"Moonlight Shadow" is a pop song

Pop Song

Pop Song is the first single by the Drugs. It was released in 2000 and earned the Drugs some positive press. It has been described as "addictive". A live version was released on The Only Way Is Up...

 written and performed by English multi-instrumentalist

Multi-instrumentalist

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...

 Mike Oldfield

Mike Oldfield

Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

, released as a single in May 1983 and included in the album Crises

Crises

Crises is the eighth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1983. Oldfield's well known hit "Moonlight Shadow" appears on the album.- Album analysis :...

of the same year. The vocals were performed by Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly

Maggie Reilly

Maggie Reilly is a Scottish singer best known for her collaborations with the composer and instrumentalist Mike Oldfield...

, who had joined Mike Oldfield in 1980. It is Oldfield's most successful single to date.

Release

The single peaked at number 4 in the British charts

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, making it Oldfield's second highest ranked single after "Portsmouth

Portsmouth (Mike Oldfield single)

"Portsmouth" is a single released by musician Mike Oldfield in 1976 . It is Oldfield's highest charting single in the United Kingdom, charting at number 3.- Details :...

", which reached number 3 in 1976. "Moonlight Shadow" was successful throughout Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. It reached number 1 in countries, including Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 for two weeks, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 for four weeks and Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 for six weeks. It spent four weeks at number 2 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and also hit number 6 in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It was re-released as a maxi-CD

Maxi single

A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...

 single in 1993 to promote Oldfield's Elements

Elements Box

Elements Box is a 4CD box set by Mike Oldfield released in 1993 .- Disc artwork :Each CD covers a different period of time in Oldfield's work and has a different cover; disc one's cover is red, depicting fire, disc two's cover is blue, depicting water, disc three's cover is also blue, depicting the...

 box set, charting at number 52.

A 12" single (later reissued on a 3" CD single

CD single

A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...

) featured an extended version of the song with an extra verse, and the single B-side was "Rite of Man", which was a rare instance of Oldfield singing lead vocal. The extended mix also appears on his compilation album The Platinum Collection

The Platinum Collection (Mike Oldfield album)

The Platinum Collection is a 2006 Virgin Records compilation album written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield. It contains most of Oldfield's best known work, and some rare mixes of songs that had previously only been available as B-sides to singles....

.

In 1991 the song was re-released in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and in 1993 it was featured on promos for Elements in France and Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

.

Live performances

Maggie Reilly sang "Moonlight Shadow" live when she toured

Mike Oldfield Concert Tours

This article is a list of Mike Oldfield concert tours. The larger of the tours have separate articles. Oldfield has performed in concerts since his youth, and most recently performed in 2008.- Background :...

 with Oldfield in the 1980s. However since then, other singers have performed the song live with Oldfield including, Anita Hegerland

Anita Hegerland

Anita Hegerland , is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.- Biography :...

 (during the late 1980s), Pepsi Demacque (at the Tubular Bells III premiere and at the Live Then & Now '99 tour), Miriam Stockley

Miriam Stockley

Miriam Stockley is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music in her home country. Her unique vocalese style gained international acclaim when Karl Jenkins' launched the "Adiemus" project with "Songs of Sanctuary", featuring...

 (at the Millennium concert) and Rosa Cedrón (at Nokia Night of the Proms).

Artwork

The original cover art is an enlargement of the lower right corner of the Crises album cover by UK artist Terry Ilott. This shows a man with his foot on a ledge with the sea and sky in the background. The moon, the tower and its shadow from the album cover cannot be seen on the single cover.

The artwork for the 1993 reissue followed the style of the Elements artwork in most countries.

Production

An early version of the song was entitled "Midnight Passion" with vocals by British singer Hazel O'Connor

Hazel O'Connor

Hazel O'Connor is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after World War II to work in a car plant...

