"My Ever Changing Moods" is a song by the English band

the Style Council The Style Council were a British band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/ new wave/ mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Ru ...

. It was their fifth single to be released.

Background

"My Ever Changing Moods" was composed by lead vocalist

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

, recorded at Weller's own studio Solid Bond Studios, and was released in 1984. It is the first single from the band's debut studio album, ''

Café Bleu ''Café Bleu'' is the official debut album released by the English band The Style Council. It was released on 16 March 1984, on Polydor Records, produced by Paul Weller with Peter Wilson. It followed the compilation '' Introducing The Style Cou ...

'' (1984), which was renamed ''My Ever Changing Moods'' in the United States to capitalise on the success of that single. "My Ever Changing Moods," backed with the Hammond organ instrumental "Mick's Company", peaked at No. 29 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 the week of 9 June 1984, in the US. The song remains Weller's greatest success in the US (including his efforts in

the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...

and as a solo artist).

Versions

The album version features vocals by Weller only accompanied by acoustic piano. This version is 3:37 long. There are two versions of the song with full band accompaniment. The 7" single version is 4:02 minutes long, while the 12" single version is 5:44 minutes long. Weller released a new version of "My Ever Changing Moods" on his album ''An Orchestrated Songbook'' in 2021.

Critical reception

In a 2020 article for the

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

, Thomas McLean called "My Ever Changing Moods" "one of Weller’s best compositions," identifying the song's debt to the

Classics IV The Classics IV is an American band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band, founded by Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits "Spooky," " Stormy," and "Traces," released 1967 to 1969, which have become cover standards ...

's "Stormy" (1968) and its influence on

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

's "The Game of Love". Calling attention to the song's mix of personal and political, McLean reads the song lyric "the hush before the silence, the winds after the blast" as "a potent reference to nuclear fears in the Thatcher/Reagan era" and praises the line "Evil turns to statues," declaring it "as brisk a summing up of commemorative history as I know, and one that takes on new significance in 2020."

Compilation appearances

As well as the song's single release, it has featured on various compilation albums released by The Style Council. The song was included on '' The Singular Adventures of The Style Council'', ''

The Complete Adventures of The Style Council ''The Complete Adventures of The Style Council'' is a box set by The Style Council, released in 1998, nine years after their split. It contains most of their material in chronological order, including their previously unreleased final studio al ...

'' and ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

''.

Music video

The music video for "My Ever Changing Moods," which shows Talbot and Weller cycling down an avenue of trees, was directed by

Tim Pope Timothy Michael Pope (born 12 February 1956) is a film director most known for his music videos, for having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career. Early life and career Pope grew up in the north London suburb of Enfield. Both h ...

and filmed at

Kentwell Hall Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It includes the hall, outbuildings, a rare-breeds farm and gardens. Most of the current building facade dates from the mid-16th century, but the origins of Kentwell are much ea ...

, Long Melford, Suffolk, UK.

Track listing

* 12" Single (TSC X 5, TSCX5) #"My Ever Changing Moods (Long Version)" – 5:44 #"Spring, Summer, Autumn" – 2:24 #"Mick's Company" – 2:49 * 7" Single (817 450-7) #"My Ever Changing Moods" – 4:02 #"Mick's Company" – 2:48

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. *

– lead vocals, guitars *

Mick Talbot Michael Talbot (born 11 September 1958) is an English keyboardist. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Talbot is probably best known as co-founder of the Style Council. He has been a member of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Merton Parkas and ...

– electric piano, organ, backing vocals * Steve White – drums, percussion * Peter Wilson – bass synthesizer * Hilary Seabrook – saxophone * Barbara Snow – trumpet

Charts

References

External links

* 1984 songs 1984 singles The Style Council songs Songs written by Paul Weller Polydor Records singles Music videos directed by Tim Pope {{1980s-pop-song-stub