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.
The Other Side Of Life
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the streets tonight
Is the driving beat
Of the world.
The word down here
On the streets tonight
Is the truest music
So take your share
Of the gifts that are there,
They all belong to you
And, come what may,
At the break of each day,
We all begin anew once more.
We all begin anew
[Chorus]
Baby, baby, baby
Let's investigate
The other side of life tonight.
The lovers and the fighters
And the risks they take
Are on the other side of life tonight.
Let's lose our way,
Go completely astray
And find ourselves again.
You know the only way to get there
Is to take that step
To the other side of life tonight.
The atmosphere
On the streets tonight
Is the driving beat
Of the world.
The word down here
On the streets tonight
Is the truest music
You've heard.
So take your share
Of the gifts that are there,
They all belong to you
And, come what may,
At the break of each day,
We all begin anew once more.
We all begin anew
[Chorus]
Let's lose our way,
Go completely astray
And find ourselves again.
You know the only way to get there
Is to take that step
To the other side of life tonight.
The Moody Blues’s “The Other Side of Life” presents a very hopeful and optimistic perspective about life. The opening verses establish the setting: the lively, driving beat of the world that can be heard on the streets at night. The world may seem like an intimidating place, but it is also filled with opportunities and gifts that are waiting to be claimed. The chorus invites the listener to explore the other side of life, to take risks and to truly live instead of playing it safe.
The lyrics suggest that these risks will ultimately lead to self-discovery, with lines like “let’s lose our way, go completely astray and find ourselves again” and “we all begin anew once more”. It is an invitation to embrace the unknown and to move forward with the confident knowledge that life is always presenting different avenues of exploration. In essence, it is an invitation to live purposefully, to seek a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.
The chorus is particularly dynamic, with the band’s signature harmonies peppered throughout. It repeats several times, repeating the call to action and highlighting the importance of seizing the moment. The lyrics are accompanied by a catchy, upbeat musical backing that creates a perfect atmosphere of excitement and anticipation.
Line by Line Meaning
The atmosphere
The overall feeling or mood
On the streets tonight
Found outside, in the present moment
Is the driving beat
The motivating force
Of the world.
Of the people and society around us
The word down here
The general consensus
On the streets tonight
Found outside, in the present moment
Is the truest music
Is the most genuine expression
You've heard.
That you've experienced
So take your share
Receive what is rightfully yours
Of the gifts that are there,
Of the opportunities that exist
They all belong to you
You have ownership or entitlement
And, come what may,
Irrespective of the outcome
At the break of each day,
Every new morning
We all begin anew once more.
We all have a fresh start
[Chorus]
Repeating chorus
Let's investigate
Let's explore and look deeper
The other side of life tonight.
The unknown or unfamiliar aspects of life
The lovers and the fighters
Those who pursue passion or struggle for their beliefs
And the risks they take
The possibility of danger or failure
Are on the other side of life tonight.
Exist beyond our current situation
Let's lose our way,
Let's detach from routine and preconceived notions
Go completely astray
Stray from the familiar
And find ourselves again.
Rediscover our identity
You know the only way to get there
The singular method to reach our destination
Is to take that step
Initiate action, despite uncertainty
To the other side of life tonight.
To explore the unfamiliar aspects of existence
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: JUSTIN HAYWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-xe3ud3ul2zzxc77
The atmosphere
on the streets tonight
Is the driving beat of the world
The word down here
on the streets tonight
Is the truest music you've heard
So take your share of the gifts
that are there
They all belong to you
And come what may at the break of each day
We all begin anew once more
We all begin anew
Baby, baby, baby, let's investigate
The other side of life tonight
The lovers and the fighters
And the risks they take
Are on the other side of life tonight
Let's lose our way
Go completely astray
And find ourselves again
You know the only way to get there
Is to take that step
To the other side of life tonight
The atmosphere on the streets tonight
Is the driving beat of the world
The word down here on the streets tonight
Is the truest music you've heard
@tranceforester9458
Crazy, not every band that started out in the 60s could so seamlessly transition into the 80s. Very underated band.
@Medellin1823
The Moody blues never seem to run out of music. They have a lot of albums and are still the greatest band of all time.
@hankholland8281
Thank goodness we have you tube to hear it all now.
@JohnAllsopp-jk2mn
I saw them at a fair concert in the early thousands in Boise Idaho...hands down the best concert ever and they played the entire album" The other side of life". The weather was overcast that day and it rained about halfway thru the concert for about 2 minutes. Then the sun came back out and there was a rainbow stretched across the stage. It was the most perfect moment and its the best thing I've ever witnessed at any concert ever.
@fahs
You dont fully realize the power of this song till you get older. You dont realize how special these times were till you are fully entrenched in middle age.
@jamesmunroe4987
Amen Brother
@kenc.9067
'Fully entrenched in middle age..." I like that phrase
@kenc.9067
Yes, we were fortunate to have come of age in the 80s
@jimhendrickson5553
Or old age
@michiganmymichigan
'sept most did not have those times.