The band began by playing rhythm and blues music. After some early lineup changes, the band settled on a line-up of Pinder, Thomas, Edge, guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge, which would stay together for most of the band's "classic era" through the late 1960s-early 1970s. Their second album, "Days of Future Passed", released in 1967, was a fusion of rock with classical music and established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock. Days Of Future Passed has been described as a "landmark" and "one of the first successful concept albums".
The Moody Blues became known internationally by recordings of songs including "Go Now", "Nights in White Satin", "Tuesday Afternoon", "Question" and "Your Wildest Dreams". The band has been awarded 18 platinum and gold LP’s. The band sold 70 million albums worldwide. The Moody Blues were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
The Moody Blues formed in 1964 in Erdington, a suburb of Birmingham in the county of Warwickshire. Ray Thomas, a young John Lodge and (occasionally) Mike Pinder had been members of El Riot & the Rebels. They disbanded when Lodge, the youngest member, went to technical college and Pinder joined the army. Pinder then rejoined Thomas to form the Krew Cats. Back from a disappointing spell in the Hamburg region a few months later, the pair recruited guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine and band manager-turned-drummer Graeme Edge. Pinder and Thomas initially approached their former El Riot bandmate John Lodge about being the bass player, but Lodge declined as he was still in college. They instead recruited bassist Clint Warwick. The five appeared as the Moody Blues for the first time in Birmingham in 1964. The name developed from a hoped-for sponsorship from the M&B Brewery which failed to materialise, the band calling themselves both "The M Bs" and "The M B Five", and was also a subtle reference to the Duke Ellington song "Mood Indigo". In an interview it was revealed that the band was named "Moody Blues" because Mike Pinder was interested in how music changes people's moods and due to the fact that the band was playing blues at the time. Around this time the band were the resident group at the Carlton Ballroom, later to become rock music venue Mothers on Erdington High Street.
The Moody Blues' "rich symphonic sound" influenced groups such as Yes, Genesis, the Electric Light Orchestra and Deep Purple. They also helped make synthesizers and philosophy "part of the rock mainstream".
The Moody Blues became members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2013, readers of Rolling Stone Magazine voted for them as one of the ten bands that should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ultimate Classic Rock called them "perennial victims of an unaccountable snubbing" and inducted them into its own Hall of Fame in 2014.
Writing for The Guardian in 2015, Rob Chapman described the band as "psychedelia's forgotten heroes". He stated: "Despite their success, rock critics rarely took the Moody Blues seriously, a pattern that continued for the next 45 years." He also wrote: "Despite the critical disapproval, the best of the Moody Blues music between 1967 and 1970 possessed grace and beauty. Like The Beatles, they understood how pop songs worked as ensemble pieces. None of them were particularly virtuosic or showy as musicians and their music is refreshingly free of the noodling longeurs that characterised the output of their more self-indulgent contemporaries."
In December 2017, the band were announced as inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On 14 April 2018, they were inducted as part of the 2018 class. During his acceptance speech in Cleveland, OH, Justin Hayward said, "If you didn't know already, well we're just a bunch of British guys, but of course to us and to all British musicians, this is the home of our heroes and we all know that..." acknowledging the inspirational role of America's rock and roll icons. During the ceremony, Ray Thomas was included as a star that was lost in the past year.
On 11th November 2021 Graeme Edge died. Upon Edge's death, Justin Hayward announced that The Moody Blues had no longer been active since Edge had retired in 2018 (Edge being the only member to remain with the band from formation to ending). Founding member Denny Laine died on 5 December 2023.
Can't Nobody Love You
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like I'm loving you right now
'Cause they don't know how to love you like I do
And can't nobody talk to you, babe,
Like I'm talking to you right now.
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
I'm gonna love you in the morning,
And I won't stop loving you, baby,
'Cause this way everything's alright.
Can't nobody love you
Like I'm loving you right now.
They just don't know how to love you like I do.
And, oh love,
Can't nobody kiss you, baby,
Like I'm kissing you right now.
I just don't know how to kiss you like I said I do.
And can't nobody,
Oh, can't nobody love you,
Can't nobody squeeze you,
Can't nobody kiss you like I do,
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
Now some guys make eyes at you
But they don't do it all the time,
Believe me,
I'd never do it, baby,
But, you know,
No one's on my mind.
Can't nobody love you
Like I'm loving you right now
'Cause they don't know how to love you like I do.
Yeah,
Children speak to me,
Talk...
I'm gonna love you in the morning, baby,
And I'm gonna love you through the night.
I won't stop,
I won't stop loving you, babe,
'Til everything's alright.
Can't nobody love you
Like I'm loving you right now
'Cause they don't know how to love you,
Don't know how to love you like I do.
Oh baby, yeah.
Yeah, 'cause they don;t know how,
They don't know how to love you
Like I said I'll do,
Oh yeah.
The Moody Blues's song Can't Nobody Love You is a song about intense love and devotion. The lyrics express the idea that the singer's love for their partner is so strong and unique that no one else could possibly love them in the same way. The song also touches on the idea that the singer is aware of other potential suitors, but is confident that their partner will always choose them over anyone else.
The chorus repeats the idea that "can't nobody love you like I'm loving you right now," emphasizing the intensity of the singer's feelings. The repeated reference to not knowing how to love, talk to, or kiss their partner like they do suggests that the singer believes that their love is somehow more genuine or authentic than anyone else's.
The song has a soulful, bluesy sound that emphasizes the emotional content of the lyrics. The use of repetition in the chorus also emphasizes the intensity of the singer's feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't nobody love you, baby,
There is nobody who can love you like I do, baby.
Like I'm loving you right now
The kind of love that I am giving you right now is unparalleled.
'Cause they don't know how to love you like I do
Others do not know how to love you the way I do.
And can't nobody talk to you, babe,
I am the only one who can talk to you, babe.
Like I'm talking to you right now.
How I communicate with you, others could not.
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
Even though I say I know how to talk to you, I am not sure I do.
I'm gonna love you in the morning,
I will love you even in the morning.
I'm gonna love you through the night
I will love you throughout the night.
And I won't stop loving you, baby,
I will never stop loving you, baby.
'Cause this way everything's alright.
Everything will be alright if we continue with this relationship.
And, oh love,
Addressing love itself
Can't nobody kiss you, baby,
Nobody can kiss you like I can, baby.
Like I'm kissing you right now.
The way I kiss you right now, no one else can do it.
And can't nobody,
Nobody but me
Oh, can't nobody love you,
Nobody can love you like I can.
Can't nobody squeeze you,
No one can hold or embrace you like I can.
Can't nobody kiss you like I do,
Nobody can kiss you exactly the way I do.
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
I am not sure if I am really good at communicating with you.
Now some guys make eyes at you
There might be guys who are looking at you.
But they don't do it all the time,
Not all the guys look at you all the time.
Believe me,
Trust me.
I'd never do it, baby,
I would never betray or deceive you, baby.
But, you know,
But as you know.
No one's on my mind.
I only have thoughts of you.
Yeah, Children speak to me, Talk...
At times, children talk to me about things.
I won't stop,
I will not quit.
I won't stop loving you, babe,
I will always love you, babe.
'Til everything's alright.
Until everything is good between us.
Yeah, 'cause they don;t know how,
Other people really don't know how.
They don't know how to love you
They can't love you the way I can.
Like I said I'll do,
The way I promised I would.
Oh yeah.
Oh yes.
Contributed by Kennedy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jussix48
Extremely excellently played and sung tune by this magnificent original Moodies group from the 1960's...!
@mic982
Go Now! was the song everyone was talking about off this album, and indeed was the biggest hit from it. But this cover of Mitchell's old tune was, for me, the best of the entire album. Even after more >50 years, it still holds up well.
@trishplanck3659
Love, love, love this song! Denny really had the voice for Blues. :-)
@captainsoul1953
I love this album...one of my all time faves........play it much more than their later stuff which seems more dated to me
jim
@alan1james
Master piece, really moving and my favorite song from them, together with Go Now.
@trishplanck3659
I could never grow tired of listening to Denny sing this song!
@kevingrady8736
Wow, I had NO idea they sounded like this. I LOVE it.
@apbtdobe
Real magnificent music...
@ierc6532
Es tan buen trabajo, que parecen the Beatles+.
@jcm8437
Best song of this album