"The Diary of Horace Wimp" | ||||
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Single by Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
from the album Discovery | ||||
B-side | "Down Home Town" | |||
Released | 13 July 1979 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1979, Musicland Studios, Munich | |||
Length | 4:17 | |||
Label | Jet | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jeff Lynne | |||
Producer(s) | Jeff Lynne | |||
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
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Discovery track listing | ||||
9 tracks
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"The Diary of Horace Wimp" is the fourth track on the Electric Light Orchestra album Discovery, written by Jeff Lynne.
Released in 1979 as a single, the song is Beatlesque in nature and became a Top Ten hit in the UK and Ireland. The lyrics describe a week in the life of a repressed man named Horace who wants to express his affection towards a woman he meets, and overcomes his shy nature with the help of "a voice from above." The day Saturday is omitted โ this is because, as explained by Jeff Lynne: "The football match is played on a Saturday".
The music video references Citizen Kane in its ending, showing a closeup of Jeff Lynne saying "Horace Wimp," echoing Orson Welles' character in the film saying "Rosebud" as he dies.[2][3]
A song about a lucky lad who somehow defies the odds and gets the girl. Really wild use of the vocoder.
โ Jeff Lynne[4]