The Move - Do Ya (1971)

Formed in December 1965, this band from Birmingham, England had nine Top 20 singles in the UK in a five year period. In their earliest years, they were managed by Tony Secunda, a man who frequently used publicity stunts to generate conversation about the group, often getting the band in hot water. After multiple hits in the ‘60s and some personnel shifts, 1970 saw band member and primary songwriter Roy Wood dabbling with the idea of mixing classical instruments into the band’s primarily “rock” sound. As he put it, he wanted to take rock music in the direction “that The Beatles had left off” at. In January 1970, the band picked up Jeff Lynne, who promised to join only if they worked on the direction Wood had proposed as a side project in their free time. In order to complete the side project that Wood and Lynne were quickly enthralled with (as well as fellow Move member Bev Bevan by now), they had to continue recording and selling as The Move in order to generate funds. Lynne and Wood shared most of the writing and composing responsibilities for The Move in this time frame, as well as taking the band on a tour of the UK being backed by Black Sabbath. Finally, by December 1971, Lynne and Wood’s first LP from their side project was released and the Electric Light Orchestra was born. The Move was no more.

Although generally regarded as an ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) song because of their 1976 release, it was actually first recorded and released by this band in October 1971 on their last album, Message from the Country. As previously mentioned in our first feature of the group, this band never had much of a presence in the US; nearly all of their success was in the UK. This particular song, written by Jeff Lynne, was the only taste of success by the band in the US when it was released as the B-Side of a single. It reached a mild ninety-three on the Hot 100 chart, making it the only song to chart by the band in the US throughout their existence. The version heard below is the single version, missing two short verses near the end of the song. As you might expect, The Move's recording of this song is rock, whereas ELO's cover was rock incorporated with classical instruments.



The Move - Do Ya (1971)

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Lyrics:

In this life, I've seen
Everything I can see, woman
I've seen lovers flying
Through the air, hand in hand
I've seen babies
Dancing in the midnight sun
And I've seen dreams that came
From the heavenly skies above
I've seen old men crying
At their own gravesides
I've seen pigs all sitting
Watching picture slides
But I never seen nothing like you

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
Woman
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
I don’t see it
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
I need it
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Well, I heard the crowd
Singing out of tune
As they sat and sang “Auld Lang Syne”
By the light of the moon
I heard the preachers banging on the drums
But I never heard nothing like you

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
Woman
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
I don’t see ya
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
I need it
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Well, I think you understand
What I'm trying to say, woman
That is, I'd like to
Save you for a rainy day
I've seen enough of the world to know, baby
That I've got to get it all
To get it all to grow

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
Woman
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
I don’t see it
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
I need it
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Ah, you better me

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Look out, baby! There’s a plane a’comin’!