Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, is famous for the song Moonshadow
Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, is famous for the song Moonshadow
There is a long list of artists that have recorded moon or space-themed songs.
Over the past week, the world has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. An incredible feat, especially back then. The various celebrations reminded me of a song the late John Stewart wrote calledArmstrong.
John Stewart was an American folk singer and one-time member of the Kingston Trio. Over the course of his music career he wrote several hit singles, like Daydream Believer for the Monkees, Runaway Train, July, You're a Woman and probably his biggest hit, Gold, which came out in 1979.
The song Armstrong was released in August of 1969 and was a minor hit here in New Zealand by an Australian country singer called Reg Lindsay. The lyrics to the song are quite prolific and sum up the feeling in the world at the time of the moon landing. The opening verse went like this:
"Black boy in Chicago Playing in the street Not near enough to wear Not near enough to eat Don't you know he saw it On a July afternoon He saw a man named Armstrong Walk upon the moon."
Then there was the hit for The PoliceWalking on the Moon, although that was more about Sting's loneliness after a breakup, than man walking on the moon.
The 1990s were another popular era for space-themed songs. Notably was the hit for the Australian duo Savage Garden whose hit single To the Moon and Back reached No 3 in the UK in 1992. If you want to go back a few years, we cannot forget Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie orchestra and Fly Me to the Moon from 1964. And if you want to go back even further there's Louis Armstrong with Oscar Peterson, Moon Song from 1957, The Marcels' 1961 doo-woop hit Blue Moon.
There is a long list of artists that have recorded moon or space-themed songs. How many can you list?
