Music of the Moon

Music.

One of the most universal ways of communication.

To some, music is their lifestyle.

You can tell a story by simply just singing a song, or cheer yourself up with the latest hits. It is proven that music can directly impact your mood and emotions, as well as give you a temporary creativity boost.

Ever heard of the book A Fall Of Moondust? You wouldn’t be a true sci-fi fan if you didn’t know. However, its author Arthur C. Clarke is a largely well-known person in the world of science fiction novels. This 1963 Hugo Award-nominated novel is in fact his sixth novel out of his many, many works. But first, here is some information about the author.

Who Is He?

Arthur Charles Clarke was an accomplished science-fiction and non-fiction writer. In his late thirties he moved to Sri Lanka, where he lived until his death. There, he discovered underwater ruins of an ancient temple through his hobby of scuba diving, and was awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya.

He has won numerous awards for his literary works. Along with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein he was known as one of the “Big Three” science fiction writers from the 20th century. He directed a few films, one of which was based on his book 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Summary

A shuttle full of tourists during a lunar tourist expedition is stranded on the moon, beneath a sea of dust due to unexpected tremors that have secretly been built up over millions of years. While astronomers search for traces of the buried shuttle Selene, it becomes a race against time to rescue the passengers as problems arrive after one after another.

I compiled a Spotify playlist for this book representing some characters and events, and below I have given my reasons for the song choices. Check out the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4G2ZJLyJbLzE1fdCR0eaZt?si=uYHZJlY7RiKxCnY1b2sM7Q

Bring on the songs!

All That Is Or Ever Was

The first song in the playlist relates to chapter 1 of the book. It is short, without any vocals and the loud trumpets in the intro set a space theme. The different instruments that follow set a feeling of wonder that the listener will obviously feel.

Android Village

This instrumental song is associated with the sightseeing trip the tourists aboard Selene experience. It’s catchy beat keeps the listener interested in the music, the same way that the tourists aboard Selene are absorbed in the scenery.

Jumpsuit

This song by Twenty One Pilots represents the character of Tom Lawson, an intelligent yet impolite astronomer who makes an interesting discovery, which kick-starts the search for the missing ship.

In the music video there is a figure in a cloak following Clancy (the character Tyler Joseph plays in this song). The covered figure represents Lawson’s fears and the man represents Lawson himself. The scene where the figure catches up to Clancy and puts black paint on his neck portrays Lawson’s sudden fear at the prospect of travelling to the sea of dust and what he may face out there.

Music video:

Level of Concern

‘Level of Concern’, also by Twenty One Pilots, relays the internal struggles of Pat Harris - who is arguably the main character of the novel despite the many changes in points of view. As the skipper of the ship Selene, his anxiety is obviously off the charts in his situation.

As Pat Harris tries to keep his and the passengers’ worries under control, he tries to find peace in Sue. The lyrics “would you be, my little quarantine?” refer to Pat wanting Sue to stay with him and be his support while they are stuck in Selene with the other passengers.

Music video:

On Top Of The World

The title itself is pretty self-explanatory. It expresses the relief of the passengers of Selene and how they’ve been “waiting to smile” anxiously - which is to say, to be rescued. The first verse notably reflects Pat Harris’s concerns during his and the passengers’ entrapment while the other verses are more generally directed towards the other passengers. Personally, this cheery song is my favourite out of the entire playlist.

Music video:

Fourth Rendez-Vous

The last instrumental song of this playlist. The catchy and upbeat tune in the major key brings a sense of happiness and finality, while the synth sounds help the listener to associate the song with space, because after all, space is where the happy ending is!