. Along with Maggie Reilly, a girlfriend of one of the roadies when Oldfield was on tour, Oldfield used a rhyming dictionary and recorded many of the lyrics word by word. According to Oldfield, Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 were immediately happy with the song and wanted more pieces similar to it. Reilly also sang on "Foreign Affair

Foreign Affair (Mike Oldfield song)

"Foreign Affair" is a pop song written by Maggie Reilly and Mike Oldfield, which first appeared on Oldfield's 1983 album Crises.On "Foreign Affair" Oldfield plays a Fairlight CMI and Roland Strings. Maggie Reilly provides vocals, and the co-producer, Simon Phillips plays Tama Drums and a Shaker....

" on Crises.

Oldfield later sampled

Sampling (music)

In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 the drums from "Moonlight Shadow" for the song "Man in the Rain

Man in the Rain

"Man in the Rain" is a pop song written and performed by by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield. It was included on the album Tubular Bells III and released as a single in October 1998. The vocals were performed by Cara Dillon.- History :...

" on his 1998 album, Tubular Bells III

Tubular Bells III

Tubular Bells III is the 18th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1998. A sequel to Oldfield's 1973 Tubular Bells and his 1992 Tubular Bells II albums, it was released on the 25th anniversary of the first Tubular Bells album....

.

Lyrical content

It has been suggested that the lyrics of the song are a reference to the murder of John Lennon

John Lennon

John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...

 despite the fact that the events in the song do not correspond with those of Lennon's murder. Lennon was shot four times just before 11pm, whereas in the song the time is 4am and the number of shots is six. When asked if Moonlight Shadow is a reference to John Lennon's murder in a 1995 interview, Oldfield responded:

Video

There are two versions of the video, the full-length original, and a shorter one which omits a verse - the reason for the shorter version was for the requirements of some TV broadcasters, and the way both versions are edited suggests that Oldfield's touring guitarist "Ant" (Anthony Glynne) performed the second, overdriven half of the guitar solo, which is not the case. Also in the video is Oldfield's touring drummer, Pierre Moerlen

Pierre Moerlen

Pierre Moerlen was a French drummer and percussionist, best known for his work with Gong and Mike Oldfield.-Biography:...

, miming the part played by Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...

 on the recording.

German vinyl

1. "Moonlight Shadow" – 3:37
2. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended version) – 5:18
3. "Rite of Man" – 2:21
4. "To France" – 4:43
5. "Jungle Gardenia" – 2:45 (Mike Oldfield)
6. "Taurus 3" – 2:25

1988 CD

1. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended version) – 5:18
2. "Rite of Man" – 2:21
3. "To France
   To France
   "To France" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It is from the album Discovery and features Maggie Reilly on vocals.It references Mary Stuart in its chorus...
   
   " – 4:44
4. "Jungle Gardenia" – 2:44

1993 CD

1. "Moonlight Shadow" – 3:35
2. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended version) – 5:18
3. "In the Pool" – 3:40
4. "Bones" – 3:19

Chart positions

The song performed particularly well in European charts, reaching number one in countries such as Norway, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...	1
Italian Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	1
Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	2
Eurochart Hot 100	1
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	1
Swiss Singles Chart	1
South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... n Singles Chart	7
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	2
Spanish Singles Chart	1
New Zealand Singles Chart	3
French Singles Chart	3
Austrian Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	4
Belgian Singles Chart VRT Top 30 The VRT Top 30 or Radio 2 Top 30 is a Belgian record chart that runs on the VRT, more specifically on Radio 2. The list is the new version of the old BRT Top 30, that changed along with the media group's name in 1992....	1
Australian Singles Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...	6
Polish Singles Chart	1

Personnel

• Mike Oldfield
  Mike Oldfield
  Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
  
  : Guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  s, Fairlight CMI
  Fairlight CMI
  The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
  
  , writer, producer
  Record producer
  A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
  
  
• Maggie Reilly
  Maggie Reilly
  Maggie Reilly is a Scottish singer best known for her collaborations with the composer and instrumentalist Mike Oldfield...
  
  : Vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  
• Rick Fenn
  Rick Fenn
  Richard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
  
  : Guitar
• Phil Spalding
  Phil Spalding
  Philip Spalding also known as Phil Spalding, is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars...
  
  : Bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Simon Phillips
  Simon Phillips
  Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
  
  : Drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , Producer

Appearances and influence in other media

The song has been used in other media, such as:

• It appeared on the soundtrack of the Italian
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
   comedy Vacanze di Natale (1983).
• It is the theme song for Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior, a character in the BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
   TV comedy series The Fast Show
  The Fast Show
  The Fast Show, known as Brilliant in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special Last Fast Show Ever in 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and...
  
  .
• The French television station Direct 8
  Direct 8
  Direct 8 is a national French TV channel, owned by Vincent Bolloré. It is available through digital terrestrial television network "TNT" and the Astra 1H satellite position....
  
   used a guitar-based instrumental cover version of "Moonlight Shadow" as its main jingle in 2005.
• A portion of the song is used in the 2006 DVD
  DVD
  A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
  
   of the live stage show The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You
  The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You
  The League Of Gentlemen Are Behind You is a pantomime themed stage show by The League of Gentlemen. It was their second major UK tour and premiered in 2006. The show was a departure from the Gents' trademark dark humour, thanks to the whimsical pantomime nature of it...
  
  .
• Banana Yoshimoto
  Banana Yoshimoto
  is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto , a Japanese contemporary writer. She writes her name in hiragana.-Biography:Yoshimoto, daughter of Takaaki Yoshimoto, was born in Tokyo on July 24, 1964...
  
  's novella, Kitchen, has a story called "Moonlight Shadow
  Moonlight Shadow (novella)
  is an award-winning novella by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto, partly inspired by Mike Oldfield's song with the same title. The novella is included in most editions of Yoshimoto's novel Kitchen.-Synopsis:...
  
  ", which is influenced by this song.

Cover versions

Numerous cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

s of "Moonlight Shadow" have been performed over the years, including by Groove Coverage

Groove Coverage

Groove Coverage is a German Euro-dance band. The Groove Coverage project consists of Axel Konrad, DJ Novus, Melanie Munch, better known as Mell , and Verena Rehm . The band has had hits around the world, especially in Germany, and have had radio play in North America, notably with the song, "Poison"...

 and The Shadows

The Shadows

The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...

 (a band whom Oldfield was influenced by) on their 1986 album Moonlight Shadows. Notably Oldfield had also covered a Shadows song, "Wonderful Land

Wonderful Land

"Wonderful Land" is an instrumental piece which was released as a single by The Shadows in 1962. It stayed at #1 in the UK for more weeks than any other single during the whole of the 1960s....

".

Other versions over the years have included:

• In 1989, Annie Haslam
  Annie Haslam
  Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
  
   formerly of Renaissance
  Renaissance (band)
  Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...
  
   covered the song on her self-titled third solo album
  Annie Haslam (album)
  Annie Haslam is the third solo album by Renaissance vocalist Annie Haslam, released in 1989.The album consisted mostly of original material and included covers of Mike Oldfield's "Moonlight Shadow", which had been a UK number 4 hit in 1983, and Rose Royce's 1978 UK number 3 hit "Wishing on a...
  
   produced by Larry Fast
  Larry Fast
  Lawrence Roger 'Larry' Fast is a synthesizer expert and composer. He is best known for Synergy, his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums, and for his contribution to a number of popular music acts, including Peter Gabriel, Foreigner, and Hall and Oates.- Biography :Fast grew up in...
  
  .
• In 1990, as part of their Plays Synthesizer World Hits album the Italian spacesynth band Koto
  Koto (band)
  Koto is an Italian synth pop group that originally consisted of Anfrando Maiola and Stefano Cundari, later with the Dutch composer Michiel van der Kuy.- History :...
  
   covered a instrumental version of "Moonlight Shadow" using electronic synthesizers
  Synthesizer
  A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
  
  .
• In 1997, a dance
  Dance song
  The expression dance song has the following meanings that basically relate dance to the song.*A danceable song; see dance music, dancing music.*A song concerning itself almost entirely with a particular dance...
  
   version of the song was produced by Missing Heart
  Missing Heart
  Missing Heart was a eurodance group managed by German producers David Brandes, Felix Gauder, Gary Jones and others.The project was started in 1994 with a single "Wild Angels". Project continued in 1996. with single "Charlene". The third single was released in 1997. It was a cover of "Moonlight...
  
  . A techno remix of the Missing Heart cover was later released by DJ Mystik.
• Austrian band 'Code 7' covered the track.
• In 2001, Serbia
  Serbia
  Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
  
  n punk rock band KBO!
  KBO!
  KBO! is a Serbian punk rock band from Kragujevac. They are one of the first hardcore punk acts on the former Yugoslav punk scene. Since the very beginning, the band accepted the DIY ethic by forming their own record label KBO! Records, through which they have released all their official releases...
  
   recorded a version on their 2001 cover album (Ne) Menjajte Stanicu ((Do Not) Change the Station).
• In 2002, the band 1000 Years covered "Moonlight Shadow" on the compilation Crazy Mix 2002.
• In 2002, Japanese
  Japanese people
  The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
  
   artist Kokia
  Kokia (singer)
  is a Japanese singer-songwriter, who performs under the stage name Kokia . She is best known for her songs and "The Power of Smile." She is also recognised for her numerous contributions to anime/game soundtracks, the most notable being "Ai no Melody/Chōwa Oto " for the film...
  
   included a cover version on her 7th single, "Ningen-tte Sonna Mono ne".
• In 2002, child singer Aselin Debison
  Aselin Debison
  Aselin Debison is a Canadian pop and Celtic music singer.-Career:Debison began her singing career in 1999, when she was asked to sing at a rally of protesting miners in her hometown. Soon after this performance she began working on a Christmas album The Littlest Angel which was released in 2001...
  
   covered it on her Sweet Is the Melody album.
• In 2003, German band X-Perience
  X-Perience
  X-Perience is a eurodance band from Berlin, Germany. Their music style varies between synthpop, trance and ethnopop. The band members are Manja Wagner , Matthias Uhle and Alexander Kaiser . Singer Claudia Uhle, Matthias' sister, left the band in 2007 and was replaced by Manja.-History:X-Perience...
  
   covered "Moonlight Shadow" as a planned single (including remixes by DJs@Work) for 2006, but their record label changed this plan and this version remain unreleased.
• In 2004, German gothic rock
  Gothic rock
  Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
  
   band Elane recorded a ballad version on their album The Fire of Glenvore.
• In 2005, Italian power metal band Skylark
  Skylark (Italian band)
  Skylark is an Italian power metal band founded in 1994 by Eddy Antonini and is still active today.-History:Skylark was founded by Eddy Antonini in 1994 with the intent of exploring several musical styles in one project. After adding four members, the group recorded the 1995 album The Horizon and...
  
   covered the song on their album Fairytales.
• In 2005, Frédérique covered the track on their Irish Ties album.
• In 2005, an Italian house remix of the song was featured in Disco Tanz
  Disco Tanz
  Disco Tanz is a compilation album compiled and remixed by Italian house DJ Gigi D'Agostino, release in 2005 through Noise Maker records.-Remixes:The album features remixes of a number of popular songs both new and old:...
  
  , a compilation album by Gigi D'Agostino
  Gigi D'Agostino
  Luigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
  
  .
• In 2005, a cover of the song appeared as a hidden track on the album Command to Charge by German melodic death metal band Suidakra
  Suidakra
  SuidAkrA is a melodic death metal band from Germany with Celtic folk influences. During their fourteen-year career, they have performed over 200 live shows for several European and Russian tours, as well as a North American tour...
  
  .
• In 2007, hardcore group Noize Incorporated also covered the song for their 2007 album Mutilation.
• In 2007, the track appeared as a B-side on the single "Y Ahora Voy a Salir (Ranxeira)" by Spanish folk metal band Mägo de Oz
  Mägo de Oz
  Mägo de Oz is a Spanish folk/heavy metal band from Begoña, Madrid formed in mid-1988 by drummer Txus di Fellatio. In 1992, the band were finalists in the Villa de Madrid contest. Then, they went onto achieve great success in Spain, and in 1995, were declared Revolution Rock Band...
  
  .
• In 2008, on his album Recollection French pop singer Laurent Voulzy
  Laurent Voulzy
  Laurent Voulzy is a French singer and composer.-Biography:Voulzy originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus before joining Pascal Danel as guitarist from 1969 to 1974...
  
   covered "Moonlight Shadow" in the medley track "Jukebox".
• In 2009, Finnish heavy metal band Deathlike Silence covered the song for their album Saturday Night Evil.
• In 2009, the original singer, Maggie Reilly recorded another version of the song for her album Looking Back Moving Forward.
• In 2011, French singer Nolwenn Leroy
  Nolwenn Leroy
  Nolwenn Leroy, , is a French singer and songwriter, discovered by the French television reality show Star Academy. She is best known for her two Number One singles "Cassé" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!"....
  
   recorded a cover, included as a track on the re-release of her album Bretonne

Non-English cover versions

Foreign language covers of "Moonlight Shadow" include:

• Greek
  Greeks
  The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
  
   singer Stelios Rokos reseased a Greek-language version of the song, titled "Mia fotia stin ammo" (Gr:Μια φωτιά στην άμμο) which translates as "A fire on the sand/beach".
• Juliane Werding
  Juliane Werding
  Juliane Werding is a German singer and heilpraktiker.- Life :Werding is a German singer. In 1972, she became in Germany famous for her song "Am Tag, als Conny Kramer starb" . Werding wrote several books and lives in Starnberg near Munich, where she works as heilpraktiker...
  
   released a German-language version of the song, titled "Nacht voll Schatten".
• In 2004, Iceland
  Iceland
  Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
  
  ic singer Margrét Eir released an Icelandic-language version of the song, titled "Í næturhúmi".
• In 2006, Russia
  Russia
  Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
  
  n power metal band Miriada included a Russian language
  Russian language
  Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
  
   cover version on their album Иллюзия Любви (Illusion of Love) entitled "В Свете Лунной Тени" (Literally "In light of the lunar shadow").
• In 2009, Argentinian singer and composer Marcela Morelo
  Marcela Morelo
  Marcela Morelo , also known as La Morelo, is an Argentine singer-songwriter. She has released seven critically acclaimed studio albums, which all earned either Gold of Platinum record...
  
   adapted the lyrics to Spanish and recorded it for her album Otro Plan.

Live cover performances

Live covers of "Moonlight Shadow" include:

• In 1998, Ukrainian singer Ruslana
  Ruslana
  Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko is a World Music Award winning and MTV Europe Music Award nominated artist, and the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004....
  
   covered the song for a live radio performance.
• In 2002, British band Renaissance
  Renaissance (band)
  Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...
  
   covered the song on the live album In the Land of the Rising Sun
  In the Land of the Rising Sun: Live in Japan 2001
  In the Land of the Rising Sun: Live in Japan 2001 is a live album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance. It was released in 2002 by Giant Electric Pea...
  
  continuing an affinity for the tune first covered solo by vocalist Annie Haslam
  Annie Haslam
  Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
  
   (see above).

Groove Coverage cover version

In 2002 a dance

Electronic dance music

Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...

 version of "Moonlight Shadow" by Groove Coverage

Groove Coverage

Groove Coverage is a German Euro-dance band. The Groove Coverage project consists of Axel Konrad, DJ Novus, Melanie Munch, better known as Mell , and Verena Rehm . The band has had hits around the world, especially in Germany, and have had radio play in North America, notably with the song, "Poison"...

 reached the German Top 10

Media Control Charts

The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

 (simultaneously, a similar version of Oldfield's "To France

To France

"To France" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It is from the album Discovery and features Maggie Reilly on vocals.It references Mary Stuart in its chorus...

