The Killing Moon :: Pavement

“Fate,
up against your will,
through the thick and thin;
he will wait until,
you give yourself to him.”

The Killing Moon is a single by the band Echo And The Bunnymen. It was released on their 1984 album, Ocean Rain. It is one of the band’s highest-charting hits, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart, and often cited as the band’s greatest song.

It has been said that everything came together for Echo in The Killing Moon. Will Sergeant’s opening guitar sets the scene in some exotic location; Ian McCulloch’s evocative vocals convey some of the band’s strongest lyrics; and the addition of strings adds further depth.

Pavement released a cover version of the song on their final studio recording, 1999’s Major Leagues EP. The cover has been described as both sincere and silly.  The guitar work is exceptional and nearly as expressive as Sergeant’s original work.

Stephen Malkmus adds in a bonus, nonsense verse to the song.

The Killing Moon :: Echo And The Bunnymen

The Killing Moon has been covered by many artists, including Eva O, Grant Lee Philips, Pavement (see above), Nouvelle Vague and Greg Laswell. The Quakes also released a rockabilly take on the song (see below).

The Killing Moon :: The Quakes

Come on, weigh in, which version do you prefer? The original? Pavement’s cover? The Quakes take on the song? The original? Or, do you know of a cover you like better (from the mentions above, or others)? If so, please share below.