The Whole of the Moon

"The Whole of the Moon"
Single by the Waterboys
from the album This Is the Sea
B-side
  • "Medicine Jack"
  • "Spirit"
  • "The Girl in the Swing"
  • "A Golden Age" (1991)
Released14 October 1985 (1985-10-14)
RecordedMay 1985
StudioLivingstone (London), Amazon (Liverpool)
Genre
Length4:58
LabelEnsign
SongwriterMike Scott
ProducerMike Scott
The Waterboys singles chronology
"The Big Music"
(1984)
"The Whole of the Moon"
(1985)
"Don't Bang the Drum"
(1985)
Audio sample
The Whole of the Moon
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"The Whole of the Moon" is a song by Scottish band the Waterboys, released as a single in October 1985 by Ensign Records from their third album, This Is the Sea (1985). It is a classic of the band's repertoire and has been consistently played at live shows ever since its release. Written and produced by Mike Scott, the song has inspired speculation regarding its subject.

The single was not a big success when initially released in 1985, only making the lower ends of the chart, although it reached No. 12 on the Australian chart. Subsequently, it became one of the Waterboys' best-known songs and their most commercially successful. It was the Ivor Novello Award winner "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" in 1992. Upon its re-release in March 1991, it reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom.