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.
You Don't
The Moody Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's the biggest fool of all,
Bet you feel small,
It happens to us all.
See the world
Ask what's it for,
Understanding, nothing more,
It happens to us all.
Time is now to spread your voice,
Time's to come there'll be no choice,
Why do you feel small,
It happens to us all.
Look at progress,
Then count the cost,
We'll spoil the seas
With the rivers we've lost.
See the writing on the wall,
Hear the mirror's warning call.
That's why you feel small,
It happens to us all.
Ask the mirror on the wall
Who's the biggest fool of all,
Bet you feel small,
It happens to us all.
The Moody Blues's song, Don't You Feel Small, is a reflective piece about human existence in the world. The lyrics urge the listener to ask themselves the question of who is the biggest fool, implying that we all have moments of feeling foolish and small. The line "It happens to us all" reinforces this idea, suggesting that all humans experience moments of insignificance and vulnerability.
The second stanza encourages the listener to look at the world and question its purpose. The line "Understanding, nothing more" implies that we may never fully comprehend the meaning behind existence. Consequently, this leaves us feeling small and powerless, which is further reiterated by the repetition of the chorus. The song continues to comment on the devastation humans inflict on the environment, and the consequences of our actions. The final line of the song, "That's why you feel small, it happens to us all," almost feels like a warning, suggesting that unless we change our ways, we will continue to feel small and insignificant.
Line by Line Meaning
Ask the mirror on the wall
Take a look at yourself and ask for the truth.
Who's the biggest fool of all,
Who is the one making the biggest mistakes?
Bet you feel small,
You may feel insignificant compared to the truth.
It happens to us all.
Everyone can feel small or foolish at times.
See the world
Observe the world around you.
Ask what's it for,
Question the purpose of everything.
Understanding, nothing more,
The answer may simply be understanding with no further meaning.
Don't you feel small,
You may feel insignificant in the grand scope of things.
It happens to us all.
Everyone can feel small or foolish at times.
Time is now to spread your voice,
It is important to speak up now.
Time's to come there'll be no choice,
In the future, there may not be an option to speak up.
Why do you feel small,
Question why you feel insignificant.
It happens to us all.
Everyone can feel small or foolish at times.
Look at progress,
Examine the advancement of society.
Then count the cost,
Consider the negative effects of that progress.
We'll spoil the seas
Human activity is damaging the oceans.
With the rivers we've lost.
Waterways have been lost as a result of human development.
See the writing on the wall,
The signs of trouble are apparent.
Hear the mirror's warning call.
Listen to the mirror's message of caution.
That's why you feel small,
The reality of humanity's negative impact can make one feel insignificant.
It happens to us all.
Everyone can feel small or foolish at times.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRAEME EDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce Beatlefan
"You Don't (All the Time)" was a great B-side, it gets my pick as the pre-1967 Moodies track that sounds most like the classic-era Moodies. But it does NOT sound like a single which had any potential for being a charting success. After "Go Now", it seems that even before Justin and John they were more oriented for album success than singles, but of course they only had the one crack at an album prior to "Days..."
glenn h Friedman
love it
Moonshine Fiftyseven
My favorite pre Justin/John era song.
Moonshine Fiftyseven
One of mine, too.