The Moody Blues Lyric That Shrugged off the Responsibility Piled on Rock and Rollers

We who love music tend to view our favorite artists through rose-colored glasses. That includes believing that these musicians have the answers to some of life’s more profound problems. All because they can put some words and music together in a special way. John Lodge of The Moody Blues well understood the pressure that such adulation placed on artists. When he wrote the band’s hit song “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)”, he was trying to make his listeners see the difference between a songwriter and a seer.

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Because he wrote many of the hits, many people assume that Justin Hayward was the chief songwriter for The Moody Blues. In actuality, the band divvied up the songwriting duties somewhat evenly among all five of its members. On the band’s 1972 album Seventh Sojourn, bassist John Lodge stepped up with the most popular songs.

That included “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)”, the biggest hit from the album. Lodge was frustrated by the fact that many hangers-on were congregating near his house at all hours. They were looking for him to give them some sort of insight into their lives and into the world at large.

Lodge took inspiration from current events while writing the lyrics. The “riots” mentioned were self-explanatory, as the early 70s proved a particularly turbulent time rife with dissent. Meanwhile, the line about “People who are scorching this earth” came from Lodge witnessing a terrifying photograph of a young woman who was literally on fire.

In many ways, the song mirrors The Rolling Stones’ track “Street Fighting Man”. That’s a song where Mick Jagger tries to shrug off any responsibility for solving social unrest. “Well, what can a poor boy / Except to sing for a rock and roll band?” he asks. Lodge’s complaints take on a similar edge.

Perhaps all that pressure to live up to the expectations of fans was starting to catch up to him and his band. Despite being near the peak of their popularity, The Moody Blues went on a six-year recording hiatus following the release of Seventh Sojourn.

Examining the Lyrics of “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)”

Lodge positions himself as one of the masses right off the bat. “I’m just a-wandering on the face of this earth / Meeting so many people / Who are trying to be free.” He doesn’t pretend to hold any kind of special knowledge, nor does he think he should be the recipient of any. “And if you want the wind of change to blow about you / And you’re the only other person to know, don’t tell me / I’m just a single in a rock and roll band.”

In the second verse, he displays empathy for those wanting answers, because he wants them too. “Only who is the artist,” he wonders about life’s grand tableau. “A thousand miles can lead so many ways. / Just to know who is driving / What a help it would be.”

The bridge brings the urgency of the moment to bear. “How can we understand / Riots by the people for the people / Who are only destroying themselves.” Lodge sings. But even as he shuns responsibility, he understands that his profession naturally brings people together: “Music is the traveler crossing our world / Meeting so many people bridging the seas.”

In many parts of “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)”, four members of The Moody Blues are belting out the lyrics. It makes it sound like the entire band has pretty much signed off on the message of humility that John Lodge created.

Photo by Patti Ouderkirk/WireImage