In the chorus of the ELO song "Don't Bring Me Down," the word "Groos" is actually a made-up word. It is often misheard as "Bruce" by listeners. The lead vocalist of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Jeff Lynne, has explained that he initially used the word "Groos" as a temporary placeholder to fill a gap in the lyrics [2]. However, upon learning that "Groos" sounded similar to the German expression "Gruß," meaning "greeting," he decided to keep it in the song.
Interestingly, due to the misinterpretation of the word as "Bruce" by many people, Jeff Lynne started singing it as "Bruce" during live performances for fun. This led to some confusion about the actual meaning of the word. ELO engineer Reinhold Mack remembers the genesis of the term differently, stating that Lynne was actually singing "Bruce" as a joke in advance of an Australian tour, referring to the common name "Bruce" among Australian guys. Eventually, the word was replaced with "Gruss," based on the Bavarian greeting "Gruß Gott," which means "greet God."
In summary, the word "Groos" in the chorus of "Don't Bring Me Down" is a made-up word that Jeff Lynne used as a temporary placeholder in the lyrics. It was later replaced with "Gruss," which sounds similar to the German expression for "greeting."
Learn more: