| "Turn to Stone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
| from the album Out of the Blue | ||||
| B-side | Mister Kingdom | |||
| Released | October 1977 (United Kingdom) November 1977 (United States) |
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| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | Musicland Studios (Munich, Germany); 1977 |
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| Genre | Electro rock, Orchestra rock | |||
| Length | 3:47 | |||
| Label | Jet Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Jeff Lynne | |||
| Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||
| Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
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Allmusic reviewer Zachary Curd called the song "Essentially a love song, "Turn to Stone" is orchestrated, computerized, epic rock music courtesy of Jeff Lynne." 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".
The song featured in the Doctor Who 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.[1]
The song is also featured in the movie Detroit Rock City.
| Chart (1977) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Austrailian ARIA Singles Chart | 17 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 11 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 9 |
| German Media Control Singles Chart | 35 |
| South African Singles Chart | 17 |
| UK Singles Chart[2] | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 11 |
| U.S. Record World Singles | 9 |
http://www.allmusic.com/song/turn-to-stone-t1934686 Donald A. Guarisco review
http://www.allmusic.com/song/turn-to-stone-t824270 Zachary Curd's review