Song Lyric Sunday: Voices In The Sky

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For this week’s SLS Jim’s post – Human Speech – invites us to share a song about ‘Sounds, Talk, Voice, Words.’ You can read his post here if you’d like the full story. I had thought to share a song I’ve loved ever since it was released in 1968 – Words, by the Bee Gees – but changed my mind and am playing another one from that year instead. No particular reason, other than that I am a huge fan of this band and much prefer them to the Brothers Gibb. These are its lyrics:

Bluebird, flying high
Tell me what you sing
If you could talk to me
What news would you bring
Of voices in the sky

Nightingale, hovering high
Harmonize the wind
Darkness, your symphony
I can hear you sing
Of voices in the sky

Just what is happening to me
I lie awake with the sound of the sea
Calling to me

Old man, passing by
Tell me what you sing
Though your voice be faint
I am listening
Voices in the sky

Children with a skipping rope
Tell me what you sing
Play time is nearly gone
The bell’s about to ring
Voices in the sky

Just what is happening to me
I lie awake with the sound of the sea
Calling to me

Bluebird, flying high
Tell me what you sing
If you could talk to me
What news would you bring
Of voices in the sky
Voices in the sky
Voices in the sky
Voices in the sky

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Justin Hayward

And this is the song, with a video from a contemporary broadcast on French tv:

Voices In The Sky was a track on the Moody Blues’ third album, In Search Of The Lost Chord, which was released in July 1968. It was the second album since the original band rather collapsed, and the three remaining members – Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge and Mike Pinder – had been joined by Justin Hayward and John Lodge. In keeping with their newly redefined ethos as a prog rock band, this was a concept album, loosely based around themes of quest and discovery, according to Wikipedia. This song is, so they say, about spiritual development. OK, I’ll believe them, as the songwriter is definitely on a quest to find out more about himself, and the imagery of nature and learning from what the birds might be saying to him is consistent with that. I also like the way the song references what we can learn from both the old and young – something we forget at our peril. The band shared songwriting duties: this was written by Hayward, who takes the lead vocal. The album was a hit on both sides of the pond, reaching #5 in the UK and #23 in the US, where it sold upwards of 500k copies. This was the lead single from it, released the previous month, making #27 in the UK but not troubling the US charts.

As I said, I’ve been a Moody Blues fan since way back when, and have all of their albums. This one was a real favourite when I was growing up – I was just coming up to 15 when it came out – and for me it was very much a sign that my musical tastes were beginning to trend towards albums rather than singles. This also made life much easier: an album meant that you didn’t have to keep getting up to play a new disc, as I never really trusted those auto-changers that record players of the time were equipped with! I think the song is a good fit for the brief, and it is still fun to for me hear it again. The band all look so young, though, and didn’t they wear smart clothes in those days!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this. See you again soon 😊🎶

85 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday: Voices In The Sky”

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  6. Like Jim, I never heard this one before and was surprised to see it had made it to #23 here in the U.S. without my notice. I rather like it … if I listened a few times, it would probably grow on me. Thanks, Clive, for once again broadening my horizons!

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  8. How lovely to hear such an old favourite again, I’ve just ordered a dvd of the Moodies too. I wouldn’t have minded your orher choice as well Words was a great single as was World at a similar time by the Brothers Gibb.

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  11. I don’t know much about the Moody Blues, except for some of their big hits – Nights in White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, and I’m Just a Singer. I had not heard of Voices in the Sky, but it is well done. I also did not realize how long the Moody Blues had been around until I was just reading about them on Wikipedia. See what you do to me!

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      • Clive, a fun song came on the radio and I thought of you. I normally like songs with good lyrics, but I do like great rock and roll songs that have a terrific music, but whose lyrics may not be very Dylanesque. The song is “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” by Rick Derringer which has a very cool guitar lick throughout. Maybe you could do a post on great songs without great lyrics. Of course “Classical Gas,” “Green Onions” and any song by The Ventures get by with no lyrics.Keith

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      • Hi Keith. I didn’t know this song so I looked it up. I’m sorry, but it didn’t really stand out for me, and it isn’t a surprise that he never got anywhere near our charts. I’ll give your idea some thought, though. It could go two ways, couldn’t it: either instrumentals or catchy songs with rubbish lyrics. We’ll see 😊

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      • Clive, interesting. The more I think of it, I do like one on instrumentals. To the ones I mentioned, I remember “Cliffs of Dover” by excellent guitarist Eric Johnson, but check out footage of him doing it live with an awesome prelude. Keith

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