"'Is this the train to Desert Moon?’ was all she said… but I knew I’d heard that stranger’s voice before…"
A US #10 hit single pulled from the former Styx singer/songwriter’s 1984 LP of the same name, the album also contained Dennis' follow up, the lesser charting US #83 empowerment anthem "Don't Wait for Heroes", and his synth rock cover of Hendrix's "Fire".
Relating the story of the protagonist’s chance meeting with his first love from many years’ prior, "Desert Moon" taps into the flood of emotions both ex-lovers experience as they reflect on what might have been. DeYoung’s lyrics infer that there’s always feelings deep inside for that person you shared your first love with, long after time, distance, and circumstance has moved both people on.
The tune belongs to a class of similar wistfully reminiscent love songs of the ‘80s like Don Henley’s "Boys of Summer" (#5/84), Richard Marx’s "Endless Summer Nights" (#2/88), The Moody Blues’ "Your Wildest Dreams" (#9/86), and "Where are you Now?" by Jimmy Harnen w/ Synch (#10/89).
"She was standing in the rain… trying hard to speak my name… they say first love never runs dry…"
And what of the curious title... Desert Moon. Is there an actual town with that name? Maybe a small dusty town in New Mexico or Arizona? Or does the "Desert Moon" represent their past relationship, and the reality that never was, had they stayed together? Turn out it is neither.
Dennis had been asked to contribute a song to the soundtrack of the David Lynch directed sci-fi classic "Dune", which got him in the mindset of "deserts" and "moons" based on the characteristics of the planet Arrakis from that film (and the source novel). After some time, he learned that the record label Polydor didn’t need any more song submissions for the film. However, Dennis was still thinking about deserts and moons, so he decided to turn that visual into a metaphor for the passage of time as one ages, and the lost innocence and yearning that we all feel to return to those carefree and impetuousness days of youth and of young love.
(I’m glad he wasn’t inspired by the gigantic sand worms from that film, because the song would have turned out completely different!)
"When the whistle caught the night… and shook silence from our lives… as the last train rolled toward the moon."
In the right mood, I admit this song can make me a little weepy as I reflect on how things were in my past, and compare those memories to the world today. I think the majority of people would like to re-visit the years of their youth again, when (for most of us) there was a lot less stress, less bother, and far fewer demands on one’s time. In short, more innocence and freedom. And I too wish I could go back, just for a little while. Whether you connect with the first love aspect of the song, or the reflections of youth sentiment, I think that Dennis perfectly encapsulated this yearning for the past with "Desert Moon".
Give it a spin below, and see if DeYoung’s tune takes you back to a simpler time in your life. Feel free to comment and let me know what memories you rediscover!
And be sure to check in with the Dial in May for our next selection from the record store racks, radio station airwaves, and Walkmans of our collective past.
"Those summer nights, when we were young, we bragged of things, we’d never done… we were dreamers… only dreamers. Moments pass… and time moves on… but dreams remain, for just as long, as there’s dreamers… all the dreamers… on Desert Moon."
I first saw this video in the 80s. It touched me then and still touches me even so more so today. Yesterday i watched the video and my eyes actually watered. I'm not so sure the reason but this song and video touches me like no other ever has.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is I wondered about what caused Dennis to write such a song. So I checked out his bio. I read that he married his high school sweetheart. I believe they are still together. So two things came to mind. First the song is about imagining what his life would have been like had they broken up and was seperated by time and distance. Like he explored his range of emotions that he would have felt had he not done the smart thing and actually did let her get away.
The next thing I thought about was perhaps they actually did break up before they got married and this is what he actually went through. obviously this would have been for a shorter period of time in real life. This is because,as his bio read, they married in 1970. When he said he may go to Chicago that clearly meant he may go looking for her. His bio also said he lives in Illinios and he grew up in Chicago.
Something else came to mind...that the video was a physical metaphor of feelings..or rush of emotions he felt in that chance meeting at the train station. That while he interacted with her he went through searching for those feelings in his heart but this was all represented by physically returning to his hometown to recapture what was lost. If my idea makes any sense.