"Moonlighting"
Cover of the single released in the Netherlands
Single by Leo Sayer
from the album Another Year
B-side"Streets of Your Town"
Released15 August 1975 (1975-08-15)
GenrePop rock
Length3:59
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Leo Sayer singles chronology
"Train"
(1975)		 "Moonlighting"
(1975)		 "I Will Not Stop Fighting"
(1975)

"Moonlighting" is a song by Leo Sayer released in August 1975 as the first single from his third album Another Year. It became his fourth top-ten hit, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry.[1][2]

Lyrics

"Moonlighting" was written by Sayer and Frank Farrell and was co-produced by Sayer's manager Adam Faith and Russ Ballard.[3]

It was inspired by a roadie with Sayer who fell in love with the daughter of a chief of police in the late 1960s. The chief of police was not pleased about this and would not agree for them to get married, so the couple decided to run off and elope to Gretna Green in Scotland, where this would be possible. However, they never made it to Gretna Green, as they were stopped by Carlisle police who had been made aware by Worthing police of the couple's intentions. For the song, Sayer wanted the story to end happily, represented with the lyrics "we're only ten miles to Gretna, they're three hundred behind".[4]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 14
Norway (VG-lista)[8] 6
Rhodesia (Lyons Maid)[9] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 7
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[11] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 66

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[2] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Leo Sayer: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  2. 1 2 "British single certifications – Leo Sayer – Moonlighting". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Moonlighting (7-inch single). Chrysalis. 1975. CHS 2076.
  4. ↑ "Mixcloud". www.mixcloud.com. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 265. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Moonlighting". Irish Singles Chart.
  7. ↑ "Leo Sayer – Moonlighting". Top 40 Singles.
  8. ↑ "Leo Sayer – Moonlighting". VG-lista.
  9. ↑ Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  10. ↑ "Leo Sayer – Moonlighting". Singles Top 100.
  11. ↑ "SA Charts 1969–March 1989". Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. 29 December 1975. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
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