With the composition “Moonlight Shadow”, which has become one of the most popular works of Mike Oldfield, an interesting assumption is connected, which, thanks to the efforts of journalists, has firmly settled in the minds of many fans of the British musician. We are talking about the opinion that the song was dedicated to the murder of John Lennon. I must say, this version made even the author think about the true meaning of his creation.
An excerpt from an interview Oldfield gave to Gareth Randall will help us to understand the main idea of “Moonlight Shadow”. Here’s how he responded to the question if the song had anything to do with the death of the former Beatle:
In fact, no … Although, perhaps, if you think about it, perhaps this is so. In fact, I arrived in New York on the horrific night he was shot and was at the Virgin Records house on Perry Street, which is located just a few blocks down the road from the Dakota building where it happened, so probably it stuck in my subconscious. It was originally inspired by my favorite movie, Houdini, starring Tony Curtis, about trying to connect with Houdini after his death through spiritualism… It was an initial influence on the song, but a lot of other things could have come into it too, although I didn’t realize it.
1.06.1995
However, according to some phrases from “Moonlight Shadow” and so it can be concluded that Oldfield did not mean the murder of Lennon. Mark Chapman fired five shots (four bullets hit the target), not six, and the crime happened at almost eleven in the evening, not at four in the morning.
In the same interview, Mike explained that the mysterious number one hundred and five mentioned in the text means a crowd of people. And he chose it only because “five” rhymes with “alive” from the next line.
The song was originally called “Midnight Passion” and was sung by Hazel O’Connor, one of Oldfield’s vocalists. But the final version of “Moonlight Shadow” was performed by Maggie Reilly, who has collaborated with Mike since 1980.
The composition was released as a single from the Crises album in May 1983. The song rose to the top of the charts in many countries. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.
Covers of “Moonlight Shadow” were performed by many famous musicians, including The Shadows, Chris Norman and even the Ukrainian singer Ruslana. A dance version of the song by Groove Coverage reached the top ten of the German chart.
And now let’s see the video clip for “Moonlight Shadow”.
Interesting Facts
- The cover of the single is a part of the painting depicted on the sleeve of the “Crises” album.
- In the German version of the song, sung by Julian Werding, the protagonist is shot seven times (apparently the number of bullets has been changed to rhyme).
- There are two versions of the clip: full and shortened.
Moonlight Shadow Lyrics by Mike Oldfield
The last time ever she saw him
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
He passed on worried and warning,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Lost in a riddle that Saturday night
Far away on the other side
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
And she couldn’t find how to push through
The trees that whisper in the evening
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun,
Far away on the other side
He was shot six times by a man on the run
And she couldn’t find how to push through
Covered in the twilight of the moonlight
He left anxious and wary,
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight
Mysteriously disappeared that Saturday night
Far on the other side
He was in the midst of a desperate fight,
And she couldn’t help him
The trees that whisper in the night
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight,
Sing a song of grief and sorrow
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight
All she saw was the silhouette of a gun
Far on the other side
He was shot six times by a man who was on the run,
And she couldn’t do anything to help him I stay, I pray
See you in heaven far away
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day I stay, I pray
See you far in heaven
I stay, I pray
See you one day in heaven Four am in the morning
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
I watched your vision form
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Stars roll slowly in a silvery night,
Far away on the other side
Will you come to terms with me this night,
But she couldn’t find how to push through 4am
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight,
I saw your image appear
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight
The stars roll slowly in the silvery night
Far on the other side
Will you give in to me tonight?
But she couldn’t help him. I stay, I pray
See you in heaven far away
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day
Far away on the other side I stay, I pray
See you far in heaven
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day
Far on the other side Caught in the middle of a hundred and five
The night was heavy and the air was alive,
But she couldn’t find how to push through
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Far away on the other side
But she couldn’t find how to push through
The night was dark and the air was fresh
But she couldn’t help him.
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight,
Embraced by the twilight of the moonlight
Far on the other side
But she couldn’t help him.
