Livin' Thing

It's a livin' thing It's a terrible thing to lose There has been lots of speculation as to what this song is about, with a popular rumor being that it is an anti-abortion statement. ELO frontman Jeff Lynne has said it is simply about the loss of love, although its initial inspiration was a bout of food poisoning. He let that slip in a talk with Hi-Fi News & Record Review in 2014. "You'll never be able to listen to it the same again," he said. "I wouldn't want anyone to think it's about a bad paella on a Spanish holiday."

The song features uncredited vocals by Patti Quatro (sister of Suzi Quatro), Brie Brandt, and Addie Lee, who were all one time members of the female rock group Fanny. According to Suzi Quatro's autobiography the trio sang the "higher and higher" parts.

"Livin' Thing" returned to a Billboard chart for the first time in 40 years in 2017 as a result of its featuring in Volkswagen's "The New King" commercial. Fueled by its appearance in the ad, the tune entered the Rock Digital Songs Sales chart.