16 July 1983
In today’s chart world of fts n’ collabs, it seems incredible that ‘Moonlight Shadow’ doesn’t give an artist credit to its singer, or apparently not even put their name on the record cover (above). Even at the time, my small child brain was a bit confused. Not having been a ’70s prog rocker or seen The Exorcist yet, I didn’t know who this Mike Oldfield chappie was, and he certainly wasn’t the one singing. But anyway, Maggie Reilly is the answer to that particular music trivia quiz question. (She’s also the answer to another delicious music trivia question: Who had the original hit version of Cascada’s ‘Everytime We Touch’?)
‘Moonlight Shadow’ was a number one across Europe in 1983, and top ten in the UK, but you can especially see why it was a hit in Ireland: up-tempo folk with a pop sensibility, at a time when Irish acts like De Dannan and Stockton’s Wing were trying similar things and Dexys had already taken that sound to a wider audience. Not that this single stands serious comparison with ‘Come On Eileen’; it’s a middle-of-the-road storytelling ballad without any stand-out instrumental hooks.
In fact, Reilly’s sweet, yearning voice is what I reckon made it such a hit. If I had been in the Singers’ Union in 1983 I’d be getting my rep to tap Oldfield on the shoulder and ask for a quick word.
