The Moon is Shining (Somewhere Over the Sea) by Blackmore's Night

Album: Dancer and the Moon (2013)

License This Song

Songfacts®:

Songwriter and lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore said the song is "based on an old folk Czech melody which Candice and I thought were very melodic and haunting. We adapted and arranged to suit more of a rock structure. We also played it as a ballad as it was originally intended. We asked several of our Czech friends what it was called but they couldn't tell us, so it remains a mystery."
The song is the lead single from the duo's 2013 album Dancer and the Moon, which is their third record with a lunar reference in the title (their debut Shadow of the Moon and their sophomore release Under a Violet Moon). This is addressed in the album's liner notes:

"We find that the Dancer and the Moon is visually and emotionally representative of how we feel about our music. We have always had a very strong pull to the mystery of the moon, her magic, her power, her legend. She affects us so deeply that we have named many CDs after her and she almost always represented in our songs. The dancer gives herself completely, unabashedly and whole-heartedly moved by the intensity of the music she feels within her soul. As the music, the moon and the dance are what inspires us… we thought it to be a true reflection."
The song appears in two versions on the album. This Rock interpretation is preceded by a "haunting ballad" acoustic version called "Somewhere of the Sea (The Moon is Shining)."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)Lou Bega

The party tune "Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)" was the theme song for the 2000 Democratic Convention (the party of Bill Clinton), until someone noticed the line, "A little bit of Monica in my life."

Bangla DeshGeorge Harrison

George Harrison's 1971 song "Bangla Desh" was the first major charity single. It was part of a concert held to bring relief to the people of Bangladesh, who were fighting for independence and suffering from a famine.

SailAwolnation

"Sail" by Awolnation was the first hit to mention ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) in the chorus ("Blame it on my ADD"). Lead singer Aaron Bruno put that line in because his parents and teachers often told him he had that condition, which explained his poor grades.

The Continuing Story of Bungalow BillThe Beatles

John Lennon wrote "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" about Richard Cooke, a hunter he met at the Maharishi's camp in India. Cooke hasn't shot anything since the camp, except with his camera - he became a freelance photographer for National Geographic.

Just The Way You AreBruno Mars

Before launching his career as a singer, Bruno Mars was a writer/producer. He and his co-writers pitched "Just The Way You Are" to Cee-Lo Green; when he turned it down, Bruno recorded it himself and released it in 2010 as his first single as a lead artist.

(Everything I Do) I Do It For YouBryan Adams

The Bryan Adams song "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" was almost rejected for the movie Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves because it didn't sound medieval enough.