My Ever Changing Moods Explained

My Ever Changing Moods
Cover:My Ever Changing Moods.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:the Style Council
Album:Café Bleu
Released:February 10, 1984[1]
Studio:Solid Bond Studios (London)
Genre:Sophisti-pop[2]
Length:3:37
Label:Polydor
Producer:
Prev Title:A Solid Bond in Your Heart
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:"You're the Best Thing
Next Title2:The Big Boss Groove
Next Year:1984

"My Ever Changing Moods" is a song by the English band the Style Council. It was their fifth single to be released.

Background

"My Ever Changing Moods" was composed by lead vocalist Paul Weller, recorded at Weller's own studio Solid Bond Studios, and was released in 1984. It is the first single from the band's debut studio album, Café Bleu (1984), which was renamed My Ever Changing Moods in the United States to capitalise on the success of that single.

"My Ever Changing Moods," backed with the Hammond organ instrumental "Mick's Company", peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 9 June 1984, in the US.[3] The song remains Weller's greatest success in the US (including his efforts in the Jam and as a solo artist).

Versions

The album version features vocals by Weller only accompanied by acoustic piano. This version is 3:37 long.

There are two versions of the song with full band accompaniment. The 7" single version is 4:02 minutes long, while the 12" single version is 5:44 minutes long.

Weller released a new version of "My Ever Changing Moods" on his album An Orchestrated Songbook in 2021.

Critical reception

In a 2020 article for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Thomas McLean called "My Ever Changing Moods" "one of Weller’s best compositions," identifying the song's debt to the Classics IV's "Stormy" (1968) and its influence on Santana's "The Game of Love". Calling attention to the song's mix of personal and political, McLean reads the song lyric "the hush before the silence, the winds after the blast" as "a potent reference to nuclear fears in the Thatcher/Reagan era" and praises the line "Evil turns to statues," declaring it "as brisk a summing up of commemorative history as I know, and one that takes on new significance in 2020."[4]

Compilation appearances

As well as the song's single release, it has featured on various compilation albums released by The Style Council. The song was included on The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, The Complete Adventures of The Style Council and Greatest Hits.

Music video

The music video for "My Ever Changing Moods," which shows Talbot and Weller cycling down an avenue of trees, was directed by Tim Pope and filmed at Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk, UK.[5]

Track listing

  1. "My Ever Changing Moods (Long Version)" – 5:44
  2. "Spring, Summer, Autumn" – 2:24
  3. "Mick's Company" – 2:49
  1. "My Ever Changing Moods" – 4:02
  2. "Mick's Company" – 2:48

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]

Charts

Chart (1984)Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart70
Canadian Hot 10042
Billboard Hot 10029
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[7] 88
Irish Singles Chart[8] 11
New Zealand Singles Chart[9] 32
UK Singles Chart[10] 5

Notes and References

  1. Web site: My Ever Changing Moods . The Style Council Archive . June 17, 2024.
  2. Web site: Thomas . Inskeep . Alfred . Soto . The Bluffer's Guide – Sophisti-Pop . . 28 April 2016.
  3. https://www.billboard.com/music/the-style-council The Style Council (Chart History - Hot 100)  - Billboard.
  4. McLean. Thomas. 2 December 2020. Evil Turns to Statues: Paul Weller's Style Council Years. Los Angeles Review of Books. 19 December 2020.
  5. Web site: The Style Council: My Ever Changing Moods (1984). IMDb. 25 October 2019.
  6. Book: Café Bleu liner notes. 1984. Polydor Records.
  7. Web site: The Style Council.
  8. Web site: The Irish Charts - All there is to know . 2023-07-13 . www.irishcharts.ie.
  9. Web site: Steffen Hung . New Zealand charts portal . charts.nz . 19 April 2012.
  10. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 537.