Super Moon/Blood Moon

What's So Super?

There's no cape. It doesn't really have any super powers, but it is a really rare occasion when a Super Moon meets a full eclipse. We haven't had one since 1982. We've got one this Sunday night! There won't be another for over 15 years.

Not the Apocalypse

Some observers are viewing the date with fear -- calling the eclipse a "blood moon." According to some Christians fixated on end times, this eclipse is the final in a series of four at the end of  the Lunar Tetrad.

 For astronomers and stargazers, the event is to be welcomed with celebration. It should be quite a sight.

Celebrating the Moon

We celebrate the moon in art, fiction and music.  I started pondering music and the moon earlier today after hearing numerous reports about the celestial event Sunday night. Here's what I came up with...

If you believe this is the end...what about Bad Moon Rising by Credence Clearwater Revival ? One of the garage bands I played with performed this.

The Beatles recorded Mister Moonlight. Mister Moonlight is a cover of the tune written by Roy Lee Johnson, and like a lot of tunes about moonlight it's about finding romance. Here's the version by Dr. Feelgood.

I first heard Pink Moon in a Volkswagen commercial. The music made it seem like owning a VW convertible might be a lot of fun. Given the trouble they're having with falsified emissions data, VW might want to bring back Nick Drake's tune. I first heard Nick Drake at Ripon College. Walking through the union one afternoon, there he was playing his guitar and singing. It was a great way to spend 45 minutes between classes.

We used Steve Fobert's "Moon Man - I'm Waiting on You" for pledge. There's a line in a song about a real good contact high and a chorus, "call, fax, email. I'm waiting on you."

Moon Man Link

Van Morrison's Moondance is especially relevant with it's autumnal reference. We danced to Moondance at our October Wedding 28 years ago.

Cat Stevens called Moon Shadow the ultimate optimist song. Indeed!

A tangential connection is Werewolves of London. I used to hear this a lot at Hooligan's on Milwaukee's East Side. Bar patrons would sing along with the howling part of the song. I used to go there after studying to have a Guinness and a cigar while taking in the atmosphere of Hooligan's. If it is the Apocalypse...a Guinness and a good cigar might be a good way to greet the end.

Put these tunes together and a few others and you have a lunar music special on any AAA station. Listening to the music may be an alternative to witnessing the event. It is supposed to be mostly cloudy Sunday night.

All of these songs have a personal connection, but that's what makes music so important.