When Electric Light Orchestra released “Rock and Roll Is King” in 1983, the band was already a decade deep into a career defined by grand experiments. Jeff Lynne and company had spent the 1970s building a sonic world where rock guitars collided with violins, cellos, and massive, Beatlesque harmonies. ELO had given us concept albums (Eldorado), orchestral epics (Out of the Blue), and disco-infused space-pop (Discovery). But as the ‘80s dawned, the band that once felt like rock’s boldest futurists decided to throw a party for the past.
“Rock and Roll Is King,” the closing track (and lead single in the U.S.) from Secret Messages, is a three-and-a-half-minute love letter to the genre that birthed ELO in the first place. It’s fast, funny, and filled with the kind of infectious energy that makes you want to grab a guitar—or at least clap along until your palms hurt. For a band often associated with elaborate studio wizardry, this single was refreshingly direct. No spaceships, no concept suites—just pure, old-fashioned rock and roll joy, wrapped in Jeff Lynne’s unmistakable production sparkle.
A Blast of Retro Energy
From the first rev of the guitar and slap of Bev Bevan’s snare, “Rock and Roll Is King” announces itself as a rave-up. The intro sounds like someone threw Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode into a blender with a string section and said, “Make it louder.” Lynne’s guitar tone is all twang and bite, and the rhythm section barrels forward like a runaway train.
Then Lynne starts singing, and it’s impossible not to grin:
“Well, listen everybody, let me tell you ’bout the rock and roll…”
The lyric is a celebration of rock’s enduring power, a reminder that no matter how trends change, the primal thrill of a great riff and a driving beat will never die. Lynne sings with a mix of reverence and cheeky swagger, as if he knows he’s preaching to the converted but can’t resist anyway.
And then there’s the hook. Oh, that hook. “Rock and roll is king!” is the kind of chorus you can imagine shouted across a packed dance hall or a stadium full of lighter-waving fans. It’s so simple, so obvious, and so perfect that you can’t believe no one thought of it before.
Secret Messages, Loud Guitars
To fully appreciate “Rock and Roll Is King,” you have to place it in the context of Secret Messages, the album it closes. Recorded in 1982 and released in 1983, the album was originally intended as a sprawling double LP filled with backward tapes, coded lyrics, and sly nods to the “backmasking” hysteria of the era. Jeff Lynne, ever the studio prankster, leaned into the rumors that ELO’s records contained hidden messages.
But Jet Records, the band’s label, balked at the idea of a double album. Budget concerns and the limits of vinyl meant Lynne had to trim the project to a single disc. The resulting album still had plenty of the usual ELO trademarks—lush strings, stacked harmonies, meticulous production—but it also carried a sly sense of humor. If earlier ELO albums felt like grand symphonies, Secret Messages felt more like a playful wink.
“Rock and Roll Is King” was the ultimate wink. Where the rest of the album indulged in cryptic lyrics and sonic puzzles, the closing track was pure release—a big, dumb, joyous rave-up to send listeners home smiling. After a record full of studio tricks and mysterious references, Lynne chose to end on a song that simply shouted: “This is what it’s all about!”
Jeff Lynne’s Time Machine
One of the most delightful things about “Rock and Roll Is King” is the way it collapses musical eras. Lynne doesn’t just imitate the sound of 1950s rock—he filters it through ELO’s unmistakable 1980s sheen. The song’s DNA is classic rockabilly and early rock and roll: brisk tempos, boogie-woogie piano flourishes, and a guitar solo that would make Scotty Moore grin. But layered on top of that are the hallmarks of ELO’s style: dense vocal harmonies, precisely double-tracked guitars, and a mix so polished you could eat dinner off it.
The result is both nostalgic and futuristic. It’s as if Buddy Holly stumbled into Abbey Road Studios during a session with the Traveling Wilburys (a band Lynne would help create just a few years later). The song doesn’t simply copy the past; it celebrates it while making it feel alive in 1983.
Lynne has always had a knack for making old sounds feel new. From the Beatlesque flourishes of A New World Record to the disco-rock hybrid of Discovery, he treats rock history like a giant toy box, mixing and matching until he finds something both familiar and surprising. “Rock and Roll Is King” is one of his most joyful mash-ups—a retro rave dressed in modern clothes.
Chart Action and Critical Reception
Released as a single in May 1983, “Rock and Roll Is King” became a respectable hit. It reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., giving ELO one of their last major American chart successes. In the U.K., it climbed to No. 13, proving that even as musical trends shifted toward synth-pop and New Wave, there was still a hunger for a good old-fashioned rock and roll stomper.
Critics were generally charmed. After years of ELO albums that critics sometimes dismissed as overproduced or overly ambitious, “Rock and Roll Is King” felt refreshingly lean. Reviewers praised its energy and good humor. Rolling Stone called it “a slice of pure fun,” while fans embraced it as a welcome throwback.
It also became a staple of ELO’s live shows. Even as Lynne pulled the band back from touring after the mid-’80s, the song endured as a crowd-pleaser whenever ELO—or Jeff Lynne’s ELO, as the modern incarnation is known—returned to the stage. When those opening chords ring out, it’s impossible not to feel the rush.
