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.
Had To Fall In Love
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like I'll be someday
I'm waiting for my heart to lead the way
The places I've seen and the roads in between
Make me wonder why
I'm searching for my dreams up in the sky
In the mirror I saw the writing on the wall
And I had to fall in love with you
The face that I've known seems so lost and alone
When you're far away
I'm comin' for you baby right away
The places I've seen and the roads in between
Make me wonder why
I'm searching for me dreams up in the sky
I heard the call
In the mirror I saw the writing on the wall
And I had to fall in love with you
What mattered to me was the right to be free
Like I'll be someday
I'm waiting for my heart to lead the way
The Moody Blues's song Had to Fall in Love talks about the search for freedom, the feeling of being lost and the need to find oneself. It starts by saying that what mattered to the singer was the right to be free, which he hopes to achieve someday. He's waiting for his heart to guide him in the right direction. He reflects on the places he has been and the roads he has taken, which make him question his purpose and lead him to search for his dreams up in the sky.
Then, the chorus comes in with the idea that the singer heard the call and saw the writing on the wall in the mirror. This is a metaphor that suggests that he finally understands where he needs to be and what he needs to do. The final line of the chorus says that he had to fall in love with the person he sings about, suggesting that this person is the one who made him realize what he wants and needs in life.
The second verse is similar to the first, the singer feels lost when the person he loves is far away, and he's coming for her right away. He repeats the lines about the places he's seen and the roads he's taken and searches for his dreams up in the sky again. The chorus repeats and ends the song on a note of hope and newfound purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
What mattered to me was the right to be free
Being free was the most important thing for me
Like I'll be someday
I hope to achieve that freedom someday
I'm waiting for my heart to lead the way
I am following my heart to find my path
The places I've seen and the roads in between
The different places and paths I have taken
Make me wonder why
They make me question why I am on this journey
I'm searching for my dreams up in the sky
I am looking for my dreams and aspirations
I heard the call
I heard a calling to pursue my dreams
In the mirror I saw the writing on the wall
I realized my destiny through reflection
And I had to fall in love with you
I fell in love with you because it was meant to be
The face that I've known seems so lost and alone
Without you, the face I know is lost and lonely
When you're far away
When you are not close to me
I'm comin' for you baby right away
I will come to you quickly
I heard the call
I heard a calling to pursue my dreams
In the mirror I saw the writing on the wall
I realized my destiny through reflection
And I had to fall in love with you
I fell in love with you because it was meant to be
What mattered to me was the right to be free
Being free was the most important thing for me
Like I'll be someday
I hope to achieve that freedom someday
I'm waiting for my heart to lead the way
I am following my heart to find my path
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: JUSTIN HAYWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tonyshah2357
What mattered to me
Was the right to be free
Like I'll be someday
I'm waiting for my heart to lead the way
The places I've seen
And the road in between
Make me wonder why
I'm searching for my dreams up in the sky
I heard the call
And in the mirror
I saw the writing on the wall
And I had to fall
In love with you
The face that I've known
Seems so lost and alone
When you're far away
I'm comin' for you baby right away
The places I've seen
And the roads in between
Make me wonder why
I'm searching for me dreams up in the sky
I heard the call
And in the mirror
I saw the writing on the wall
And I had to fall
In love with you
What mattered to me
Was the right to be free
Like I'll be someday
I'm waiting for my heart to lead the way
@FerreiraDePassos
Is it just me, or the MB are completely addictive??? Once you start listening them, it's impossible to stop!!!
@pecanworker1316
Been addicted since 69
@ashleys1862
Not just you 😉
@seanegan3296
Verdade
@georgeisaac9european387
Yes they are ! I know some friends who are always listening to them. I went one step further and listened only to their music for a lengthy period of time.
@jackrunner6997
Don't flatter yourself. I've been in love with MB ever since "Days of Future Passed" was released. Those were the times when you actually needed to be a good musician to make good music, unlike today when it's being made on a computer... and everything sounds the same.
@CyraEmm
I didn't grow up in a time when the Moodys were still new. But when I was still in the womb, my mom attended a concert of theirs and met the band. She pointed to her belly and told John "This is the next Moody Blues fan." He got incredibly excited, charged over to Justin and shouted "There's the next Moody Blues fan!" I've loved them all my life. Ray was my favorite as a kid, and to this day his solos touch my heart deeply.
@angeloiodice9304
sweet and touching story of devotion to such a wonderful band, and what they stand for
@nicollemary3164
I'm a 27 year old female, I was but a twinkle in my father's eye when this song came out. But by god, does this song just hit my soul in all the right places. Just like many more songs of this time period, and many more songs of The Moody's... Truly born in the wrong era.. but still going to enjoy every second I get to relive all of the greatest moments in music's history, such as this one.
@scottrobinson9752
I'm almost twice your age... I was born right in the middle of their 'classic 7' heyday. I grew up pretty much from day one hearing them.
I've seen them several times, in concert, over the years. I have collected all their music. Its a fun journey. The Moodies music ages like fine wine 🍷... No matter what goes on in the world, its music thats easy to escape into. People from ALL walks of life are Moodies fans, all over the world.... people from different backgrounds, different politics, different religious beliefs, different ideologies, different ages, etc... Its music where you can sort of leave all that at the door, and just enjoy it. Few bands have cross generational fans, on the level that this band does.