The Moon Songs

Over the years, I've built up quite a repertoire of shower songs. I recently noticed that a large number of songs in the collection involve the moon or have some mention of the moon. These include:

In The Moonlight (sung by Sting on the OST of Sabrina)
Brazil ("...we stood beneath an amber moon...")
Moon River
I'll Be Seeing You ("...I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you.")
The Moon's A Harsh Mistress

These are the only titles that come to mind now, if only because they're on the current singing list. Looking at these songs, it also occurs to me how ballad-like these five are. I mean "ballad" in the original sense, a song that tells a tale. "In The Moonlight" has no chorus, and every verse - or stanza, if you will (Sting was a Literature teacher, after all, and well-versed - oops, pun alert - in poetry) - tells something new. The song romanticizes the meeting of two strangers who spend the night together and hope that the morning will not bear away the magic they felt the night before, under the moonlight.

"Brazil" is another tale of two lovers. In Brazil, of course. The narrator, or singer, is singing in the present, recalling a love affair years ago that ended when he or she had to leave the country (after a nice vacation, I presume). On the last night, they stand beneath the moon and cling to each other. The song ends with a promise to return to Brazil.

Who wouldn't fall under the spell of "Moon River"? Who wouldn't conjure up the image of Holly Golightly strumming her little guitar, sitting on the window sill, and singing of going to see the world with her moon river? The theme song of "Breakfast At Tiffany's" always leaves me wistful, partly because I was an ardent admirer of George Peppard (he looked spectacular in that movie, and is now resting in peace somewhere in Michigan), and partly because I share that same love of seeing the world.

As a student in Florence, Italy, I attended a talent show (also a farewell concert) organized by my American program mates. One girl, Erin, sang a lovely rendition of that World War II song, "I'll Be Seeing You." I was very moved. Two lovers part in Paris as the young soldier has to go to the frontline, and the girl sings of how she'll find him in the morning sun, and when night comes, she'll be gazing at the moon, but will see only him. I was also sad that I'd be leaving Florence soon, and that I might not see some dear friends for a very long time.

There have been very many versions of "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress." It was written by Jimmy Webb (former member of "America" and who wrote the songs from the animated film, "The Last Unicorn") and made famous by Judy Collins and Linda Ronstadt. Less of a story here, but the words are poetry nevertheless. Go here to see the lyrics. Jimmy Webb personifed the moon and gave her a cold, imperious air. It certainly reminds me of how we can reach for the moon (and stars) but always fall short of reaching her, thus the ultimate fascination for the wondrous orb, at least on my part.

I've gone moon-crazy today, I suppose. Rather late actually, since the lunar new year was last week. I can't really see much of the moon where I am, and also because I'm terrified of looking out the window in case I find the walkways and roads buried under snow. The apartments around mine block most of the sky, but at home in Singapore, I used to step out the house or stand on my brother's balcony and look skyward. The moon was always there, and even a few stars, gleaming quietly in spite of the city lights that threatened to stub them out.

Image by Alan Bean, former NASA astronaut

Posted by Monoceros at January 28, 2004 10:23 PM