Beck’s “Blue Moon” borrows its name from the 1934 standard written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Many music legends have covered the Rodgers and Hart tune. But one of them also helped shape Beck’s lonesome ballad.
The rise and eventual fall of Elvis Presley helped form the character in Beck’s “Blue Moon”. But a book about the King of Rock and Roll had been collecting dust on his shelf for years. When he finally pulled it down to read, it led to the lead single from his GRAMMY-winning album, Morning Phase.
‘Last Train To Memphis’
“Blue Moon” was inspired by Peter Guralnick’s two-volume biography of Elvis Presley. (Last Train To Memphis follows Presley’s rise to stardom, and Careless Love documents the second half of Presley’s life.)
Beck told NPR, “I’d had it on my shelf for like 15 years, and I finally read it about a couple years ago. I feel like every musician when they’re starting out should just read that book.”
The opening verse follows a lonely King.
I’m so tired of being alone,
These penitent walls are all I’ve known.
Songbird calling across the water,
Inside my silent asylum.
Presley’s fame created a solitary existence. But in the early years, he seemed to have a closer relationship with his fans and with his family. Colossal success creates a separation. Not only from family, friends, and fans. But also from everyday life. Mick Jagger recently talked about how fame changed him.
The following lyrics condense Presley’s early life. Here, Beck is referencing the Rodgers and Hart tune and what Presley’s life looked like—at 19 years old—when he recorded the original “Blue Moon”.
Cut me down to size so I can fit inside,
Lies you tried to hide behind your eyes.
‘Careless Love’
Famous musicians become like drifters—traveling constantly while navigating the ruthless music business. It results in a kind of suspended conveyor belt of recording, touring, press, and hiding from the public.
See the turncoat on his knees,
A vagabond that no one sees.
When that moon is throwing shadows,
You can’t see the wounds you’ve caught in battle.
As the person loses himself inside the pop icon, you can imagine Presley, somewhere alone inside a dark hotel room, pleading to whoever will listen:
Oh, don’t leave me on my own.
Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium