The Moon is Shining (Somewhere Over the Sea)

Album: Dancer and the Moon (2013)
Play Video

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...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.