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.
Question
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we're knocking at the door
With a thousand million questions
About hate and death and war?
'Cause when we stop and look around us
There is nothing that we need
In a world of persecution
That is burning in its greed
Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door?
Because the truth is hard to swallow
That's what the war of love is for
It's not the way that you say it
When you do those things to me
It's more the way that you mean it
When you tell me what will be
And when you stop and think about it
You won't believe it's true
That all the love you've been giving
Has all been meant for you
I'm looking for someone to change my life
I'm looking for a miracle in my life
And if you could see what it's done to me
To lose the love I knew
Could safely lead me through
Between the silence of the mountains
And the crashing of the sea
There lies a land I once lived in
And she's waiting there for me
But in the grey of the morning
My mind becomes confused
Between the dead and the sleeping
And the road that I must choose
I'm looking for someone to change my life
I'm looking for a miracle in my life
And if you could see what it's done to me
To lose the love I knew
Could safely lead me to
The land that I once knew
To learn as we grow old
The secrets of our soul
It's not the way that you say it when you do those things to me
It's more the way you really mean it when you tell me what will be
Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door
With a thousand million questions
About hate and death and war?
When we stop and look around us
There is nothing that we need
In a world of persecution
That is burning in its greed
Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door?
The Moody Blues's song "Question" is a powerful and thought-provoking song about the struggle to find answers to life's big questions. In the song, the singer wonders why we never seem to get answers to our questions, particularly those about hate, death, and war. Despite knocking at the door with a thousand million questions, we never seem to find what we're looking for. The singer suggests that the truth is hard to swallow and that the war of love is what will ultimately lead us to the answers we're seeking.
The lyrics speak to the idea that we are all searching for meaning and purpose in life, but that this search is often frustratingly elusive. We may find ourselves lost and confused, unsure of which path to take or what our true purpose is. The singer is looking for someone to change his life, seeking a miracle that will lead him to the land he once knew and the secrets of his soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do we never get an answer
A question about the lack of answers to the many questions asked.
When we're knocking at the door
When we are seeking answers.
With a thousand million questions
There are many questions that need answering.
About hate and death and war?
The questions are about important topics like hatred, death, and war.
'Cause when we stop and look around us
When we take a moment to observe our surroundings,
There is nothing that we need
We come to realize that we have everything we need.
In a world of persecution
In a world that is full of oppression
That is burning in its greed
That is consumed by its own desire for more.
Because the truth is hard to swallow
Answers to these questions are difficult to accept sometimes.
That's what the war of love is for
We must fight with love to find and accept these truths.
It's not the way that you say it
It's not just the words you say,
When you do those things to me
When you take actions towards me.
It's more the way that you mean it
It's about the true emotions behind those actions.
When you tell me what will be
When you communicate what the future holds.
And when you stop and think about it
Upon reflection, you will realize
You won't believe it's true
That it may be hard to accept what is true.
That all the love you've been giving
The love you have been offering to others
Has all been meant for you
Was meant for you to find within yourself.
I'm looking for someone to change my life
A desire for someone or something to change their life.
I'm looking for a miracle in my life
Hope for a transformative miracle.
And if you could see what it's done to me
If you could see the impact of their current situation
To lose the love I knew
To let go of the love they once had.
Could safely lead me through
Could guide them through their struggle safely.
Between the silence of the mountains
In the quiet of nature's mountains
And the crashing of the sea
And the noise of the ocean's waves
There lies a land I once lived in
A land where the singer was once happy.
And she's waiting there for me
The land still holds promise for the future.
But in the grey of the morning
In the difficult moments when they begin to lose faith,
My mind becomes confused
Their thoughts become muddled.
Between the dead and the sleeping
Between the living and the deceased,
And the road that I must choose
And the decision they must make for the future.
To learn as we grow old
The journey to gain knowledge as we age.
The secrets of our soul
Learning about the hidden parts of ourselves.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Justin Hayward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jasonwyman6259
Best version period.
@GooBanana
Hands down best version
@jameshadfield2658
very underated but not by me! never seen 'em, but maybe they were like the cars-wind up and play.dont know,just wondering why they weren't more popular. not that you had to be something as icky as kiss or the like (bubble gum)
@daveyvane9431
Yes, that makes sense to me.