"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" | |
---|---|
Single by The Moody Blues | |
from the album In Search of the Lost Chord | |
A-side | "Voices in the Sky" |
Released | 28 June 1968 |
Recorded | January–June 1968 |
Label | Deram |
Songwriter(s) | Ray Thomas |
Producer(s) | Tony Clarke |
Official audio"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" on YouTube |
"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" is a 1968 song by the English rock band the Moody Blues. [1] It was written by the band's flautist Ray Thomas, although he does not play the flute in the song. First released in June 1968 on the B-side of "Voices in the Sky," "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" is one of Ray Thomas's signature child-themed songs, much like his first composition "Another Morning." [2] [3]
"Dr Livingstone, I Presume" was primarily written about Dr. David Livingstone. The lyrics in the opening verse describe the accomplishments of Dr. Livingstone, who was a Scottish missionary and explorer in central Africa. In a similar manner, the lyrics in later verses describe the accomplishments of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and Christopher Columbus.
"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" was later released on the Moody Blues' 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord , where it was the third track. The band performed the song on the UK television programme Colour Me Pop on 14 September 1968. [4]
The chorus, with the repeated line "We're all looking for someone", was used in the title sequence of the 1968 Thames Television series The Tyrant King , in which a trio of children follow a mysterious character around London.
The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals), and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). Originally part of the British beat and R&B scene of the early–mid 1960s, the band came to prominence with the UK No. 1 and US Top 10 single "Go Now" in late 1964/early 1965. Laine and Warwick both left the band in 1966, with Edge, Pinder and Thomas recruiting new members Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals) and John Lodge (bass/vocals). They embraced the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s, with their second album, 1967's Days of Future Passed, being a fusion of rock with classical music that established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock. It has been described as a "landmark" and "one of the first successful concept albums".
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"Voices in the Sky" is a 1968 hit single by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues, written by their lead guitarist Justin Hayward. It was released as a UK single in June 1968, with "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" on the B-side. It was later released on their 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord, and was the first of two singles from that album, the other being "Ride My See-Saw".
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