We’ve just experienced one of the worst weeks of Trump 2.0, so I thought some lighter fare was in order. What’s lighter than Moon songs?

The featured image comes from an early movie short by Georges Méliès, A Trip To The Moon. I hope the man in the aforementioned moon was able to dislodge the space ship from his eye. That looks painful even if this French moon is made of cheese. Do people even repeat that fable anymore? It’s so old it has whiskers on it, which would suck if it were brie or camembert. Time to cheese it to the next paragraph.

No more cheese jokes after this one from The Life Of Brian, I promise:

The Moon songs are in chronological order. I’ve used my favorite versions. For example, Chuck Berry recorded Havana Moon in 1956, but I’m using George Benson’s 2019 cover. One could even say I just went from Corrupt Cuba to Communist Cuba. Marco Rubio plans to make Cuba corrupt again. It’s what MAGA does.

Enough with the Cuba jokes. The songs range in date from 1933 to 1992, which, as you will see, was a good year for Moon songs.

We begin with Louis and Oscar:

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson? That goes for King Zulu, 1949 as well. I may be meh on Carnival 2026, but never on Satchmo.

I haven’t seen Richard Linklater’s movie Blue Moon yet, but I can post Ella’s version of the Rodgers and Hart classic. 

They say the devil is in the details, apparently, he’s also in the moon:

George Benson goes lunar. I have no idea what that means but it scans.

Here’s my favorite version of the moony Mancini-Mercer movie classic:

Bad Moon Rising is a song that reflects the tenor of its time with a corrupt president going to war hither and yon: Nixon, not Trump.

Next, the saddest song Robbie Robertson ever wrote:

What’s a Moon song list without a werewolf reference or The Kinks for that matter?

Let’s rock with David, Tina, Chris, and Jerry:

There was a bumper crop of Moon songs released in 1992. The next song is famously about comedian Andy Kaufman. He looked nothing like the Méliès moon man or Jim Carrey who played him onscreen.

Speaking of bumper crops and harvests:

Finally, an old favorite from Los Lobos. Who among us doesn’t love a lavender moon?

That concludes the Moon Songs Dozen proper or is that improper?

What would an Adrastos listicle be without a dollop of lagniappe? It’s a Gret Stet of Louisiana thing as are Cajuns and Bourbon Street.

Did you think I’d forgotten something? Not to worry. I’m saving the best for last. We close with one of the Neville Brothers’ finest songs.

The Yellow Moon is over Valence Street. Uptown New Orleans. 13th Ward.