Is Moondance a song about a Vampire?
Van Morrison
Moondance
Reissue, gatefold, club edition
Columbia Carrollton, GA press
Ok ok hear me out… we started spooky season kinda early here. The milder weather got us in the fall mood to review our vampire lore. Recently watched the Nosferatu remake (2024 with Lily-Rose Depp) , and rewatched Dracula Untold (2104 with Luke Evans), and of course Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992 with Gary Oldman). Something intriguing about the centuries old characters’ background. Reviewing Interview with a Vampire (1994 Tom Cruise) and John Carpenters Vampires (1998 James Wood) and always Lost Boys (1987 the Corey’s) are classics here. All this with the goal to re-explore the origin of this undead story of thirst. Always leaves me with more questions than answers… Where did he come from? Is he the first? Do you only follow the Vlad the Impaler origin? Or how about those secret societies? Maybe the group is controlled by the Catholic Church? Best place on the body to suck the blood from? Is sunlight the main weapon of his destruction? Or will only a stake through the heart do? Most important might be what kind of vampire are we dealing with?…Is his mystical pull to the female lead portrayed as creepy creature or a sleek, suave, smooth talking ladies' man? For our purposes here we’re gonna use the Brad Pitt style/ sparkling Twilight looking romantic Vamp.
The action picks up in my listening room spinning this Van classic and deciding that side one is an all-time ‘Top5 side one’. I mean come on every song makes up the greatest hits! It’s a perfect genre and era for hearing music on vinyl. Upon my discovery I summoned the wife to convince her of this top5 status. Well, she has vampires on the brain and quickly posed our question, so here we are.
Maybe a little silly of a premise but let’s take a look at the lyrics and you decide. With our two lovers meeting the song setting begins “Neath the cover of October skies”. That is spooky season, no? Next the suitor is “trying to please the calling of your heartstrings that play soft and low”. You know who else can hear a heat beat and love the blood that it pumps? Then he says “the night's magic seems to whisper and hush”. Who else you know works with night magic? Notice his request…he only needs ONE more “Moondance” to romance his love. “There and then I will make you my own. And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside”. Well yeah man, she’s filled with fear, you’ve got her cornered. I’ll land my plane with maybe my most incriminating piece of evidence, he… “can't wait 'til the mornin' has come” …it has to be tonight. Hmmm, Avoiding sunlight? Ok maybe this is just a date night. God knows with five kids the wife and I have tried to create our own time alone for romance.
…But if vampires are real and there’s been a cover up / conspiracy throughout history… is Van Morrison a prime suspect? Or maybe he just knows one and was enlightened with the inspiration for these lyrics.
ParkersPlaylist investigating moondance does it qualify for my spooky playlist.
