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.
Talking Out Of Turn
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh I, never thought about the hurting inside
But I took a little more than I should
Oh why, can't explain that I would ever
Let you slip through my fingers
Let you escape like yesterday
I would appreciate you knowing
I thought your love had come to stay
Talking out of turn
Shot to pieces
When will I learn
Talking out of turn
Shot to pieces
When will I learn
But I took a little more of you each day
When I didn't see that I was breaking you apart
With angry words of love I didn't mean
Oh why, can't believe that I would ever
Talk myself out of tomorrow
Talked like a fool to yesterday
And as the evening loses colour
Your love began to fade away
Talking out of turn
Shot to pieces
When will I learn
Talking out of turn
Shot to pieces
When will I learn
Talking out of turn
Talking out of turn
If I upset you
I didn't mean to hurt you
I didn't mean to make you cry
I don't need an alibi
To start me talking out of turn
When I took a little loving from you
Oh I, can't believe that I would ever
Let you slip through my fingers
Let you escape like yesterday
I would appreciate you knowing
I thought your love had come to stay
Talking out of turn
Shot to pieces
When will I learn
Talking out of turn
Shot to pieces
When will I learn
The Moody Blues's song Talking Out Of Turn is a reflective tune about past mistakes in a romantic relationship. The first stanza details the regret of taking more love than one gave and how these actions caused deep hurt inside the person they loved. Despite the feeling of regret and sorrow, the singer cannot explain why they allowed their significant other to slip through their fingers, and they took their love for granted. The chorus of the song reiterates the title of the song, Talking Out Of Turn, and how the singer's failure to communicate left their love in pieces. The second stanza reveals that the singer took more than they should have each day and for whatever reason, did not realize that they were breaking their lover apart. Their harsh words and unrealistic demands left their lover hurt and unhappy. The singer regrets how they talked themselves out of tomorrow by reminiscing on past mistakes, and as each day ended, their love for each other began to fade away. The last stanza is a plea for forgiveness, apologizing for any pain they've caused, and asking for the opportunity to try and make amends for their behavior.
In conclusion, Talking Out Of Turn is a melancholic tune that dwells on past mistakes and unfulfilled love. The song has a powerful message of taking responsibility for one's actions and being accountable for communication breakdowns in relationships. The song highlights the importance of building and maintaining healthy and fulfilling romantic relationships through communication, love, and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
When I took a little loving from you
I took some of your love without realizing the pain it could cause
Oh I, never thought about the hurting inside
I didn't consider how taking your love would hurt you
But I took a little more than I should
I continued taking your love beyond what was reasonable
Oh why, can't explain that I would ever
I can't understand how I could have done this to you
Let you slip through my fingers
I allowed you to get away from me
Let you escape like yesterday
I let you go without trying to keep you by my side
I would appreciate you knowing
I owe you the truth about how I feel
I thought your love had come to stay
I believed that your love for me was permanent
Talking out of turn
I spoke without thinking or considering your feelings
Shot to pieces
My careless words and actions caused great damage
When will I learn
I need to learn from my mistakes and stop causing harm
But I took a little more of you each day
I continued to take more of your love every day, without realizing the harm I was causing
When I didn't see that I was breaking you apart
I didn't realize that my actions were hurting you deeply
With angry words of love I didn't mean
I spoke harshly to you out of anger, without truly feeling my words
Talk myself out of tomorrow
I ruined our future by speaking recklessly and damaging our relationship
Talked like a fool to yesterday
I made foolish mistakes in the past that I can't change
And as the evening loses colour
As time passed and our relationship deteriorated
Your love began to fade away
Your love for me diminished over time due to my careless actions
If I upset you
If I caused you pain
I didn't mean to hurt you
I didn't intend to cause you pain, even if I did so unknowingly
I don't need an alibi
I'm not making excuses for my actions, I'm owning up to them
To start me talking out of turn
I tend to speak recklessly without thinking and hurting those around me
Talking out of turn
I speak without considering the consequences or others' feelings
Talking out of turn
I often make the mistake of speaking before thinking
Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN CHARLES LODGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind