Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

If you have been lucky enough to see the latest commercial for Bleu de Chanel with actor Timothee Chalamet, then you know it features one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs of the last six decades by the English band, The Moody Blues.

They formed in 1964 but the track was written by Justin Hayward who joined two years later as the band’s lead vocalist, lead guitarist and primary composer. He wrote the song when he was only 19 years old while the group was on tour in Belgium. His credits include about two dozen of the band’s songs including three others I love, “Tuesday Afternoon”, “Question” and “The Story In Your Eyes”.

Today’s song is an elegant testament to how well a fusion of an incredibly gifted rock band worked with a more formal sound courtesy of The London Festival Orchestra. Add to that Hayward’s polished vocals to his moving and eloquent lyrics, Ray Thomas’s flute arrangement and a remarkable production by Tony Clarke and the song had everything necessary to become the impeccable recording it is.

This band is another that somehow stays on my periphery. And each time I hear one of their unmistakable songs, I ask myself why they did not play a more central role in my musical world. But today’s track illustrates how unforgettable they are in any era.

“Beauty I’d always missed
With these eyes before
Just what the truth is
I can’t say anymore“.

“Gazing at people
Some hand in hand
Just what I’m going through
They can’t understand“.

Top: The Moody Blues at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 1970 (L to R): Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge, Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas, John Lodge. Bottom: Justin Hayward circa 2015. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Moody Blues: “Nights In White Satin” (1967, written by Justin Hayward).

Stay safe and well.