The song lasts more than seven minutes long.[2] It became a minor hit in the United States, reaching number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100[3] and number 60 on Cash Box.[4] It did better in Canada, where it reached number 27.[5]
Music and lyrics
The instrumentation is augmented by the New World Philharmonic Orchestra, with an arrangement scored by producer Pip Williams and keyboardist Pat Moraz.[1][2] Moraz also used a music sequencer to create the "spronging" sound that serves as the song's musical hook, which Williams felt gives the song a modern sound.[1] Music journalist Geoffrey Freakes described Moraz' intro to the song as sounding like his former band Yes and described Justin Hayward's guitar solos as being "almost histrionic by his standards."[2] At the end of the song, violins prominently play a variation on the tune of the chorus.[2]
The Star Press critic Kim Teverbaugh described the lyrics as being "about love slipping away."[6] Lodge said:
It really is about talking out of turn. I think we all have this situation, where sometimes you take a bit too much from someone – and I don't mean materially; I'm talking about emotionally – and you can just keep talking about it and you suddenly realize that you shouldn't have said anything, really.[1]
Williams called it "An absolute favorite of mine and one of the best [John Lodge] songs ever."[1]
Reception
Billboard called it a "soothingly melodic song highlighted by John Lodge's vocal."[7]Record World said that "space-age synthesizers introduce Justin Hayward's relaxed vocal" and commented on the "rich harmony choruses."[8]
AllMusic critic Dave Connolly called it a "winning number."[9] Upon the album release, Teverbaugh said that it "features what is probably the best use of strings on a song this year" and also praised Justin Hayward's "stinging guitar [runs]" that punctuate almost every line.[6]Ottawa Citizen critic Bill Provick said that it deserved to be a hit single and that "Plush without being mushy,it takes on a marvelously haunting air under repeated listenings with a fine chorus that lingers on nicely in one's head."[10]Sacramento Bee critic Bob Sylva called it a "moving ballad" with a "sweet lyric" and "expressive, expert guitar work by Justin Hayward", but also found it to be "a tad too long and repetitive."[11]Daily Press critic Mike Diana said that "the Moody's go south of the border for laughs and some of Lodge's useless blathering."[12]Roanoke Times writer Ben Cromer called it "syrupy and downright boring."[13]News-Democrat critic Roger Schlueter criticized the "unimaginative lyrics."[14]
Other appearances
"Talking Out of Turn" was included in the set list at most of the Moody Blues' live concerts throughout the 1980s.[2] Subsequently, it was played live occasionally, with Lodge playing acoustic guitar.[2]
The instrumental final minute of the song closes the first hour of The Mike Malloy Show each weekday evening.
1 2 3 4 5 Cushman, Marc (2021). Long Distance Voyagers: The Story of the Moody Blues Volume 2 (1980-2018). Jacobs Brown Press. pp.21, 26–27. ISBN9781735567358.
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