The Moody Blues – Tuesday Afternoon

“Tuesday Afternoon” is a song by The Moody Blues, an English rock band known for their progressive and symphonic rock sound. The song is also sometimes referred to as “Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)” and is part of their 1967 album “Days of Future Passed.”

Tuesday Afternoon Lyrics Meaning

“Tuesday Afternoon” subtly captures the psychedelic experience. Through vivid imagery, the song transports the listener to a pastoral scene where they become seduced by the call of nature. As the trees beckon, reality gives way to a mystical reverie. Though tempted by this “fairyland of love,” the speaker maintains just enough grounding to “explain it away with a sigh.”

Structurally, the song echoes the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” by combining two distinct melodies into an experimental whole. This collage-like approach was innovative for its time and expanded the boundaries of pop composition. Like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Tuesday Afternoon” daringly stitched together disparate musical ideas to create a unique psychedelic tapestry. Though less overt than other psychedelic touchstones, the song’s lyrics and dreamlike atmosphere definitively marked it as a work of psychedelic rock within the Moody Blues’ storied catalog.

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Lyric

Tuesday afternoon.
I’m just beginning to see,
Now I’m on my way.
It doesn’t matter to me,
Chasing the clouds away.

Something, calls to me.
The trees are drawing me near,
I’ve got to find out why.
Those gentle voices I hear,
Explain it all with a sigh.

I’m looking at myself reflections of my mind,
It’s just the kind of day to leave myself behind.
So gently swaying through the fairyland of love,
If you’ll just come with me you’ll see the beauty of
Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday afternoon.
I’m just beginning to see,
Now I’m on my way.
It doesn’t matter to me,
Chasing the clouds away.

Something calls to me.
The trees are drawing me near,
I’ve got to find out why.
Those gentle voices I hear
Explain it all with a sigh.