The Moody Blues was an English rock band formed in Birmingham, Warwickshire… Read Full Bio ↴The Moody Blues was an English rock band formed in Birmingham, Warwickshire in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas (died 2018), guitarist Denny Laine (died 2023), drummer Graeme Edge (died 2021), and bassist Clint Warwick (died 2004). The band came to prominence with the UK No. 1 and US Top 10 single "Go Now" in late 1964/early 1965 and subsequently embraced the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s with their 1967 album "Days of Future Passed" that established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

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.

I'm Your Man
The Moody Blues Lyrics

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Here I go again
Finding it so hard to explain
The way I feel when I hold you near
Still it hurts when you cry
Maybe you think love has passed you by
Don't you know I need you so
But I guess you need to know

I'm just a man, that's all I am
I'm just a man, that's yours
I'm yours you know I'm yours

Life keeps changing key
I'll look to you please look back at me
See I'm changing every day
Reaching out for happy days

But I'm just a man that's all I am
I'm just a man I'm yours
I'm simply yours

Life keeps changing key
I'll look to you please turn and look at me
You'll see I'm changing every day
In my search for happy days

But then I'm just a man
That's all I am
I'm just a man I'm yours
That's yours, simply yours

See me as I am, for I'm just a man

I'm just a man but I'm yours
Oh I'm yours I'm simply yours

Overall Meaning

The Moody Blues's song "I'm Your Man" is a love song where the singer expresses his love and devotion for his partner. He finds it difficult to express his feelings in words but his actions speak of his love when he holds her close. However, he also acknowledges that it hurts him when she cries, and he reassures her that his love for her has not passed despite what she might think. But he knows that he needs to let her know how he feels and that he is just a simple man, devoted and completely hers.

The singer acknowledges that life is constantly changing, and he asks his partner to support him and look to him as he reaches out for happy days. He tells her that he is changing every day in his search for happiness, but he is just a man who loves her above all else, and he is completely devoted to her. He wants her to see him for who he is, a simple man who loves her with all his heart.

Overall, the song is about the simplicity of love and the devotion of a man who wants nothing more than to love and be loved by his partner. It is a beautiful love song that speaks of the power of love and the lengths that one will go to protect and cherish it.

Line by Line Meaning

Here I go again
Starting to talk about my feelings once more

Finding it so hard to explain
Struggling to put into words how much you mean to me

The way I feel when I hold you near
The intense emotions that overwhelm me when I have you in my arms

Still it hurts when you cry
Your tears cause me immense pain

Maybe you think love has passed you by
You may believe that you've missed your chance at love

Don't you know I need you so
I require you in my life more than anything else

But I guess you need to know
You must be aware of this fact

I'm just a man, that's all I am
I'm merely a human being

I'm just a man, that's yours
But I belong to you

I'm yours you know I'm yours
You possess my heart and soul completely

Life keeps changing key
Life is always presenting us with new challenges