"I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" is a 1973

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

by the English

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band

the Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals) and Clint W ...

, written by the band's bassist, John Lodge. It was first released in 1972 as the final track on the album ''

Seventh Sojourn ''Seventh Sojourn'' is the eighth album by the Moody Blues, released in October 1972. The album reached No. 5 in the United Kingdom, and became the band's first American chart-topper, spending five weeks at No. 1 there to close out 1972. Backg ...

'' and was later released as a single in 1973, with " For My Lady" as its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. It was the second single released from ''

'', with the first being " Isn't Life Strange", which was also written by Lodge. The song reached number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US, becoming one of their highest-charting hits in that country, but fared less well in their native UK, where it managed number 36. It was also the final single released by the Moody Blues prior to their five-year hiatus, which was agreed upon so each of the band members could pursue their own solo careers. Their next single would not be until 1978, with "

Steppin' in a Slide Zone "Steppin' in a Slide Zone" is a 1978 single by the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. It was the first single the Moody Blues had released in five years, after the band's temporary hiatus. It was written by bassist John Lodge, and was ...

". The lyrics suggest that music can unite people but says that people should not look to musicians for answers to their problems. Music critic

Maury Dean Maury Dean (born 1943) is an American musician, author and professor at Suffolk County Community College, whose book "The Rock Revolution" is in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian. Early life Dean was born in Detroit, Michigan ...

said that the song "combined a

Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the sole consisten ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

flavor with

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

vocalics (complex chords) and a kicky, jiffy beat." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' regarded the song as a change of pace for the Moody Blues, stating that it had a more "upbeat rock sound" than their typical songs. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' predicted that it was "likely to turn gold," saying that "all indications are that it will head straight for the very top" of the charts. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it an "uptempo rocker" that will give the group "a lock on the top of the charts." ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'' critic Malcolm Dome rated it as the Moody Blues' 6th greatest song, calling it "a high energy, driving song which begins with a strolling drum intro from

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 th ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

critic Lindsay Planer said that "Even though this is an uptempo rocker, Lodge delves headlong into an introspective space equal to that of another significant side, 'Isn't Life Strange.'" The song was the last of the band's singles to feature the Mellotron. A promotional music-video was filmed for "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)". This video showed the band's flautist

Ray Thomas Raymond Thomas (29 December 1941 – 4 January 2018) was an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member of the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. His flute solo on the band's 1967 hit single " Ni ...

playing a

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

; however, according to keyboardist

Mike Pinder Michael Thomas Pinder (27 December 1941 – 24 April 2024) was an English rock musician. He was a founding member and the original keyboard player of the rock group the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's nint ...

, the saxophone was used just for effect in the video and the saxophone sound was produced 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 several ...

. The basic tracks for the song were recorded in Pinder's garage, producing a raw sound. The song remained in the Moody Blues' live concerts throughout their career. Live performances of the song during the band's final years featured a live saxophone played by keyboardist Julie Ragins, along with Norda Mullen on flute.

Personnel

* John Lodge – lead vocals, bass guitar *

Justin Hayward David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician. He was the guitarist and frontman of the rock band the Moody Blues from 1966 until its dissolution in 2018. He became the group's principal vocalist and its most prolific son ...

– vocals, acoustic and electric guitars *

– vocals, Mellotron, piano, tambourine *

– vocals *

– drums, percussion

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) 1972 songs 1973 singles Songs about rock music Songs written by John Lodge (musician) The Moody Blues songs Song recordings produced by Tony Clarke Threshold Records singles