Music Review: Belinda Carlisle "La Luna"

Belinda Carlisle

La Luna

Album: Runaway Horses

Year: 1989

        A visit to France brings back memories of a romance she had years before in the           yearning “La Luna.”

       An enamored Spainsh guitar opens the single, setting a sensual tone. She waits to be seated at the Le Cercle Rouge. It started here, she thinks as the hostess walks her to table. After taking her drink order, she scans the restraurant, looking at the man who she has thought about for at least a decade.  From a couple tables away, she can picture him gazing at her. She had look away from him, the intensity of his look consuming her. Before he left, he struck up a conversation with her, asking her about her travels and where she was from. She explained she was on a much needed vacation. As they walked on the la Corniche, they got to know each other.  He lived in California for awhile, close to the same city of her home before returning back to France. They wondered how it took them several thousands miles to finally meet. (“I remember when I met you/All the stars were hanging in mid-air/In those moments, nothing mattered/But the way you caught me in your stare/We were walking, we were talking/We were laughing about the state of our lives/How our fates brought us together/As the moon was rising in your eyes.”)

        In the pre-chorus, all through the night, they had walked the city. He stop occansionally to point an important monument to her and a promise to take her to it in the morning.  At 4 a.m., they decided to rest at a park. As he snored, she traced circles on his chest, unable to sleep. (“On and on the night was falling/Deep down inside us/On and on a light was shining right through.”)

           In the chorus, that night she looked up at the moon, illuminating the harbor and the sea. It brought out the hint of hazel in his eyes and the source of her most memorable night of her life. (“Ah la luna la luna/The night that we fell under the spell of the moon/Ah la luna la luna/The light that will bring me back to you/The light of la luna.”)

         The next morning, as they ate breakfast, they saw couples feeding each other on the terrace. At the hotel across the street, another couple embraced each other and kissed. On the ferry boat, he stayed close to her as she viewed the Notre Dame cathedral. While his arms were clasped around her, she would lean forward to return his kiss. She decided then she wanted to sleep with him. Once they got off the boat, he took her back to his home and they made love. (“In the hotels, in the cafes/All the world was mad with romance/In the harbor moonlit water/All the ships were swaying in a dance/Then you held me and you kissed me/And I knew I had to be with you/You didn't ask me you just took me/To the tiny bed in your tiny room.”)

    In the pre-chorus, from the outside, she could the pounding of drums and the strings swell, harmonizing with her moans. (“On and on the band was playing/A song of surrender/On and on the sun would soon break through.”)

           The chorus is sung twice.

          In the bridge, she holds her arms close to her body, bundled up in her jacket. The blustery wind coloring her cheeks red as she leaves the café. She didn’t remember it being as chilly. She hasn’t seen any sign of him. She had a couple near-misses. However, it wasn’t him, only someone with similar features. She chides herself for not getting any contact information from him as she said goodbye to him. In the rush of remembering everything for her flight, it didn’t occur to her. Then, it was only a fling. However, she hasn’t met anyone like him since. She wonders if he has moved to California again or lives in another part of France now. (“Now I walk along the streets of Marseilles/The winter sky is cold and gray/And I don't know why I left you that day/And I don't know where you are.”)

          Carlisle’s breathless vocals pine for a love she has lost. She didn’t intend him to be the one for her. However, for the past decade she has looked for him in every man. Never again will she see his face. Her memories and pictures will have to be enough.

         The adventurous  “La Luna” waltzes through the past and present, stepping back to marvel at what a special time it was.

         Speaking of Belinda Carlisle and travel, she often posts pictures on Twitter when she’s touring. It’s a really good travelogue and worth checking out if anyone’s interested.