“Blue Moon Rising” by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Of course with a song this metaphorical, we’re going to have to exercise some theoretical leeway in the name of interpreting it. And based on our estimation, what Noel Gallagher is speaking to on the surface is something like the concept of street life. Or more specifically the primary addressee is someone who “(lives) on the edge of the night”. 

Such terminology would imply that he or she is into, shall we say risky nocturnal activities. And it is apparent such a modus operandi which has taken over his or her life. And meanwhile, it would seem that the vocalist is also able to perceive that some type of larger-scale danger is imminent, as symbolically indicated “by the light of the blue moon rising”.

Narrator and Addressee

But the vocalist’s relationship with the addressee is such that it appears the latter has a great deal of influence over the former. And one of the primary reasons for this relational dynamic is that the singer actually “feel(s) electric” or exhilarated when in the presence of the addressee. 

Or looked at differently, the person he is singing to/about likes living dangerously. And the narrator, despite obviously being the more-cautious type, finds being with this person excitable. Or viewed differently yet again within the context of the overall narrative, the singer views most people as being hurt or lost. But as for the addressee, even though his or her life may not have materialized as previously idealized, Noel still seems to be under the impression that this person knows the “secret” of fulfillment, so to speak.

What “Blue Moon Rising” is all about

So putting all of these ideas together, what “Blue Moon Rising” reads as is one of those songs which espouses a carefree lifestyle, albeit in a roundabout way. The narrator himself doesn’t particularly come off as a shining symbol of confidence. But the addressee, i.e. the person he looks up to, appears to be the type who would rather, excuse our French, grab life by the balls as opposed to being victimized by it, with most other people the vocalist is familiar seeming to be more inclined towards the latter.

Facts about “Blue Moon Rising”

This is the title track from what is essentially a three-song EP that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds put out in 2020. The band put out that project via Sour Mash Records. It was the only project they released that particular year. 

More specifically the song itself came out on 30 January 2020, being the second single from said project.

Blue Moon Rising (the EP) also produced one other single, in 2019, which is “Wandering Star”.  

“Blue Moon Rising” (the song), which reached number two on the Scottish Singles Chart, performed more impressively out of the pair. But overall the project itself wasn’t a hit, in that it didn’t appear on any of the High Flying Birds’ local UK charts.

The song was both written and produced by Noel Gallagher.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is a project the titular artist started in the wake of the dissolution of Oasis, the band Noel was a part of from 1992 until it came apart in 2009. In fact it dissolved as a direct result of Noel’s departure, as he, in his own words, “could not go on working with Liam”, i.e. his younger brother who served as Oasis’s frontman, “a day longer”. 

Indeed Noel and Liam Gallagher have literally been going at it for decades, even post-Oasis. And whereas they both went on to embark on other projects since for the most part they were more successful, from a musical standpoint, together than they have been apart. It’s as if the success they experienced after Oasis was largely a result of the name they established for themselves while the act was still intact.

But that said the three albums which Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds did release during the 2010s – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (2011), Chasing Yesterday (2015) and Who Built the Moon? (2017) – all topped the UK Singles Chart. So did their 2021 compilation project, “Back the Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011-2021)”. However they also dropped eight EPs during the 2010s, none of which really performed exceptionally well, though 2015’s Where the City Meets the Sky – Chasing Yesterday: The Remixes did top the UK Vinyl Albums Chart.

And as far as their biggest hit to date goes, that was AKA… What a Life! (2011), i.e. the second single from the High Flying Birds self-titled debut album. In fact said album itself has been their best received project thus far, going double-platinum in the UK and selling 2,500,000 copies around the world.