Moondance

Listen while you read:  Van the Man!

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low

And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?

Well, I want to make love to you tonight
I can't wait 'til the morning has come
And I know now the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run
And when you come, my heart will be waiting
To make sure that you're never alone
There and then, all my dreams will come true, dear
There and then, I will make you my own

And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside
And I know how much you want me, that you can't hide
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
. . . 

One more moondance with you in the moonlight
On a magic night
La la la la, in the moonlight
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?

~  Van Morrison

The harvest moon appears tonight! And this is the first time the harvest moon has fallen in October since 2009. I'd try to explain how and why that is, but my brain doesn't want to work that hard right now. And all you really need to know is that tonight will be a marvelous night for a moondance. This Van Morrison song, a longtime favorite of mine, appears on the album of the same name released in 1970.

I always thought this was such a sexy song. Maybe because back in 1970, it was still kind of risqué to include the words "make love" in the lyrics! (Maybe some of you remember when radio stations banned the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together" back in 1967 because of its suggestive nature? Of course, that only made us love the song more!) Van's jazzy, bluesy delivery of "Moondance" contributes to its titillating nature, and yet, it is innocently magical in its visions of moonlit forests and dancing nymphs.  Whenever I hear this song, I want to start a bonfire outside, open a bottle of red wine, and breathe in the chill night air. Talk about an evocative song!

Several years ago, my favorite radio station, WFUV, was doing some kind of "listeners' top 100 songs of all time" thing, and you could submit your top five choices with an explanation of why you chose them. So I did that, and "Moondance" was included on my list with my reasons why. I got a phone call from WFUV, asking me if I would read my submission on the air. And of course, I did! I think "Moondance" came in as #11 on that list of 100 songs, so clearly, I was not the only fan of the song.

So here it is for your listening pleasure. And I hope that you listen to it tonight while dancing under the harvest moon! The moon will be in its full phase at 2:40 p.m., but will glide above the horizon at 7:21 p.m. Enjoy! Because, you know, it's a marvelous night . . .