{"id":555,"date":"2025-02-25T18:19:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T18:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/?p=555"},"modified":"2025-07-14T12:18:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T12:18:38","slug":"121-mr-moonlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/121-mr-moonlight\/","title":{"rendered":"121: Mr. Moonlight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Mr Moonlight is a cover of a song, originally recorded by Dr Feelgood and the Interns, that appears on the Beatles For Sale album.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-beatles-card-song-info\"><div class=\"beatles-card-content\"><div class=\"bible-section\"><div class=\"source-heading\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-content\/plugins\/beatles-card\/src\/icons\/BeatlesBibleApple.svg\" alt=\"Beatles Bible\" class=\"source-icon\"><span>The Beatles Bible<\/span><\/div><div class=\"bible-text\"><p class=\"bible-paragraph\">A staple of The Beatles\u2019 live act for some years, \u2018Mr Moonlight\u2019 was recorded by the group during sessions for their fourth LP, Beatles For Sale.<\/p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beatlesbible.com\/wp\/media\/beatles-for-sale.jpg\" alt=\"Beatles For Sale album artwork\" title=\"Beatles For Sale album artwork\" class=\"bible-thumbnail\" width=\"200\" height=\"auto\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.beatlesbible.com\/songs\/mr-moonlight\/\" class=\"continue-reading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Continue reading on Beatles Bible \u2192<\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wiki-section\"><div class=\"source-heading\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-content\/plugins\/beatles-card\/src\/icons\/WikipediaLogo.svg\" alt=\"Wikipedia\" class=\"source-icon\"><span>Wikipedia<\/span><\/div><div class=\"wiki-text\"><div class=\"wiki-excerpt\">&quot;Mr. Moonlight&quot; is a song written by Roy Lee Johnson and recorded by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns in 1962. The song was covered by the Beatles on their 1964 albums Beatles for Sale (in the U.K.) and Beatles &#039;65 (in the U.S.).\n<\/div><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mr._Moonlight_(song)#The_Beatles&#039;_version\" class=\"continue-reading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Continue reading on Wikipedia \u2192<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Looking back at the underlying ratings that support its ranking on this blog, I see that I rated it highly for performance, and a good proportion of that score is due to the first two words which Lennon sings acapella and with complete commitment, as if pleading for his life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"471\" height=\"99\" src=\"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-25-171559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-25-171559.png 471w, https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-25-171559-300x63.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a set piece but every fan loves a goal from the kick off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brazilian footballer scores direct from kick-off in league match \u2013 video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6XCBq8W-OsI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As the Wikipedia article and Mark Lewisohn&#8217;s Tune In book make clear, this moment was often  an important part of the Beatles live set from around 1962: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Mr. Moonlight was great because there would be this moment of tension in the audience. The song would be announced and everybody knew John would have to start on\u00a0<em>that<\/em>\u00a0note\u2014MISTER! Moonlight. There was no chord to precede it, he had to get it right from\u00a0<em>nothing<\/em>. (<em>Neil Aspinall, quoted in Mark Lewisohn, All These Years Volume One: Tune In<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As Lewisohn says, deployed as an opening song it &#8220;commanded their crowd&#8217;s attention before playing so much as a second.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like several of the Beatles&#8217; cover versions, this was a pretty obscure track, and a B-side at that. The A-side (also called Dr Feelgood, as in the artist&#8217;s name) only made number 66 on the billboard chart. It&#8217;s telling that the Beatles sought out such tracks, showing not only how thoroughly they explored the territory, but also the degree of respect they had for every album track and B-side. To the Beatles every song was potentially important and this would generalize to the care and attention they gave to their own work and the level of scrutiny they expected from music fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although I quite like it, I don&#8217;t think Mr Moonlight is a favourite with fans in general. The &#8220;cheesy&#8221; Hammond organ sound comes in for a bit of criticism. Ian McDonald (admittedly not always a discerning critic) describes the song as a &#8220;gross quasi-calypso&#8221;, whose &#8220;gaudy chintz&#8221; is somewhat offset by Lennon&#8217;s vocal but, but &#8220;reinstated in all its gold lam\u00e9 ghastliness&#8221; by McCartney&#8217;s organ solo. I can see the point. The particular settings McCartney uses are reminiscent of the kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wurlitzer_theatre_organs_in_the_United_Kingdom\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wurlitzer_theatre_organs_in_the_United_Kingdom\">Wurlitzer organs<\/a> that was played at end-of-the pier and ballroom seaside variety shows, which is probably what gives it it&#8217;s chintz associations for Macdonald. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Mister Wonderful\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1nPm8pUCiMStRnSrcSqLBy?si=b22eb4f56bf64415&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the way McCartney plays the solo (in a low register with little staccato phrases) and taken alongside the Beatles&#8217; generally sound musical judgement, it seems quite likely that this was deliberate. Maybe the effect is intended to give the song a note of ironic humour which would not be unheard of (for example the &#8220;Welcome to Slaggers&#8221; section of <a href=\"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/205-you-know-my-name-look-up-the-number\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"43\">You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)<\/a>). On the other hand the sound is not so different from the way Booker T and the MGs used the organ, albeit nowhere near as successful as their R&#8217;n&#8217;B hits. Anyway perhaps it&#8217;s an excuse to share (for comparison) their (1969) version of McCartney&#8217;s Michelle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Michelle\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/4O5EWU51XGL1yXVnvFc1Rs?si=65f0c0c32fca43f1&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I think the take home lesson is that the organ is a double-edged instrument. In the right hands it can add a soulful sustained thickness to the backing track, but in the wrong hands cheese and chintz. Handle with care! Overall, I think Mr Moonlight is fun. I really like the vocal (including the harmonies), and whether intended ironically or not, the organ doesn&#8217;t really bother me too much. But admittedly, I am heavily swayed by the opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mr Moonlight is a cover of a song, originally recorded by Dr Feelgood and the Interns, that appears on the Beatles For Sale album. Looking back at the underlying ratings that support its ranking on this blog, I see that I rated it highly for performance, and a good proportion of that score is due [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24,19,47],"class_list":["post-555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-song-a-day","tag-beatles-for-sale","tag-cover","tag-notation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":557,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions\/557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomhartley.me.uk\/beatles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}