How I Wrote..."The Story in Your Eyes"

Justin Hayward reveals the story and hidden message behind the Moody Blues' timeless 1971 hit single.

- JOE MATERA

"THE SONG JUST sprung out of my acoustic guitar one day while I was at home," guitarist and vocalist Justin Hayward says about "The Story in Your Eyes," the 1971 classic-rock tune by English legends the Moody Blues. "I was just playing my Martin D-28 - I don't know for certain if it's from '55 or '57, but it's been with me since 1969 - and the first thing that came to me was the middle-eight section. And from there, the rest of the song came together." LESS PROG. MORE ROCK.

"The Story in Your Eyes" would become a standout track from the group's 1971 album, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. The song marked a decided change for the Moody Blues, who had found fame as a progressive rock act with albums like Days of Future Past and hit songs including "Nights in White Satin," "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Questions." Hayward decided to take a more straight-ahead rock approach than he had previously explored within the group's orchestral prog-rock format.

"I deliberately saw it as a more harder-rocking song from the outset," he affirms.