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.
VOICE
The Moody Blues Lyrics
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I need to learn the golden rule
Won't you lay it on the line
I need to hear it just one more time
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again
Oh, oh, can you feel it?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight
Is bounded by a world of dreams
Each and every rising sun
Is greeted by a lonely one
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again
Oh, oh, can you feel it?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight
Tonight
'Cause out on the ocean of life my love
There's so many storms we must rise above
Can you hear the spirit calling
As it's carried across the waves?
You're already falling
It's calling you back to face the music
And the song that is coming through
You're already falling
The one that it's calling is you
Make a promise, take a vow
And trust your feelings it's easy now
Understand the voice within
And feel the change already beginning
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again
Oh, oh, can you feel it?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again
Oh, oh, can you feel it?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight
Tonight
And how many words have I got to say?
And how many times will it be this way?
With your arms around the future
And your back up against the past
You're already falling
It's calling you on to face the music
And the song that is coming through
You're already falling
The one that it's calling is you
Each and every heart it seems
Is bounded by a world of dreams
And each and every rising sun
Is greeted by a lonely, lonely one
Won't you tell me again
Oh, oh, can you feel it?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again
Oh, oh, can you feel it?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight
Tonight
Oh, oh, can you feel it, tonight?
Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight?
The Moody Blues's song, "The Voice", begins with the plea of the singer to return him to school so he can learn the golden rule, and asking someone to lay it on the line for him one more time because he needs to hear it again. The song addresses the recurring themes of hope, self-discovery, and the search for spirituality, as the singer asks to be reminded of the power and pull of the voice within oneself, and urges listeners to make a promise, take a vow, trust their feelings, and understand the voice within themselves.
Each heart is said to be bound by a world of dreams, and each rising sun is greeted by a lonely one. The singer asks listeners to hear the spirit calling and to face the music, knowing that one is already falling, the one that the voice within is calling is oneself. They ask to be told again, can you feel it? And the singer urges us to feel the change already beginning, as the song culminates in repeating the chorus with the same message of asking to be told again, can you feel it?
The song conveys a message of self-discovery, hope, and the search for meaning, urging listeners to heed the voice within themselves to rise above the storms of life and find their own path. It speaks to the journey of human existence and its inherent emotions of love, loss, and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't you take me back to school
I need guidance, I need to learn and I need structure
I need to learn the golden rule
I need to learn how to treat others right and be just
Won't you lay it on the line
Please be direct and honest with me
I need to hear it just one more time
Reassure me and don't tire of reminding me
Each and every heart it seems is bounded by a world of dreams
Each of us lives in our own world, shaped by our aspirations and hopes
Each and every rising sun is greeted by a lonely one
Despite the beauty of each new day, many feel alone and isolated
'Cause out on the ocean of life my love there's so many storms we must rise above
Life is uncertain and full of struggles we must overcome
Can you hear the spirit calling as it's carried across the waves?
Listen to your inner voice and trust your intuition
You're already falling it's calling you back to face the music and the song that is coming through
You can't avoid facing the consequences of your actions or the changes happening in your life
Make a promise, take a vow and trust your feelings it's easy now. Understand the voice within and feel the change already beginning
Commit to following your intuition and trust it to guide you towards positive change. Listen to your inner voice
And how many words have I got to say? And how many times will it be this way? With your arms around the future and your back up against the past
I keep repeating myself, wondering if you understand. Face the future confidently, but don't forget where you come from and what you have learned
Each and every heart it seems is bounded by a world of dreams and each and every rising sun is greeted by a lonely, lonely one
We all have our hopes and aspirations, but we also experience loneliness and isolation. We are more similar than we realize.
Oh, oh, can you feel it, tonight? Oh, oh, won't you tell me again, tonight?
Please, tonight, take the time to explain what I need to hear and help me feel it in my heart.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: Justin Hayward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind