THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

755-The Waterboys-The Whole of the Moon.

1985-Number 26 single. When it was re-issued in 1991 it peaked at Number 3.

Best Bit-At 3.47. Mooning is the act of removing your clothing, and revealing your bare buttocks, which has absolutely nothing at all to do with this song.

The Waterboys were formed in London, England, in 1983, by Mike Scott, and at the time of writing they remain active, with Scott being the groups one constant. The Waterboys who took their name from a line in the Lou Reed (1942-2013) song ‘The Kids,’ from his 1973 Album ‘Berlin,’ have to date had 86 different official members come and go, including Karl Wallinger, 1982-1985, Eddi Reader, 1984, Guy Chambers, 1985-1986, (see also best songs 406) and Ian McNabb, 2001-2002. Founding member Mike Scott has said,’We’ve had more members I believe than any other band in Rock history.’ The Waterboys, whose genres of music have included ‘Rock,’ Folk Rock,’ ‘Celtic,’ and ‘Folk,’ have released 15 studio Albums between 1983-2022, and 29 singles within the same time period, there are also nine official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In the UK, they have had five top 40 singles, including the re-issue of ‘The Whole of the Moon,’ in 1991, which is their highest peaking song, reaching Number 3.

Mike Scott was born on December 14th, 1958, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and formed The Waterboys in 1983. Scott has said,’To me there’s no difference between Mike Scott, and The Waterboys, they both mean the same thing. They mean myself, and whoever are my current travelling musical companions.’ In addition to the Albums Scott has released with The Waterboys, he has also issued two Albums (in 1995, and 1997) under his own name, and also another two Albums within that same time period, that were made available for fan club members only. He has also released a best of collection in 1998, and four solo singles between 1995-1998.

‘The Whole of the Moon’ was written and produced by Mike Scott, and was the first of three singles released from ‘This Is the Sea,’ the third studio Album by The Waterboys, from September 1985. When first released in October 1985 ‘The Whole of the Moon’ reached Number 26, but when it was re-released in 1991 to promote ‘The Best of The Waterboys 81–90,’ it was far more successful, peaking at Number 3. The three official members of The Waterboys at that time who played on the track, were Mike Scott, (vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, piano, percussion, and synthesizer) Anthony Thistlethwaite, (saxophone, double bass, bass guitar, and mandolin) and Karl Wallinger, (bass synth, piano, organ, keyboard programming, synthesizer, and celeste.)

‘The Whole of the Moon’ is a tribute to inspirational figures in Mike Scott’s life, but not one particular person. In each line the singer describes his own perspective, and immediately contrasts it with that of the songs subject, summarising the difference with,’I saw the crescent/you saw the whole of the moon.’ Mike Scott has said,’I wrote the song when I was 26 years old, and I was discovering that there was so much more than I had ever known. There was so much more to learn than I’d even been hinted at in the culture I’d grown up in. I had a strong sense of wonderment about that, and I realised there were people who had vastly more information in their imaginations and experiences than I had. And so that’s what inspired that song.’

Mike Scott has stated that some of his inspirations for ‘The Whole of the Moon’ include the writers C.S. Lewis, (1898-1963) and Mark Helprin, and also the musicians Jimi Hendrix, (1942-1970) (see also best songs 983 and 492) and Syd Barrett, (1946-2006) (see also best songs 992) who ‘Burned out very quickly.’ In 2020 Mike Scott revealed that he wrote ‘The Whole of the Moon’ to impress a girl, who had asked him if it was easy to write a song.’In my 20’s I hadn’t yet grown out of the urge to show off to a new girlfriend, so I said ‘Yes it is!’ I pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of my pocket. There was a moon in the sky, so I wrote down ‘I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon.’ She was duly impressed. I fleshed it out in the hotel, and back home in London came up with more lyrics and the piano part, a self-taught rhythm with one finger doing one pattern, and three fingers doing another.’

‘I pictured a rainbow, you held it in your hands. I had flashes, but you saw the plan. I wandered out in the world for years, while you just stayed in your room, I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon. The whole of the moon.’