"The Story in Your Eyes" is a 1971 hit single by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to ...

. Written by the band's guitarist

Justin Hayward David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the rock band the Moody Blues. Hayward became the group's principal lead guitarist and vocalist over the 1967–1974 ...

, it was first released as a single with "My Song" on the B-side, and then on the 1971 album '' Every Good Boy Deserves Favour'' shortly after.

Background

"The Story in Your Eyes" was the Moody Blues' last single to feature the

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

as it would be supplanted by the

Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are severa ...

, a similar instrument, in time for their next album, ''

Seventh Sojourn ''Seventh Sojourn'' is the eighth album by the Moody Blues, released in 1972. Music and lyrics Although the album's lyrics address political concerns, in the 1990 documentary ''The Moody Blues: Legend of a Band'', bassist John Lodge describ ...

''. The SACD release of the album '' Every Good Boy Deserves Favour'' contains a version of "The Story in Your Eyes" that has the Mellotron in dominant role.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Lindsay Planer described it as "one of the Moody Blues’ edgier pieces" with "decidedly probing observational lyrics." '' Cashbox'' described it as a "scorching rocker" that is "certain to make quite an impact in underground and pop markets." ''Classic Rock History'' critic Brian Kachejian rated it as the Moody Blues' 2nd greatest song, saying that "The song’s classic opening guitar lick is easily one of the most recognizable in classic rock history" and praising the vocal performances, the

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

playing and the

playing. ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Nick DeRiso rated it as the Moody Blues' 3rd greatest song.

Personnel

– double-tracked vocals, acoustic and electric guitar * John Lodge – bass guitar, backing vocals *

Mike Pinder Michael Thomas Pinder (born 27 December 1941) is an English rock musician, and is a founding member and original keyboard player of the British rock group the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's ninth album ''O ...

–

, piano, backing vocals *

Ray Thomas Raymond Thomas (29 December 1941 – 4 January 2018) was an English multi-instrumentalist, flautist, singer, founding member and composer in the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. His flute solo on the band's 1967 hit single "Night ...

– tambourine, backing vocals *

Graeme Edge Graeme Charles Edge (30 March 1941 – 11 November 2021) was an English musician, songwriter and poet, best known as the co-founder and drummer of the English band the Moody Blues. In addition to his work with the Moody Blues, Edge worked as t ...

– drums, percussion

Chart positions

Cover versions

* Stiv Bators released the song as a single in 1987 on Bomp! Records, backed with "

Have Love, Will Travel "Have Love, Will Travel" is a 1959 song written and recorded by Richard Berry. While the song may have been recorded before the end of 1959, the correct release date appears to be January, 1960. The title is based on a popular television/radi ...

". It is included on Bators' retrospective CD '' L.A. L.A.''. *

Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before effec ...

recorded a cover version of the song for their 2011 album ''

Sky Full of Holes ''Sky Full of Holes'' is the fifth and final studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on July 20, 2011, in Japan, on August 1, 2011, in Europe, and on August 2, 2011, in North America. It debuted at number 37 ...

''. It was available only as an

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

bonus track.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Story In Your Eyes The Moody Blues songs 1971 singles Songs written by Justin Hayward 1971 songs