" by Novaspace

Novaspace

Novaspace is a German Eurodance project which, between 2002 and 2004, covered several 1980s hits, such as "Time After Time", "Guardian Angel" and "Beds Are Burning"...

 was in the German Top 30). "Moonlight Shadow" appeared on Groove Coverage's debut album, Covergirl

Covergirl (Groove Coverage album)

Covergirl is the first album of the German trance group Groove Coverage, released in 2002. It Features the 2 singles "Moonlight Shadow" and "God is a Girl" in both radio edit and ballad form. The Radio Edit of "God is a Girl" is a hidden track at the end of the album...

. The vocals are by Melanie Munch

Melanie Munch

Melanie Münch, , better known by the stage name Mell, is a German singer, best known for being the lead singer of trance group Groove Coverage.- Early life :...

, who is known by her stage name Mell. Aside from the single remixes, the album also contains a piano version, featuring piano by Verena Rehm

Verena Rehm

Verena Carmen Rehm , born in Neuburg, Bavaria, is best known as the backing vocalist and pianist of the Euro-Trance dance group Groove Coverage. She has many song writing credits both within and outside the group and also sings for many other German dance acts.- Early life :After attending...

.

CD single

1. "Moonlight Shadow" (Radio version) – 2:52
2. "Moonlight Shadow" (Original radio edit) – 2:54
3. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended version) – 6:56
4. "Moonlight Shadow" (Rocco remix) – 6:58
5. "Moonlight Shadow" (Warp Brothers remix) – 7:37
6. "Moonlight Shadow" (Video) – 2:53

Maxi single

1. "Moonlight Shadow" (Radio version) – 2:52
2. "Moonlight Shadow" (Original radio edit) – 2:59
3. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended version) – 6:58
4. "Moonlight Shadow" (Rocco remix) – 6:58
5. "Beat Just Goes" – 3:53

Remix single

A-side

1. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended version)

B-side

1. "Moonlight Shadow" (Club version)
2. "Beat Just Goes" (Club mix)

US maxi single

1. "Moonlight Shadow" (Josh Harris
   Josh Harris (artist)
   Josh Harris is an American dance musician best known for his remixes of various pop musicians and other dance artists.Harris the son of Joel and Marcia Harris, was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in an area called the Central West End near Forest Park . He began to take lessons in classical...
   
    Radio Edit) – 3:46
2. "Moonlight Shadow" (Josh Harris Club Mix) – 7:21
3. "Moonlight Shadow" (Josh Harris Dub) – 6:39
4. "Moonlight Shadow" (French Club Mix) – 6:36
5. "Moonlight Shadow" (French Short Cut) – 3:05
6. "Moonlight Shadow" (Plastic Men UK Mix) – 6:16
7. "Moonlight Shadow" (Warp Brothers
   Warp Brothers
   Warp Brothers is the dance music group moniker used by German DJs Oliver Goedicke and Jürgen Dohr. Established in 1999, Their style includes techno, hard acid, house, trance and electro....
   
    Remix) – 7:36
8. "Moonlight Shadow" (North Starz Remix) – 6:57
9. "Moonlight Shadow" (Alternate Radio Version) – 2:51
10. "Moonlight Shadow" (Original Mix) – 2:53
11. "Moonlight Shadow" (Extended Mix) – 6:54
12. "Moonlight Shadow" (Rocco Remix) – 6:56
13. "Moonlight Shadow" (A cappella) – 1:50
14. "Moonlight Shadow" (Pure & Direct Version) – 4:17

Chart positions

Chart (2002)	Peak position
German Singles Chart	3
Austrian Singles Chart	5
Europe Singles Chart	12
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	39
Swiss Singles Chart	52

External links

• Mike Oldfield Discography - Crises at Tubular.net