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.
Higher And Higher
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes
Man with his flaming pyre
Has conquered the wayward breezes
Climbing to tranquility
Far above the cloud
Conceiving the heavens
Higher and higher
Now we've learned to play with fire
Go higher and higher and higher
Vast vision must improve our sight
Perhaps at last we'll see and end
To our homes endless blight
And the beginning of the free
Climb to tranquility
Finding its real worth
Conceiving the heavens
Florishing on earth
Higher and higher
Now we've learned to play with fire
Go higher and higher and higher
The Moody Blues's song Higher And Higher is a song that celebrates humanity's advancement and progress. The lyrics are poetic and full of metaphorical phrases that describe the power of humanity to conquer the forces of nature and reach new heights of excellence. The song paints a picture of humanity as a force of nature, capable of great power and creativity.
The opening lines of the song, "Blasting, billowing, bursting forth, with the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes," suggests the explosive and unpredictable nature of human creativity. The phrase "ten billion butterfly sneezes" seems to suggest that humanity's power comes not from brute force, but from the subtle and delicate workings of the human mind. Later in the song, the lyrics describe humanity as being capable of "climbing to tranquility" and "conceiving the heavens." These are metaphors for the ability of humanity to reach new heights of spiritual and intellectual achievement, beyond the mundane concerns of everyday life.
Overall, the song Higher And Higher is a testament to the power of the human spirit to transcend the limitations of the physical world and reach new heights of creativity and achievement. It is an uplifting and inspiring song that celebrates the best qualities of humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Blasting, billowing, bursting forth
Exploding into the world with tremendous energy and force
With the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes
With incredible, indescribable power
Man with his flaming pyre
Humanity with its fiery passion and drive
Has conquered the wayward breezes
Has overcome obstacles and challenges to achieve great things
Climbing to tranquility
Ascending to a place of peace and calm
Far above the cloud
Ascending to great heights above the troubles and worries of everyday life
Conceiving the heavens
Imagining and creating something magnificent
Clear of misty shroud
Free from confusion or uncertainty
Higher and higher
Ascending to even greater heights
Now we've learned to play with fire
Now we've gained the knowledge and skills to take on even greater challenges
Go higher and higher and higher
Keep pushing ourselves to achieve even greater things
Vast vision must improve our sight
Having a broad perspective can help us see things more clearly
Perhaps at last we'll see an end
Maybe we'll finally see resolution to problems that have plagued us for a long time
To our homes endless blight
To the countless problems that face our daily lives
And the beginning of the free
The start of a new era of freedom and possibility
Finding its real worth
Discovering the true value and meaning of something
Florishing on earth
Thriving and succeeding in the world
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carl Smith, Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind