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.
Miracle
The Moody Blues Lyrics
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From the life I knew
On a night in June.
I took a chance and I lost control
Trying to find out why
On a night in July.
Why this hesitation?
I can feel that the night is slipping away.
want to dance in the moonlight
Looking for a miracle
I left the city on a wave of despair
To stand on my own
On an August night.
From the valley of broken hearts
Gonna make a new start in September.
Why this confusion?
I can feel that the night is slipping away.
want to walk from the shadows to the sun
Just to dream on a summer night,
Dream about a miracle
Looking for a miracle.
Never had the chance before
To turn the tide my way.
In the heat of the summer night
You took my breath away
Looking for a miracle.
want to walk from the shadows to the sun
Just to dream on a summer night,
Dream about a miracle.
Your love is just a miracle.
I closed the door and I walked away
From the life I knew
On a night in June.
I took a chance and I lost control
Trying to find out why
On a night in July.
Why this hesitation?
I can feel that the night is slipping away.
want to drown in the ocean of your love,
want to dance in the moonlight
Looking for a miracle.
Looking for a miracle.
The Moody Blues's "Miracle" is a song about taking chances and finding love in unexpected places. The singer of the song leaves behind the life they knew in search of something new, something that they can't quite put their finger on. They take a chance and lose control, but are determined to find out why. They leave behind the city and their broken heart to start anew in September, but they can feel that time is slipping away. They want to surrender themselves to love, to walk from the shadows to the sun and dream about a miracle.
Line by Line Meaning
I closed the door and I walked away
I left behind my old life and moved on
From the life I knew
From the familiar and comfortable life
On a night in June.
On a particular June night
I took a chance and I lost control
I took a risk and things did not go as planned
Trying to find out why
Attempting to understand the reason for difficulties
On a night in July.
On an unspecified July night
Why this hesitation?
Why am I holding back?
I can feel that the night is slipping away.
I sense the time passing quickly
want to drown in the ocean of your love,
I want to immerse myself in your love completely
want to dance in the moonlight
I want to enjoy nighttime whimsy
Looking for a miracle
Searching for something extraordinary and unexpected
I left the city on a wave of despair
I felt hopeless and left the city behind
To stand on my own
To become independent and self-sufficient
On an August night.
On a particular August night
From the valley of broken hearts
From a place of heartbreak and disappointment
Gonna make a new start in September.
I plan to begin fresh in September
Why this confusion?
Why am I unsure and disoriented?
want to walk from the shadows to the sun
I want to leave obscurity behind for success and optimism
Just to dream on a summer night,
To enjoy a lovely summer evening
Dream about a miracle
Fantasize about the extraordinary
Never had the chance before
I have never had this opportunity before
To turn the tide my way.
To change the course of events in my favor
In the heat of the summer night
During a sweltering summer evening
You took my breath away
You took me by surprise and left me speechless
want to walk from the shadows to the sun
I want to leave obscurity behind for success and optimism
Just to dream on a summer night,
To enjoy a lovely summer evening
Dream about a miracle.
Fantasize about the extraordinary.
Your love is just a miracle.
Your love is an extraordinary and unexpected blessing.
Looking for a miracle.
Searching for something extraordinary and unexpected.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Fintage House Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JOHN CHARLES LODGE, JUSTIN HAYWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind