Artists
Musicians featured in this piece are:
Justin Hayward – lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
John Lodge – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mike Pinder – Mellotron, gong, spoken word (“Late Lament”)
Ray Thomas – flute, backing vocals
Graeme Edge – drums; wrote the closing poem “Late Lament”
London Festival Orchestra – orchestral accompaniment, conducted and arranged by Peter Knight
Written by Justin Hayward. Produced by Tony Clarke, arranged and co-produced by Peter Knight, engineered by Derek Varnals, recorded at Decca Studios, London, 1967. Released as the closing track on Days of Future Passed (Deram Records, November 1967); reissued as a single in 1972, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Cash Box.
“Nights in White Satin” was written by Justin Hayward at just 19 years old, largely autobiographical and inspired by the end of one relationship and the start of another. The song’s signature “orchestral” swells heard through most of the track are actually Mike Pinder‘s Mellotron rather than the real orchestra, whose contributions were limited to the intro, the final chorus, and the closing “Late Lament” section. That closing poem was written by drummer Graeme Edge and recited by Pinder, ending with a gong strike also performed by Pinder.
The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin Lyrics
[Nights in White Satin]
Nights in white satin,
Never reaching the end,
Letters I’ve written,
Never meaning to send.
Beauty I’d always missed
With these eyes before,
Just what the truth is
I can’t say anymore.
‘Cause I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how I love you.
Gazing at people,
Some hand in hand,
Just what I’m going through
They can’t understand.
Some try to tell me
Thoughts they cannot defend,
Just what you want to be
You will be in the end,
And I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how I love you.
Oh, how I love you.
Nights in white satin,
Never reaching the end,
Letters I’ve written,
Never meaning to send.
Beauty I’d always missed
With these eyes before,
Just what the truth is
I can’t say anymore.
‘Cause I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how I love you.
Oh, how I love you.
‘Cause I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how I love you.
Oh, how I love you.
[Late Lament / Resolvement]
Breathe deep the gathering gloom,
Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one,
Lonely man cries for love and has none.
New mother picks up and suckles her son,
Senior citizens wish they were young.
Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white.
But we decide which is right,
And which is an illusion.
To listen to other songs from the Teleskop 12 program and the full program, click here.