Songfacts®:

• In November 1966, Denny Laine abandoned the Moody Blues to embark on an ill-starred solo career. This introspective plea for forgiveness and understanding penned by him was his debut release but it failed to chart.
• Former Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone revisited the track in 1971 as the closing track on his debut solo album, One Year. His version has a melancholic and introspective tone with just Blunstone's delicate, soulful vocals and strings - no other instruments.
• Chris Gunning arranged the strings, one of six One Year tracks he worked on, which also includes a cover of Tim Hardin's "Misty Roses."
  
  "We'd been introduced to a wonderful string arranger Chris Gunning," Blunstone told Mojo magazine. "He was encouraged to think in a very different way to how strings were usually recorded in those days. His arrangement for 'Misty Roses' was like Bartok. So we asked him to try this. People say it's a string quartet. It's arranged like a quartet but it's actually a 21-piece orchestra."
• Blunstone had suggested recording "Say You Don't Mind" while The Zombies were still active, but it never happened. "The Zombies used to close the show with that Denny Laine song," said Blunstone. "We tried to record it as a rock and roll thing, but it didn't work."
• Epic Records released "Say You Don't Mind" as the lead single from One Year. It peaked at #15 on the UK Singles Chart.
  
  "As usual, I didn't spot it as a single at all," said Blunstone. "I really liked it; I just didn't think it was commercial. That's a theme that's run through my career."
• Blunstone's former Zombies bandmates Rod Argent and Chris White co-produced One Year. The baroque pop record chronicles a year in the singer's life, including the time directly following the end of The Zombies and a crushing breakup with his then-girlfriend, actress Caroline Munro.
• After various solo and collaborative stumbles, Denny Laine found his, er, wings when he joined Paul and Linda McCartney in 1971 in Wings. "Say You Don't Mind" was a rare Laine-led live staple during their 1972-73 tours. Laine later recorded another version in 1980 for his third solo album, Japanese Tears.