Last night marked the last supermoon of 2014. It also just so happened to be this year’s Harvest Moon, an auspicious occasion for those of us eager to get fall started. Even though you might have missed the official full moon last night, this evening looks to be another good opportunity to examine the skies. In honor of the now waning harvest moon, here are six moonlight melodies to accompany your celestial gazing.
“Moondance” by Van Morrison
The ineffable cool of Van Morrison’s “Moondance” makes it an ideal choice for this Weird Wanderer Playlist, but the song’s path to greatness is a rather offbeat one. From the 1970 album of the same name, the tune wasn’t released as a single until 1977, an unusual move that eventually netted it a place among the Billboard Top 100. A good thing too because September and October wouldn’t be complete without at least one listen–and possible dance–to this jazzy lunar ditty.
“Harvest Moon” by Neil Young
There are few songs quite so fall perfect as “Harvest Moon”. An ode to both love and nature, Young’s patented angry persona is nowhere to be found as he croons about reclaiming a lost romance. And even for the most hardcore weird wanderers, it’s hard not to sway along to the rhythm of this infectious ballad.
“Bark at the Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne
With arguably the most wonderfully corny 80s music video of the decade, “Bark at the Moon” should make the cut for any fall playlist. Balancing tenuously on the edge of becoming a disposable novelty song, the unabashed heavy metal vibe helps to secure its place as another solid entry into Ozzy’s opus. But for those of you who detest overwrought guitar solos and bad Aquanet-laden hair, watch the aforementioned video on mute. Enjoying the terrible werewolf costume is perhaps the guiltiest pleasure of all.
“Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
When it comes to the moon and the macabre, werewolves are the first beasts that come to mind. And while Creedence’s 1969 tune is actually about an impending apocalypse, it’s easy to associate “Bad Moon Rising” with lycanthropes after it was prominently featured in the shape-shifting classic, An American Werewolf in London. But whatever ominous theme your mind invokes, this is one moon none of us are eager to see.
“Pink Moon” by Nick Drake
By all technicalities, the pink moon isn’t quite so Halloween-friendly, considering it happens every year in April. But ever since that Volkswagen commercial way back in 1999, it’s hard not to associate Nick Drake’s seminal 1970s tune with every moon–fall or spring, new or full. With simplistic chords and unpretentious lyrics, this lovely folk ditty can make you nostalgic for a time you never knew. Now that’s some powerful music.
“Moonlight Serenade” by Glenn Miller
This beautiful instrumental is neither spooky nor autumnal, but I guess I’m too much of a romantic at heart to omit it entirely. Released in 1939, “Moonlight Serenade” is one of the earliest American pop songs to use the lunar cycles for inspiration, though as this list alone proves, it was far from the last. If nothing else, Glenn Miller’s classic is perhaps the one track from this Weird Wanderer Playlist even your grandparents can love.
Happy haunting!