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.
Meanwhile
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can hear the feeling change
Like a river running down
Down to the sea
And if you need an explanation
I defy you to explain
But something's not the same
I think I see where I went wrong
I think I see what's going on
Meanwhile and far away
As the night draws in
He's holding her right now
I can feel it all begin
Meanwhile and far away
When the day is done
I ride away, my friend
Into the setting sun
And the river's running down
Down to the sea
I let love slip right through my fingers
And I watched it drift away
But still I had to say
What was written for me
I thought I'd end up as the hero
Thought the glory would be mine
Very soon I was to find
It wasn't to be
'Cause in this part I've got to play
It doesn't quite turn out that way
Meanwhile and far away
As the night draws in
He's holding her right now
I can feel it, I can feel it all begin
Meanwhile and far away
When the day is done
I ride away, my friend
Into the setting sun
And the river's running down
Down to the sea
The Moody Blues's song "Meanwhile" is a poignant reflection on love lost and the failure to achieve one's desired destiny. The opening lines capture how a single conversation can change the course of events - the conversation in question jolts the singer into realizing that something is not quite right, that a feeling has shifted. Despite this realization, the singer struggles to understand the root of the problem. The chorus speaks to the sense of distance and displacement that accompany this realization: the person the singer loves is now holding someone else, and the singer is left to ride off into the sunset with a friend. The repeated refrain of "Meanwhile and far away" emphasizes the sense of separation between the singer's current reality and the one they desire.
The second verse provides a little more context: the singer has let love "slip right through [their] fingers," and in doing so, they feel they have failed to live up to their own heroic expectations. This realization is couched in gentle metaphor: "Very soon I was to find / It wasn't to be." The final lines of the song, with the rivers running down to the sea, bring the narrative full circle: the singer is still adrift, still trying to make sense of how they arrived where they are.
"Meanwhile" is a haunting and introspective song, one that captures the way an unexpected turn of events can completely uproot our sense of self and our understanding of the world around us. The Moody Blues have always been adept at crafting songs that speak to the human condition, and "Meanwhile" stands out as a particularly moving and relatable example.
Line by Line Meaning
Just in a simple conversation
Even in a simple talk, emotions can shift
You can hear the feeling change
The tone of the conversation can convey emotions
Down to the sea
The feeling can change deeply, like the movement of the sea
And if you need an explanation
If you require an explanation
I defy you to explain
It's hard to explain
But something's not the same
Something has changed
And it's bothering me
It's causing me discomfort
I think I see where I went wrong
I have identified my mistake
I think I see what's going on
I understand the situation
Meanwhile and far away
At a different place and time
As the night draws in
As the night falls
He's holding her right now
Someone else is currently holding the person I desire
I can feel it all begin
It hurts me to see it happen
When the day is done
At the end of the day
I ride away with my friend
I go away with my friend
Into the setting sun
Towards the sunset
And the rivers running down
The river is flowing down
I let love slip right through my fingers
I lost the chance to love someone
And I watched it drift away
I saw it fade away
But still I had to say
I still needed to express my thoughts
What was written for me
My destiny
I thought I'd end up as the hero
I believed I would be the hero
Thought the glory would be mine
I expected to receive the glory
Very soon I was to find
I quickly realized
It wasn't to be
It didn't happen
Cause in this part I've got to play
Because of my role in the situation
It doesn't quite turn out that way
Things didn't turn out as planned
And the rivers running down
The river still flows down
Down to the sea
Towards the ocean
Meanwhile and far away
At another place and time
As the night draws in
As the night falls
He's holding her right now
Someone else is holding her
I can feel it all begin
I feel the pain of longing
Meanwhile and far away
At a different place and time
When the day is done
At the end of the day
I ride away with my friend
I escape with my friend
Into the setting sun
Towards the sunset
And the rivers running down
The river still flows down
Down to the sea
Towards the ocean
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: Justin Hayward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind