Peak Hour

Album: Days of Future Passed (1967)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Days Of Future Past was one of the first concept albums, depicting an archetypical "day" from morning to night. However, it didn't start out that way. Justin Hayward explained to Beat Instrumental in a June 1971 interview: "Days Of Future Past was really a concept for a stage presentation we'd worked out to take up a whole hour set. It turned out that it took the form of a day because I'd written a song 'Nights in White Satin.'"

    The group's bass player, John Lodge, added to the concept by writing the song "Peak Hour," full title "Lunch Break: Peak Hour." Lodge also sang lead on the track.

    "That was three parts of a day - we just filled in the rest," added Hayward. "It was a day but it could be a lifetime as well."
  • The orchestral piece at the beginning of the song was played by Peter Knight and the London Festival Orchestra. It was composed by Knight, who also arranged "The Day Begins" and the rest of the orchestral sections of Days of Future Passed.

    Knight continued his work with Moodies, Justin Hayward and John Lodge, orchestrating three songs on their 1975 Blue Jays album.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."