“Pink Moon” by Nick Drake

It’s safe to presume, based on the nature of some of their songs as well as that of the human experience in general, that all professional musicians, even the ones signed to major labels, get depressed sometimes. But unfortunately for Nick Drake, he suffered from an extremely severe case of this malady, to the point that for instance shortly after he came out with “Pink Moon”, he quit the music industry despite having a promising career in front of him. And it is likely, based on the motif of this track, that his depression was exacerbated by being one of those individuals who’s convinced that the world is coming to an end.

“Pink Moon”

The general consensus is that the “pink moon” Nick is referring to is some type of abstract symbol or that he is alluding to the color of said celestial body during eclipses. That is the type of mainstream explanation one would expect from an industry that is reluctant to look in certain directions. Indeed ‘pink moons’, as they are called, are even rationalized using somewhat strange explanations like being caused by similarly-colored flowers.

But of course, those familiar with the Bible know that ‘pink moons’ have a different, prophetic meaning, once again pointing to the notion of the world coming to an end (with said explanation itself being related to eclipses). We don’t actually know how religious Nick Drake may or may not have been. But an artist doesn’t have to be a Christian to utilize such a symbol in that context.

Indeed the very first line of this piece reads “I saw it written… pink moon is on its way”, which can be taken as a shootout to the Bible. And later on, this same “pink moon” is depicted as being so ominous that none of us are going to be able to escape what it entails – potentially a reference to a concept like the end of man’s age.

But to reiterate, we don’t exactly know for sure if that is what Nick is alluding to. But what is being put forth in this argument is that such would be a viable hypothesis as the singer/songwriter, being a woefully depressed individual that he banned himself from the music industry, likely shared a less-than-favorable outlook on the trajectory of the world, as with the Bible itself.

Nick Drake

During his lifetime Nick Drake (19468-1974) got around to dropping three studio albums, all of which have been certified gold in his homeland of the United Kingdom. Interestingly, his music didn’t sell particularly well during his lifetime. 

However, he holds an interesting place in industry history due to the fact that unfortunately, Nick overdosed himself to death at the age of 26. His tragic death happened just a couple of years after “Pink Moon” was released. 

His drug problem was magnified by the fact that he suffered from serious depression. And some years down the line, in 1999, Drake’s music experienced a newfound notoriety. One of the reasons for this was due to “Pink Moon” itself being featured on a popular Volkswagen commercial.

Release of “Pink Moon”

“Pink Moon” is the title track to the final album Nick Drake dropped. The song was released with the rest of the project, via Island Records, on 25 February 1972. 

Credits for “Pink Moon”

The writing of “Pink Moon” is credited to Nick only. Actually he solely composed all the songs on the “Pink Moon” album.

Also to note, Nick played all of the instruments on this track, having shunned the idea of using a band on the entirety of the album.

This album wasn’t a commercial success. However, it has been widely praised by music critics the world over.