Electric Light Orchestra’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’ is one of those upbeat tunes that is played so frequently that you would assume everyone is familiar with the lyrics.
Well, you’d be wrong.
Many people have only just realized that one of the song’s closing lines has been misheard by listeners for decades.
The song, which came out in 1977, is one of ELO’s biggest hits, and has been labeled “Beatlesque” due to its resemblance to the Beatles’ songs ‘Martha My Dear’ and ‘A Day in the Life‘. It also shares the same 4 chords in common with their track ‘Yesterday’.
The simple theme of a rainy day coming to an end is surprising for a song so big. And recently, over forty years after the track came out, it has got a lot of people talking online.
In a popular TikTok video, user Sam Nicholson (@chicleson) posted a clip of his record player playing a vinyl record with the caption: “When u notice he’s asking ‘please flip me over’ not ‘Mr Blue Sky’ because it’s the end of the side.”
‘Mr Blue Sky’ was the last tune on the first side of E.L.O’s Out of the Blue album when it was initially released on vinyl, thus listeners had to flip the record to hear the remaining songs.
Co-founder Jeff Lynne actually opened up about the outro back in 2012, telling BBC’s The One Show: “It actually says ‘Please turn me over’, because it was the end of that side of the album.”
Upon finding out the news, TikTokers commented: “My whole life is a lie.”
“I always thought it was ‘Mr Blue Sky-ie’,” a second said.
A third admitted: “Every time this song plays I tell someone in the room this. I used to think it say ‘Mr Blue Sky-y and figured it out when I got the record.”
Another wrote: “It’s “Please turn me over” as confirmed by Jeff Lynne. It was put there to instruct the listener to listen to the rest of the album.”
“Always thought it was ‘blue skies you shine bright’,” said one fan.
According to Jeff Lynne, after isolating himself in a Swiss chalet and working to create ELO’s follow-up album to A New World Record, he finally came up with the song ‘Mr Blue Sky’.
“It was dark and misty for 2 weeks, and I didn’t come up with a thing,” he said.
“Suddenly the sun shone and it was, ‘Wow, look at those beautiful Alps.’ I wrote ‘Mr Blue Sky’ and thirteen other songs in the next 2 weeks,” he added.
Others shared tracks they have also struggled with in the past, with one admitting: “I used to think Madonna sang Last night I dreamt of Sombreros”
While another said: “Hot chocolate sang ‘I believe in Milko’ when I was a kid. I always wondered if he knew our milkman..that was his Nickname.”
“I used to think the beach boys song said “She’ll have fun fun fun till her daddy takes her teapot away,” a third commented.
