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.
Island
The Moody Blues Lyrics
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As the lights go out on you?
Are you getting that sinking feeling
As the truth slips into view
But if you care, don't run away
Your freedom's inside your head
That's what we said
Are you sitting on a tiny island
As the tide rolls in on you?
Are you getting that sinking feeling
As it all comes home to you?
Picture the wings that take you home
Home to the love you need
That's what you need
Are you hearing that lonely laughter
As the lights go out on you?
Are you getting that sinking feeling
It all comes home to you?
But if you care, don't run away
Your freedom's inside your head
That's what we said
That's what we said
The Moody Blues's song "Island" is a contemplative and introspective piece about personal struggles and the feeling of being isolated and alienated from the rest of the world. The lyrics describe the experience of someone who is feeling disconnected and distant from others and is experiencing a range of negative emotions, such as loneliness, despair, and hopelessness. The opening lines mention the sound of "lonely laughter" and the feeling of the lights going out, which suggest a sense of abandonment, rejection, and isolation. The following line about "the truth slipping into view" can be interpreted as the realization of the harsh reality and the loss of illusions.
However, the song also contains a glimmer of hope, as the lyrics encourage the listener not to run away from their troubles but instead embrace them and face them head-on. The chorus repeats the lines "Your freedom's inside your head / That's what we said", which implies that true freedom and happiness come from within, rather than from external circumstances or other people's opinion. The final lines of the song mention the possibility of finding love and a place to belong, which suggests that there is hope for a brighter future, and that the sense of isolation and alienation is merely a temporary state of mind.
Overall, "Island" is a thought-provoking and inspiring song that speaks to the human experience of loneliness and the importance of finding inner strength and resilience in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you hearing that lonely laughter
Do you perceive the sound of desolate giggles?
As the lights go out on you?
As darkness shrouds your surroundings?
Are you getting that sinking feeling
Are you suffering from the sensation of sinking?
As the truth slips into view
As reality reveals itself to you?
But if you care, don't run away
However, if you care, do not flee?
Your freedom's inside your head
The key to your freedom is within your mind?
That's what we said
That is what we communicated?
Are you sitting on a tiny island
Are you presently situated on a minuscule islet?
As the tide rolls in on you?
As the water level surrounding you ascends?
Picture the wings that take you home
Imagine the wings that transport you to your haven?
Home to the love you need
To the home of the affection you require?
That's what you need
That is what you necessitate?
It all comes home to you?
Does everything return to your consciousness?
That's what we said
That is what we pronounced?
But if you care, don't run away
However, if you care, do not flee?
Your freedom's inside your head
The key to your freedom is within your mind?
That's what we said
That is what we conveyed?
Contributed by Kaylee E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.