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 LPโs. 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.
Nervous
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can hear the feeling change
Down to the sea
And if you need an explanation
I defy you to explain
Why I am so nervous
Please explain to me
Why I can't sleep
In the dark I try to hide
If you leave me on my own
I'm worried I could lose my way
In my mind confusion
I see you everywhere
But we don't speak
I try so hard to touch you
But you're always out of reach
If you walked right by
Would I see in it your eye
Would you turn away
Seems to me
I've been a long time
On this road
Has there been a sign
Another way
And I've passed it by
I don't know what it is that drives me on
Gotta keep movin'
Gotta keep movin' on
Bring it on home
Let's bring it on home - your love
Bring it on home
Let's bring it on home your love
Bring it on home
Let's bring it on home your love
Down parallel lines
Don't question faith
Don't answer lies
Tell me why I'm nervous
Please explain to me
Why I can't sleep
Please explain to me
Why you're always out of reach
If the water ran dry
Would I see it in your eye
Would you walk away
It seems to me I've been a long time on this road
And I wonder why
Has there been a sign that points another way
And I've passed it by
I don't know what it is that drives me on
Gotta keep movin'
Gotta keep movin' on
Bring it on home
(straight lines before my eyes)
Let's bring it on home your love
Bring it on home
(straight lines before my eyes)
Let's bring it on home your love
Bring it on home
(straight lines before my eyes)
Let's bring it on home your love
Down parallel lines
Don't question faith
Don't answer lies
You know you gotta keep movin'
Bring it on home
(straight lines before my eyes)
Let's bring it on home your love
Bring it on home
(straight lines before my eyes)
Let's bring it on home your love
The Moody Bluesโ โNervousโ is a song about the complications of communication and relationships. The opening lines suggest that even in simple conversation, โyou can hear the feeling change.โ This highlights the sensitivity and vulnerability inherent in human interaction. The chorus of the song repeats the singerโs question, โWhy am I so nervous? Please explain to me why I canโt sleep,โ emphasizing the frustration and confusion that comes with the fear of losing someone or not being able to connect with them.
The song also touches on themes of loneliness and the struggle to find meaningful connection. The singer describes feeling lost, confused, and โalways out of reachโ of the person he is trying to connect with. This is portrayed through the vivid imagery in lines like โIn my mind confusion, I see you everywhere, but we donโt speakโ and โIf you walked right by, would I see it in your eye, would you turn away?โ The final repetition of the phrase โbring it on homeโ suggests a longing to heal the distance and isolation that has built up between the two people, and โyour loveโ becomes the solution to the singerโs anxieties.
Line by Line Meaning
Just in a simple conversation
In any casual conversation, my emotions can easily flicker and shift.
You can hear the feeling change
Any astute listener can detect the subtle shifts in my emotions through the tone in my voice.
Down to the sea
Regardless of where I am, my emotions always reach an extreme ebb or flow.
And if you need an explanation
If you genuinely require an answer to what's been bothering me emotionally,
I defy you to explain
I challenge you to come up with a reasonable explanation because even I don't know.
Why I am so nervous
I can't comprehend the reason I am nervous about something.
Please explain to me
I'm pleading for someone to help me understand why I'm feeling so anxious.
Why I can't sleep
I cannot seem to sleep peacefully at night because of unclear thoughts.
I close my eyes to shelter
I resort to closing my eyes to escape from reality temporarily.
In the dark I try to hide
I attempt to conceal from others the fact that I am vulnerable and scared.
If you leave me on my own
If you go away, leaving me to my own devices,
I'm worried I could lose my way
I fear that I might lose my sense of direction in life without your guidance.
In my mind confusion
My thoughts are jumbled and chaotic in my mind, causing confusion.
I see you everywhere
I keep imagining you appearing everywhere in my surroundings.
But we don't speak
Our communication has faltered, and we don't talk as much anymore.
I try so hard to touch you
I put my utmost effort in reaching out to you emotionally and physically.
But you're always out of reach
Sadly, I can never fully attain the connection I desire to have with you.
If you walked right by
If you passed me by and I saw you,
Would I see in it your eye
Would I be able to perceive your true thoughts and feelings through your eyes?
Would you turn away
Would you retract from my gaze and look away from me?
Seems to me
It appears to me
I've been a long time
I have been residing in this condition for quite some time.
On this road
I've been figuratively traveling on this journey or path in life.
Has there been a sign
I'm curious to know if there were warning signals
Another way
An alternative direction or opportunity that I have missed.
And I've passed it by
But I didn't recognize or take advantage of it; therefore, it's now behind me.
I don't know what it is that drives me on
I am unsure of what motivates me on this path or what keeps me moving forward.
Gotta keep movin'
Regardless, I must continue to progress and move forward through thick and thin.
Bring it on home
I now seek return to the comfortable and familiar concept of your love.
Let's bring it on home - your love
The love you can offer emotionally would be suitable for me.
Down parallel lines
Whilst moving forward on separate paths in life, where our desires reflect on the same direction.
Don't question faith
Rather than doubting the natural cause of events, put your trust in destiny.
Don't answer lies
Don't give importance to dishonesty or false accusations that may appear along the way.
You know you gotta keep movin'
Remember constantly to keep striving and pushing forward toward your aspirations.
Bring it on home
Own your power and bravery to seek love, affection, and comfort even amidst challenges.
(straight lines before my eyes)
A sudden or acute occurrence of a situation keeps appearing and hindering my vision .
Let's bring it on home - your love
The only refuge to settle me down and bring me back is ''your love''.
Lyrics ยฉ SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JO ANN CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind