Mr Blue Sky

On this episode

About this episode

Mr Blue Sky is the Electric Light Orchestra's brilliantly off-beam classic song. It was released as a single in 1978, having first appeared on the ELO album 'Out of the Blue' in 1977. Written by Jeff Lynne, it was a no.6 hit in the UK, and has endured on the radio airwaves ever since. Tracey Collinson whose husband, Nigel, loved the track tells of the meaning it has for her. Musicologist, Allan Moore, discusses the anomolous use of the word 'blue': usually associated with downbeat emotions, this is a peculiar subversion of that cultural norm with the word 'blue' conjuring happiness and good weather. Tremayne Crossley and his friend, Jo Milne, tell the extraordinary story of how Jo heard…