Hijo de la Luna (Moonchild) by Mecano is one of those songs that hits all the right notes- musically and lyrically. The lyrics tell the legend of a gypsy (Roma) woman who conjures up the moon in a ceremony, and she asks it to help her find a husband.
The moon replies as follows,
“You’ll have a man with dark skin, but in return I want your first born.”
As you can imagine, things don't turn out well. You can feel the crescendo as the action rises to its final tragic conclusion. It is a well told tale within the confines of the verses. It's in Spanish, so some of its magnificence gets lost in translation. But I think the melody resonates even beyond the limits of language.
Moon you want to be mother
And you can’t find a love
That can make you a woman.
Tell me, Silver Moon
What do you plan to do with a child made of flesh.
This is wonderful because the story teller ascribes sentience to the moon. There is something creepy about a moon who wants you to sacrifice your child and give it to her.
As the story continues, a son is born to the gypsy girl who has now married a man with skin the color of “cinnamon”. Things get really awkward because as it so happens, the child is born a bit different.
as white as the back of an ermine
with grey eyes instead of olive
Albino child of the moon
The husband suspects that he’s been “dishonored”, “Who’s child is this?” he questions her. He's convinced that the child is not his but belongs to a white man, and in a fit of rage he stabs and kills the girl. Then with the child in his arms, he runs to the bushes, where he abandons him beneath the moon.
At the end, the song becomes a sweet lullaby as it wraps the legend in a mythical cloak of humanity.
And on nights when the moon is full
It’s because the child is happy
And if the child cries
The moon will wane
To make a cradle for him.
The is a tragic tale as old as humanity itself. Mecano does a magnificent job of setting up the narrative and the musical composition. It is mythical in the sense that it explains why the moon wanes and becomes a crescent to cradle the crying child. Beautiful!
Have a wonderful and musical weekend!
Hijo de La Luna by Mecano on Youtube
