The Whole of the Moon

“The Whole of the Moon” is the second song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys and their third studio album, “This Is the Sea”, released in 1985. The Waterboys were formed in Edinburgh by Mike Scott, and the band members at the time consisted of Anthony Thistlethwaite, Karl Wallinger, Roddy Lorimer and of course – Mike Scott.

“The Whole of the Moon” was written and produced by Mike Scott. It is The Waterboys best known song and is a dedication to an exceptionally strong person who remains unnamed throughout in the song. According to Scott, the inspiration for “The Whole of the Moon” came to him after his girlfriend asked him if it was difficult to write a song, which lead to the beginning of “The Whole of the Moon”, which Scott scribbled a lyric “on the back of an envelope on a wintry New York street.”

There is no official music video for the track, but a YouTube channel by the name of “Chrysalis Records” uploaded what they claim to be is the official video for the song. It simply features the band playing the song live on a stage. It was uploaded on the 15th November 2019, and currently has 637 thousand views and 5.6 thousand likes.

Release Date: 14th October 1985 (UK) & 21st November 1985 (US)

Songwriter: Mike Scott

Producer: Mike Scott

Label: Ensign Records

Chart Rankings & Awards: In its year of release, “The Whole of the Moon” reached #26 in the UK charts, and #3 again in 1991, when the song was re-issued. The track also won the Ivor Novello Award in 1991, for “Best Song Musically and Lyrically”.

The lyrics to “The Whole of The Moon” can be viewed here: LINK