The Killing Moon
Encyclopedia
The Killing Moon is a single by the band Echo & the Bunnymen
. It was released on their 1984 album, Ocean Rain
. It is one of the band's highest-charting hits, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart
.
woke up one morning with the phrase "fate up against a whale" in mind. He wrote it down but then decided to change it to 'your will' later.
by many artists:
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
. It was released on their 1984 album, Ocean Rain
Ocean Rain
Ocean Rain is the fourth studio album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 8 May 1984 and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, number 87 on the United States Billboard 200, number 41 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums and number 22 on the Swedish chart. Since...
. It is one of the band's highest-charting hits, reaching number nine in the 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 ...
.
Lyrics
According to the liner notes of Echo and the Bunnymen's Crystal Days box set, Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
woke up one morning with the phrase "fate up against a whale" in mind. He wrote it down but then decided to change it to 'your will' later.
Appearances on film and television
- In 1998, the song appeared in the film GiaGiaGia is a 1998 biographical television film about the life of model Gia Marie Carangi starring Angelina Jolie, Faye Dunaway, Mercedes Ruehl, and Elizabeth Mitchell. It was directed by Michael Cristofer and written by Cristofer and Jay McInerney...
. - The song was used quite prominently in the 2001 cult filmCult filmA cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Donnie Darko. Played over the opening sequence, it was in fact a last minute substitution by the film's director, Richard KellyRichard Kelly (director)James Richard Kelly is an American film director and writer, best known for writing and directing the cult classic Donnie Darko in 2001.-Early life:...
, when he could not obtain the rights to use INXSINXSINXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
's "Never Tear Us ApartNever Tear Us Apart"Never Tear Us Apart" is a single released by Australian rock group INXS in August 1988. It was also included on the band's sixth studio album, Kick. The music was written by Andrew Farriss, who recorded a blues-style demo and gave it to Michael Hutchence...
", which was later used in the director's cut. In the director's cut "The Killing Moon" was played as originally intended during the Halloween party towards the end of the film. - Another use of the song was in Grosse Pointe BlankGrosse Pointe BlankGrosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American Black comedy film, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Grosse Pointe Blank the 21st greatest comedy film of all time. The film's soundtrack features mainly independent music hits...
at the scene when Martin Blank exits Debbie Newberry's radio-booth after a short interview in which we learn he stood her up at promPromIn the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
night and disappeared for 10 years. - The song was also used in the film The Girl Next Door in the scene in which the protagonist first sees his new neighbour.
- "The Killing Moon" was used in Transworld's "First Love". It was the song used for Shiloh Greathouse's part.
- "The Killing Moon" was also used in a UK Promotional Spot for the TV series SupernaturalSupernatural (TV series)Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
. - Snowboarding film "More" by Absinthe films features this song.
- "The Killing Moon" was also used in a commercial for the Discovery WorldDiscovery World (TV channel)Discovery World is a European television network known as Discovery Civilisation from 1999 - 2008. Discovery World offers an experience of the very best factual programming from around the globe. Discovery World showcases a rich and colourful selection of high quality factual programmes from around...
channel series Events that Shook the World in 2009. - The song was used in the 5th episode in Series 2 of the E4 British comedy-drama, MisfitsMisfits (TV series)Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was...
Appearances in popular culture
- "The Killing Moon" is referred to in World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, a popular MMORPGMMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
published by Blizzard EntertainmentBlizzard EntertainmentBlizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
. Alliance quests named "Fate, Up Against Your Will" and "The Killing Time" are components of a larger quest chain involving the retaking of the Undercity from a group of insurgents.
- "The Killing Moon" is featured as part of the on-disc setlist in the video game Rock Band 3Rock Band 3Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
Cover versions
"The Killing Moon" has been coveredCover 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...
by many artists:
- A version can be found on the 1998 compilation album New Wave Goes to Hell, sung by deathrockDeathrockDeathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979.-Characteristics:...
singer Eva OEva OEva Ortiz better known as Eva O is a music artist most notable for her previous works in Christian Death and a band she formed with her then husband Rozz Williams called Shadow Project...
. - In 1999, the American indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group PavementPavement (band)Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
released a live version on their Major LeaguesMajor Leagues (EP)Major Leagues EP is Pavement's final EP, although two more singles were released afterwards. It features seven tracks in total:* A radio edit of the Terror Twilight version of "Major Leagues."...
EP. - The QuakesThe QuakesThe Quakes are a psychobilly band from Buffalo, NY. They were formed in 1986. They are considered very influential to the current American psychobilly scene, but in the late 80's, there was no scene to speak of in the United States...
, an American psychobillyPsychobillyPsychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
group, recorded a version for their 2001 album Last of the Human Beings. - American singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Grant-Lee PhillipsGrant-Lee PhillipsGrant-Lee Phillips is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his versatile voice, intense lyrical narratives and dexterity on the acoustic twelve-string guitar, a style that often sees him compared to Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.- Background :Born in...
recorded an acousticAcoustic musicAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
version for his 2006 covers album, NineteeneightiesNineteeneighties-Track listing:#"Wave of Mutilation" – 3:36#"Age of Consent" – 3:34#"The Eternal" – 5:15#"I Often Dream of Trains" – 3:20#"The Killing Moon" – 4:14...
. - French group Nouvelle VagueNouvelle Vague (band)Nouvelle Vague is a French musical collective led by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Their name is a play on words, meaning "new wave" in French, and "bossa nova" in Portuguese...
recorded a version for their 2006 covers album, Bande à Part. - Australian musician Wendy RuleWendy RuleWendy Rule is an Australian musical artist. She was born in Sydney, but now lives in Melbourne.She performs regularly, including several recent tours of the USA and Europe.-Musical style:...
recorded a version on the B-side of her single "Artemis". - The Australian rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Something for KateSomething for KateSomething for Kate are a rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Members include songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Paul Dempsey, drummer Clint Hyndman and bassist Stephanie Ashworth...
released a version on the B-side to their 2006 single "Cigarettes and Suitcases". - American singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Greg LaswellGreg LaswellGreg Laswell is a musician, recording engineer, and producer from San Diego, California. He has released four studio albums: Good Movie in 2003, Through Toledo in 2006, and Three Flights from Alto Nido in 2008, and Take a Bow in 2010, as well as several EPs and special singles...
recorded a version for his 2009 EP, Covers.
Track listing
- UK 12"
- "The Killing Moon" (All Night Version)
- "The Killing Moon"
- "Do It Clean" (Recorded live at the Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
London 18 July 1983)