Overpop – The '80s: Moon Martin got his nickname because he wrote a lot of songs that contained references to the moon. I don’t have a list of them handy but I certainly understand the impulse. The moon’s got everything, including a man in it and a dark side. It’s a far more interesting celestial body than the sun, which has taken its importance in the cultivation of maize and beachfront properties a little too far. The sun won’t even let you look at it, like an
unmasked Gene Simmons before the Lick It Up era. Technically you’re not supposed to look too long at the moon either, but come on. I’d rather deal with the moon any day of the week. It has more character. Supposedly a full moon makes dogs impotent and drains major water arterials. There’s a children’s story in which a child who mentally reanimates objects in his room, which he shares with a domineering grandparent, repeatedly wishes the moon “goodnight,” though the moon isn’t going anywhere. That’s kind of nerve-wracking. Another key difference between the moon and the sun: If you drink “moonshine,” you’re probably going to get intoxicated very quickly. If you take something called “sunshine” you may be abducted by a roving band of unvarnished sandals and taken aboard a bus that everybody thinks is driving itself. Screw the sun. I’ll take the moon. And Pluto while you’re at it; I have deepest sympathy for recovering planets.
Anyway, back to Moon Martin. He had one Top 40 hit called “
Rolene,” which I remember Casey Kasem counting down once. He also wrote a song called “
Bad Case of Loving You, which was Robert Palmer’s biggest solo hit before he discovered the
regenerative qualities of expressionless female models. Moon Martin was also loosely associated with the whole Dwight Twilley-Phil Seymour-Oklahoma arc, which is a very good arc and will probably be featured in its own theme week someday. This is an extremely catchy song called ”Cross Your Fingers." It briefly mentions the moon.
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