The Whole of the Moon

"The Whole of the Moon"
Single by the Waterboys
from the album This Is the Sea
B-side
  • "Medicine Jack"
  • "Spirit"
  • "The Girl in the Swing"
  • "A Golden Age" (1991)
Released14 October 1985 (1985-10-14)
RecordedMay 1985
StudioLivingstone (London), Amazon (Liverpool)
GenreNew wave[1]
Length4:58
LabelEnsign
Songwriter(s)Mike Scott
Producer(s)Mike Scott
The Waterboys singles chronology
"The Big Music"
(1984) 		"The Whole of the Moon"
(1985) 		"Don't Bang the Drum"
(1985)
Audio sample
The Whole of the Moon

"The Whole of the Moon" is a song by Scottish band the Waterboys, released as a single from their album This Is the Sea in October 1985. It is a classic of the band's repertoire and has been consistently played at live shows ever since its release. Written and produced by Mike Scott, the subject of the song has inspired some speculation.[2]

The single was not a big success when initially released in 1985, only making the lower ends of the chart, although it reached No. 12 on the Australian chart. Subsequently, it became one of the Waterboys' best-known songs and their most commercially successful.[3] It was the Ivor Novello Award winner "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" in 1992.[4] Upon its re-release in March 1991, it reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom.

  1. ^ "Mandy Says". Spin. Vol. 19, no. 11. November 2003. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. ^ "Discography" mikescottwaterboys.com. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference rs whole of the moon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).