Rock 'n' Roll Is King

"Rock 'n' Roll Is King" is a song written and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released as a single from the 1983 album Secret Messages. With this song the band returned to their rock roots. It features a violin solo by Mik Kaminski.

"Rock 'n' Roll Is King"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Secret Messages
B-side	"After All" "Time After Time" (12" version)
Released	June 1983[1]
Recorded	1983 Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, the Netherlands
Genre	Rock and roll[2] roots rock[3]
Length	3:49 (Album version) 3:07 (Single version) 3:10 (Double-album version) 4:13 (Remix) 4:58 (Extended Mix)
Label	Jet
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"The Way Life's Meant to Be" (1982) "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (1983) "Secret Messages" (1983)
Secret Messages track listing
10 tracks Side one "Secret Messages" "Loser Gone Wild" "Bluebird" "Take Me On and On" Side two "Four Little Diamonds" "Stranger" "Danger Ahead" "Letter from Spain" "Train of Gold" "Rock 'n' Roll Is King"
Music video
"Rock 'n' Roll Is King" on YouTube

The song went through many changes during recording and at one point was going to be called "Motor Factory" with a completely different set of lyrics. The single proved to be ELO's last UK top twenty hit single, and reached No. 19 in the US in August 1983.

In an interview in the King of the Universe fanzine, Dave Morgan, who was with ELO at the time, described his involvement with the recording as such:^[4]

I sang on quite a few tracks, I sang on 'Rock 'N' Roll Is King'. I played on that one, but it wasn't called that, it was something about something about working at Austin Longbridge! It was full of car plant sounds, you could hear it going clank, clank, clank, like somebody hitting a lathe with a hammer, and Jeff went away and made it into 'Rock 'n' Roll Is King', wiped off everything we'd done, no, there was still some backing left in there, It was much better how he finished it off than it was before.