| "Go Now" | ||||
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| Single by The Moody Blues | ||||
| from the album The Magnificent Moodies | ||||
| B-side | "It's Easy Child" (UK) "Lose Your Money" (US) |
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| Released | November 1964 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label |  UK Decca Records London Records |
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| Writer(s) | Larry Banks Milton Bennett |
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| Producer | Denny Cordell, Alex Wharton | |||
| The Moody Blues singles chronology | ||||
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"Go Now" is a 1964 song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. Bessie Banks originally performed this song, taking it to number forty on the Cash Box R&B singles chart[1]. "Go Now" was made popular internationally later in 1964 when a group from Birmingham named The Moody Blues recorded it, with Denny Laine on guitar and lead vocals. When Denny Laine first heard Bessie Banks's, he immediately told the rest of the band that they needed to record the song. The song reached number one in the UK and number ten in the US. A short clip used to promote the video uses a striking visual style that pre-dated Queen's similar Bohemian Rhapsody video by a full decade. Laine continued to perform the song in concert during his years in Wings, and it is included in the group's Wings over America live album. He also sang the song at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986 raising money for the local children's hospital.
The Moody Blues had little success with later singles after "Go Now", which led to Denny Laine's departure from the band, later being replaced by Justin Hayward. Bassist Clint Warwick had also departed the band at this time, and he was immediately replaced by John Lodge. With the new lineup, the Moody Blues continued to perform "Go Now" for a short time, up until they began writing their own material. Hayward sang the song during his first year with the band, and Ray Thomas attempted to sing it a couple of times himself.[2]
The next successes for the Moody Blues would be 1967's "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon."
At the time the single was released it was being promoted on TV with one of the first purpose-made promotional films in the pop era (produced and directed by their co-manager Alex Wharton), very much before The Beatles did with the promotional films of their singles "Rain" and "Paperback Writer", both released on 1966.
In January 1997, "Go Now" was released on The Best of the Moody Blues; its release on this album was the first time it had been released on a Moody Blues compilation album. "Go Now" was also released on the subsequent Moody Blues' two-disc compilation album Anthology.
"Go Now" was later recorded by Ozzy Osbourne in 2005 for his Under Cover compilation album and by Simply Red in 2008 for their Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits compilation.
The original Bessie Banks version was included the soundtrack to the film, Stonewall.
The version by The Moody Blues was famously used on the satirical British television show Spitting Image in a scene concerning then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The song is also in the musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.
Credits (The Moody Blues version)
- Denny Laine: guitar, vocals
- Clint Warwick: bass guitar, backing vocals
- Mike Pinder: piano, backing vocals
- Ray Thomas: tambourine, backing vocals,electric pickle
- Graeme Edge: drums, percussion
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 45.
- ^ Moody Blues: Classic Artists (2006) (Directed by Jon Brewer)
External links
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| Preceded by "Yeh Yeh" by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames |
UK number one single "Go Now" by The Moody Blues January 28, 1965 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers |
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