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The Voice (The Moody Blues song)

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"The Voice"
Single by The Moody Blues
from the album Long Distance Voyager
B-side"22,000 Days"
Released23 July 1981
Recorded25 April 1980
GenreProgressive rock, new wave
Length5:16 (album version)
4:13 (single version)
LabelThreshold
Songwriter(s)Justin Hayward
Producer(s)Pip Williams
The Moody Blues singles chronology
"Gemini Dream"
(1981) 		"The Voice"
(1981) 		"Talking Out of Turn"
(1981)

"The Voice" is a song written by Justin Hayward that was first released on the Moody Blues' 1981 album Long Distance Voyager and also as its second single. The song continued the success of previous single "Gemini Dream", becoming a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 15 in October 1981. The song had previously topped the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart for four weeks during June–July 1981.[1] The song also reached No. 9 in Canada.

Recording

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"The Voice" was one of the first songs recorded for Long Distance Voyager, on April 25, 1980.[2] Hayward plays acoustic and electric guitars, and sings the lead vocal as well as most of the harmony vocals, but John Lodge and Ray Thomas join in on the "oh oh" part in the refrain.[2] Hayward played his guitar solo on a 1963 red Gibson ES-335.[3]

Hayward said of writing and recording "The Voice":

It’s a guitar song — a rhythm guitar song. It was one of the first things I ever did with a click track, at home. Fortunately, Graeme [Edge] was never one of those drummers who was like, "I don’t like click tracks or drum machines. I want to set the tempo!" No, Graeme was great, fantastic, really took the pressure off me and said, "Sure, I’ll play on top of the click track." I knew it was a tempo that suited us, that suited the way I play guitar and the way Graeme and John played. It was like "The Story in Your Eyes." It was kind of safe.[3]

On the album version of the song, there is a 30 second synthesizer introduction leading into the song, that was developed and played by Patrick Moraz.[2] This was an excerpt from a song Moraz had written about a year prior to "The Voice" being recorded.[2][4]

Lyrics and music

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The lyrics reflect the insecurities Hayward was feeling at the time about his stardom and the fact the stress of continually meeting expectations and dealing with poor reviews and writer's block.[2] The title wasn't determined until after the song was recorded and refers to the inner voice that is one's own harshest critic.[2]

Hayward said of the song:

With "The Voice" this whole period of my life was quite a difficult one, I suppose. I was sort of searching and seeking. It was a very insecure time. I think it was for all of us, and it reflected in the album as well. I was trying to relearn a lot of things in my life and set some kind of standard. I didn't feel I had a lot of things in common with a lot of things that were going on around me. I felt apart from it. I was kind of expressing those insecurities, really."[2]

Hayward also said that it's a "song that means a lot to me, every word. But don’t ask me to explain it, please. It just means a lot."[3]

The Star Press critic Kim Teverbaugh said of the music that it is "an up-tempo rock number like the band is fond of having open its albums."[5] Music journalist Geoffrey Freakes described the music as "pop-rock".[4] Freakes said that "The choral harmonies are sharp, and Hayward's guitar fills workmanlike with John Lodge and Graeme Edge's sold rhythm driving the song at a brisk pace.[4]The song is written in the key of E minor.

Reception

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According to Allmusic critic Dave Connolly, the song "is a sweeping and majestic call to adventure."[6] Billboard described it as "a texturally lush piece of pop in the best tradition of [the Moody Blues'] earlier work".[7] Record World said that "The symphonic arrangement envelops Justin Hayward's dramatic vocal."[8] Variety said it had the potential to go to #1, saying that "the well-crafted pop melodies in both verse and chorus and the use of synthesized strings vividly recall the Moody's in their original incarnation" and also praised Pip Williams' "richly imaginative production."[2]

Teverbaugh praised Moraz' keyboards for "[pulling] the group into the '80s" and said that the lyrics are "worth following."[5] Ottawa Citizen critic Bill Provick said that "There are plenty of traditional Moody Blues touches but also a freshness and verve that is quite captivating – especially for longtime fans."[9] Post-Gazette critic Gary Graff called it a "melodic rocker that leaves you feeling pretty good" and praised Hayward's lead guitar and Moraz' keyboards.[10] Daily Press critic Mike Diana said that it has "the [band's] venerated blend of synthetic and real string sections wafting around the gushing vocal of Justin Hayward."[11] Sacramento Bee critic Bob Sylva praised its "driving pop rhythms."[12] News-Democrat critic Roger Schlueter praised the harmonies but criticized the unimaginative lyrics, particularly some simplistic rhymes.[13]

Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated it as the Moody Blues' 5th greatest song, saying that the song "offers hope for the future, as long as people take control of their lives and events."[14] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as the Moody Blues' 6th greatest song, saying that it is "one of the last [Moody Blues songs] to so deftly marry the mystical elements of Hayward's classic songcraft with [a more] modern approach."[15]

Personnel

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Chart performance

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 436.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cushman, Marc (2021). Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of the Moody Blues Volume 2 (1980-2018). Jacobs Brown Press. pp. 21, 24–26, 59. ISBN 9781735567358.
  3. ^ a b c Graff, Gary (24 November 2024). ""I sat on the side of the bed and just wrote the two verses. I was at the end of one big love affair and the beginning of another." Justin Hayward on the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin" and the 12-string he got from Lonnie Donegan". Guitar Player. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  4. ^ a b c Freakes, Geoffrey (2019). The Moody Blues: Every Album, Every Song. Sonicbond. pp. 89–90. ISBN 9781789520422.
  5. ^ a b Teverbaugh, Kim (2 August 1981). "The Moody Blues Return to Prominence with Latest Album". The Muncie Star. p. B-10. Retrieved 2024-02-12 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Connolly, Dave. "Long Distance Voyager". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  7. ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. August 1, 1981. p. 67. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  8. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 1, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  9. ^ Provick, Bill (29 May 1981). "Elton, Moody Blues revive careers". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-02-12 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Graff, Gary (5 June 1981). "Records: Moodies score with new sound". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-02-12 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Diana, Mike (18 September 1981). "Cursed Moody Blues return". Daily Press. p. 40. Retrieved 2024-02-12 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Sylva, Bob (1 October 1981). "Records: In the cavern". Sacramento Bee. p. Out & About 7. Retrieved 2024-03-02 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Schlueter, Roger (18 June 1981). "'Cosmos' earns five-galaxy rating". Belleville News-Democrat. p. 7C. Retrieved 2024-02-14 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Dome, Malcolm (August 8, 2016). "The top 10 best Moody Blues songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  15. ^ DeRiso, Nick (August 31, 2013). "Top 10 Moody Blues songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  16. ^ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  17. ^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - October 3, 1981" (PDF).
  18. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  19. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 167.
  20. ^ "The Moody Blues: Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  21. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1981 - December 26, 1981" (PDF).
  22. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1981". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
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