Do Ya (The Move song)

"Do Ya"
Single by The Move
A-side	"California Man"
Released	June 1972 (US)
Format	7" single
Recorded	19 December 1971 at Philips Studios
Genre	Rock
Length	4:06 (album/US single length) 3.16 (UK single edit)
Label	United Artists (US) Harvest (UK)
Writer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne
The Move singles chronology
"California Man" (1972) "Do Ya" (1972)

"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.

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).^[1] The song was originally titled "Look Out Baby, There's a Planet Comin'" (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 Roy Wood appeared on from the ELO 2 album.

Chart position

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)
Format	7" single
Recorded	1976 Musicland Studios, Munich
Genre	Hard rock, symphonic rock
Length	3:47
Label	Jet/United Artists
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. Bevan did not name the journalist but stated the "guy was a professional". He said they decided to re-record it as ELO in order to "let everyone know that it's a Jeff Lynne song".

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 positions

Jeff Lynne version

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.^[7]

Covers

• 1975 - Todd Rundgren's Utopia - on the Another Live album^[8]
• 1976 - Mike Sheridan - on the Elmer Goodbody, Jnr. album
• 1989 - Ace Frehley - on his third solo album Trouble Walkin'^[9]
• 1997 - Matthew Sweet - on the various artist compilation Live from 6A: Late Night with Conan O'Brien^[10]
• 2001 - Moods for Moderns - on the Slacker Ways EP, retitling the song as "Do You"^[11]
• 2001 - Jason Falkner - on the Jeff Lynne tribute album Lynne Me Your Ears^[12]
• 2005 - Parthenon Huxley - on his album Homemade Spaceship: The Music of ELO^[13]
• 2008 - Neil Nathan - featured on his The Distance Calls album and the Californication Season 2 Soundtrack

The song inspired Tom Petty to write the US hit single "Change of Heart" in 1982. In 2002, Tallboy Records released a tribute disc of "Do Ya" in the form of a 7" extended-play single, featuring renditions of the song by Kenny Howes and the Yeah!, Parallax Project, Einstein's Sister, and Linus of Hollywood.

References

External links

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