"Isn't Life Strange" is a 1972 single 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 bassist John Lodge, it was the first of two singles released from their 1972 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 ...

'', with the other being "

I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" is a 1973 hit single by the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues, written by the band's bassist, John Lodge. It was first released in 1972 as the final track on the album ''Seventh Sojourn'' ...

", also written by Lodge.

Music and lyrics

"Isn't Life Strange" is one of the Moody Blues' longer songs, lasting for over six minutes. Its melody was based on Pachelbel's

Canon In D Pachelbel's Canon (also known as Canon in D, P 37) is an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher ...

. The song begins with instrumentation on flute and

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

, a combination that ''

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 described as "haunting". Dome described the lyrics as being about "how life seems a habit of throwing up surprises."

Reception

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 ...

'' described it as "symphonic rock extraordinaire", and also said that it had a "strangely intriguing, euphoric production that stands out in any crowd." ''

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 ...

'' said that "lush orchestration and

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

-like harmonies are the notable features" of the song, which also has a "pretty melody and production." Writing for ''Rock Cellar'' magazine, Frank Mastropolo rated the song as number 1 in a list of "Top 11 Question Songs". Dome rated it as the Moody Blues' 4th greatest song. ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' critic Sean Murphy rated "Isn't Life Strange" as the 67th best progressive rock song of all time.

Long version

The 2007 SACD expanded edition and 2008 remaster of ''

'' both include an 8:10 version of the song as a bonus track. This is the original version of the song that the shorter album version was edited down from. The longer version has an instrumental midsection featuring flute and keyboards, as well as a brief piano lead-in and a longer fadeout.

Personnel

Original version * John Lodge – bass guitar, possible acoustic guitar, vocals *

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 ...

– electric guitar, vocals *

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 ...

–

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 ...

, backing vocals *

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 ...

– flute, 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 th ...

– drums, percussion

Chart positions

References

The Moody Blues songs 1972 singles Songs written by John Lodge (musician) Popular songs based on classical music Song recordings produced by Tony Clarke Threshold Records singles {{1970s-single-stub