The Video: Rockabilly Goes MTV
The early 1980s were peak MTV, and “Rock and Roll Is King” arrived with a video that matched the song’s retro spirit. Directed by Jeff Lynne and Eric Stewart of 10cc fame, the clip is a goofy, joyous romp featuring the band performing in a neon-lit diner while dancers in poodle skirts and leather jackets twist the night away. Lynne, sporting his trademark sunglasses and perm, looks like a time traveler who stumbled out of a DeLorean and decided to join a sock hop.
It’s a perfect visual complement to the music: part nostalgia, part playful parody, and entirely fun. Unlike some of ELO’s more elaborate videos (which leaned into sci-fi imagery), this one keeps things simple. It’s a party, and everyone’s invited.
The Lyrics: Simple Truths, Big Heart
Part of the charm of “Rock and Roll Is King” lies in its lyrical simplicity. Jeff Lynne isn’t trying to rewrite poetry here. He’s making a proclamation:
“Listen everybody, let me tell you ’bout the rock and roll / Oh feel that rhythm and it’s really gonna thrill your soul.”
That’s it. That’s the mission statement. Where other ELO songs weave elaborate narratives—aliens, telephone lines, lonely hearts—this one goes straight for the gut. It’s a reminder of what drew so many people to rock in the first place: the beat, the energy, the sheer visceral thrill of a great riff.
In a way, the lyrics feel like Lynne talking to himself. After years of chasing orchestral perfection, “Rock and Roll Is King” is him stepping back and saying, “You know what? Sometimes all you need is a guitar, a beat, and a melody you can shout along with.” It’s both a celebration and a reaffirmation of the power of rock.
A Transitional Moment for ELO
“Rock and Roll Is King” arrived at a pivotal time in Electric Light Orchestra’s career. The early 1980s were a changing landscape. Punk had come and gone, New Wave was thriving, and MTV was reshaping how bands connected with audiences. ELO, once one of the biggest touring acts in the world, was beginning to scale back.
Secret Messages was followed by Balance of Power (1986), a more restrained album that would be the band’s last for over a decade. Jeff Lynne shifted his focus to producing (working with George Harrison, Tom Petty, and eventually co-founding the Traveling Wilburys). ELO would go on hiatus, and though various incarnations would resurface over the years, the band’s classic period was effectively winding down.
In that sense, “Rock and Roll Is King” feels almost like a farewell—a final, exuberant shout before the curtain fell. If ELO had to bow out of their initial run, what better way than with a song declaring that the music they loved was still alive and kicking?
Legacy and Influence
Decades later, “Rock and Roll Is King” remains a fan favorite and a testament to Jeff Lynne’s deep affection for the roots of rock. While it may not be as critically revered as Mr. Blue Sky or Telephone Line, it occupies a unique place in the ELO catalog. It’s the band at their most unguarded, their most playful, and perhaps their most human.
You can hear echoes of the song’s spirit in Lynne’s later work with the Traveling Wilburys, where he joined George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison in crafting music that celebrated the joy of rock’s golden age. You can also hear it in his production for Tom Petty’s Full Moon Fever, where jangling guitars and effortless hooks became a signature.
Even modern artists chasing retro vibes—whether it’s the Black Keys channeling garage rock or Bruno Mars reviving ’80s funk—owe a small debt to songs like “Rock and Roll Is King,” which proved that looking backward can feel refreshingly forward.
Listening Today
Put on “Rock and Roll Is King” in 2025, and it still sounds like a party. The production is bright and punchy, the guitars snarl, and Lynne’s voice—warm, slightly nasal, unmistakable—cuts through with the same enthusiasm it had in 1983. It’s a song that demands movement, whether you’re twisting in your kitchen or tapping the steering wheel at a red light.
More than anything, it’s a reminder of rock’s eternal appeal. Trends come and go, technology evolves, but the thrill of a great rock and roll song is timeless. Jeff Lynne knew that when he wrote it, and you can hear that knowledge in every note.
Final Thoughts: Long Live the King
Electric Light Orchestra built their reputation on complexity—lush arrangements, conceptual ambition, and studio perfectionism. But with “Rock and Roll Is King,” they proved that sometimes the simplest ideas are the most powerful. It’s a song that doesn’t need a thesis. It just needs a beat, a guitar, and a chorus that dares you not to sing along.
For Jeff Lynne, it was both a tribute and a declaration. Rock and roll may have started in the 1950s, but its spirit was alive in 1983, alive in the arena crowds of the ’70s, and alive every time a kid picks up a guitar and bangs out three chords today.
Forty years later, “Rock and Roll Is King” still rules—not because it reinvented the wheel, but because it reminded us why we fell in love with the wheel in the first place. It’s a three-minute celebration of everything that makes rock great: energy, joy, and the unshakable belief that when the band kicks in, anything is possible.
So the next time someone tells you rock is dead, put this song on and turn it up. As Jeff Lynne would say, rock and roll is king—and it always will be.
