10 Best Songs With The Word "Moon' In The Title

Feature Photo: Drew Tilk

The moon has captivated human imagination for millennia and played a significant role in cultures around the world. From ancient mythology to modern science, the moon has symbolized mystery, transformation, and emotion. Civilizations like the Greeks and Romans personified the moon in their pantheons, associating it with goddesses like Selene and Luna, who governed time and the tides. Indigenous cultures around the world have also woven the moon into their spiritual practices, seeing it as a symbol of fertility, life cycles, and the constant interplay between darkness and light.

In literature and theater, the moon has often represented longing, change, and the passage of time, appearing in everything from Shakespeare’s plays to modern cinema. The moon’s influence over the natural world, its role in the tides, and its visible phases have made it a powerful symbol in human storytelling, serving as both a literal and metaphorical light in the darkness.

# 10 – “Moon Crazy” – Blue Öyster Cult

“Moon Crazy” by Blue Öyster Cult opens this list with a track from the band’s 1979 album Mirrors. Produced by Tom Werman, Mirrors marked a change for Blue Öyster Cult because it was the band’s first studio album not produced by longtime collaborator Sandy Pearlman. “Moon Crazy,” written by Joe Bouchard, leaned into the album’s more polished pop-rock direction while still retaining the musicianship that had defined the band’s earlier records.

# 9 – “The Moon Upstairs” – Mott the Hoople

“The Moon Upstairs” appeared on Mott the Hoople’s 1971 album Brain Capers. Written by Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs and produced by Guy Stevens, the song captures the raw, aggressive side of the band before the glam-rock breakthrough that followed with All the Young Dudes. Brain Capers became a cult favorite among Mott the Hoople fans, and “The Moon Upstairs” remains one of the album’s hardest-rocking performances.

Read More: Top 10 Mott The Hoople Songs

# 8 – “Full Moon” – The Kinks

“Full Moon” appeared on The Kinks’ 1977 album Sleepwalker, a record that moved the band away from the theatrical concept albums of the early 1970s and back toward a more direct rock sound. Written and produced by Ray Davies and recorded at Konk Studios in London, “Full Moon” reflects the personal and introspective writing found throughout the album, with Davies using the image of the moon to frame feelings of emotional instability and inner conflict.

# 7 – “Grapefruit Moon” – Tom Waits

“Grapefruit Moon” appeared on Tom Waits’ 1973 debut album, Closing Time. Produced by Jerry Yester, the album introduced the jazz, folk, blues, and singer-songwriter influences that shaped Waits’ earliest recordings. “Grapefruit Moon” is one of the record’s quietest and most intimate performances, using the moon as the centerpiece of a melancholy meditation on loneliness, memory, and lost love.

# 6 – “Walking on the Moon” – The Police

Released in 1979 on The Police’s second album, Reggatta de Blanc, “Walking on the Moon” became one of the band’s signature early recordings. Written by Sting, the song blends reggae rhythms with the spacious rock sound that distinguished The Police from many of their contemporaries. Produced by the band with Nigel Gray and recorded at Surrey Sound Studios, “Walking on the Moon” reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and helped solidify The Police as one of the most successful new bands of the era.

# 5 – “Moonlight Drive” – The Doors

Strange Days (50th Anniversary Expanded Edition)

“Moonlight Drive” appeared on The Doors’ second studio album, Strange Days, in 1967 and was also released as the B-side to “Love Me Two Times.” The song traces back to the earliest days of Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek’s partnership and became one of the first compositions associated with the formation of The Doors. Recorded at Sunset Sound and produced by Paul A. Rothchild, the finished version is driven by Robby Krieger’s eerie slide guitar and Morrison’s dark, poetic imagery.

# 4 – “Mr. Moonlight” – The Beatles

“Mr. Moonlight” appeared on The Beatles’ 1964 album Beatles for Sale. Written by Roy Lee Johnson and originally recorded by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns, the song had been part of The Beatles’ live repertoire before they recorded their own version at EMI Studios in London. Produced by George Martin and featuring John Lennon on lead vocals, The Beatles’ performance stands out for Lennon’s dramatic opening vocal and Paul McCartney’s Hammond organ part.

# 3 – “Moonlight Mile” – The Rolling Stones

“Moonlight Mile” closes The Rolling Stones’ 1971 album Sticky Fingers with one of the band’s most atmospheric recordings. Mick Jagger delivers an unusually vulnerable vocal, while Mick Taylor’s guitar work gives the track much of its shimmering character; Keith Richards did not perform on the recording. Recorded during the Sticky Fingers sessions at Stargroves, the song’s expansive arrangement and reflective mood made it one of the most distinctive deep cuts in the Rolling Stones catalog.

# 2 – “Moondance” – Van Morrison

Van Morrison’s “Moondance” first appeared as the title track of his 1970 album Moondance. Written by Morrison, the song fused jazz, R&B, and pop into one of the most recognizable recordings of his career. Remarkably, although the album arrived in 1970 and the song became an FM radio favorite, “Moondance” was not released as a single until 1977. Its swinging rhythm, prominent flute, and romantic nighttime imagery helped make both the song and the album enduring parts of Morrison’s catalog.

Read More: Our 10 Favorite Van Morrison Songs

# 1 – “Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

“Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival takes the number one spot on this list. John Fogerty wrote and produced the song, released in 1969 as the lead single from Green River. Its bright, instantly memorable arrangement contrasts sharply with lyrics warning of storms, earthquakes, and trouble ahead. “Bad Moon Rising” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s most famous recordings and a defining song of the band’s swamp-rock sound.