The Weekly “Whatever”

This is a salute to the multi-talented musician/writer/producer Jeff Lynne, formerly of ELO, which has morphed into “Jeff Lynne’s ELO.”

He has a new song out, and it’s is just so beautiful. The melody to “When I Was a Boy (I had a dream)” is so graceful it sways like a dancer in a trance and the lyrics are so simple and insightful and clear and true that you could just melt listening to it. The video is lovely, too — a young boy obsessed with his guitar becomes a rock star. I guess it’s autobiographical.

A bona fide Boomer (he turns 68 years old this year), Lynne has been on our musical radar for 40+ years, with his own material, and also as the producer for many of the top names in the biz, including The Beatles, George Harrison, Ringo and Paul McCartney.

“When I Was a Boy” sounds like effortless perfection, but it’s more likely the result of a career’s worth of experience, plus a lifetime of living.