what you believed to be your true love, your soulmate, your other half. You think about 1000 scenarios in your head where you two fall in love and live happily ever after.

But at the end of the day, you let them get away. You feel like you've just had your heart ripped out, like you'll never love again. Maybe, in a perfect world, you would've locked eyes and immediately gone head over heels for each other. Maybe in some parallel universe you two were meant to be, but the universe has a funny way of working sometimes.

Just remember, if you believe in fate like I do, everything happens for a reason, and she's out there, he's waiting for you, somewhere, but you can't force love to happen. Everything will work just the way it's supposed to.

wow..no comments? this is great- seriously, i don't understand why people haven't commented yet. this is a perfect example of an ELO song- i always recommend it to people as such. it's got the well-known classical motif, catchy tune, great lyrics and harmonies too. erm- meaning? possibly thinking of "the one that got away" and regretting it. possibly. enlighten me?

Only a few coments...thta's is weird. This is one, maybe even the best ELO song to date. I love it and listen to it when it's sorta like a rainy day.

good song!

Feels like someone you meet at a bar or some random place; you have a great conversation then you never see her again and you hope to hell next time by random chance you run into this person again.

Not only my favorite ELO song, but one of my favorite songs period....This song should definitely have the most comments of all the ELO songs

me likey this song.

I think its about this woman that constantly eludes him. He thinks about her all the time, he keeps asking about her, and shes constantly out of reach.

Awesome string intro. This is the second ELO song I've heard after Mr. Blue Sky, and I must say that I can definitely tell that it has the same sonic feel to it. Such a carefree song.

To me, this song's about a guy who can never get in touch for some reason. He's hoping beyond hope that some serendipity will help him find her beyond the "one-way street." This guy's obviously mesmerized by the way she talks and is lost for words when she's around "Communication breakdown all around"

Nice groovy, uplifting song, as I'm guessing now most ELO songs are like.

The obvious name-check of Communication Breakdown makes me want to think that other parts of the verses are references too, but then again, probably not.

I like how Huey Lewis copped the call-back verse endings for "Do You Believe in Love". Jeff's lawyers are snoozing.