Released August 5, 2025

The title of this tune comes from a lesser-known novel by John Steinbeck by the same name. The Moon is Down was called “John Steinbecks beacon of light in a darkened world”. Published in 1942, it's a powerful work of wartime propaganda thinly veiled as a sleepy literary story. The U.S. government actually commissioned it to inspire resistance in Nazi occupied Germany. Set in a small, unnamed town in Northern Europe (meant to represent occupied Norway), the novel tells the story of a Nazi-like occupying force that invades and takes control of the town. Though the townspeople initially submit peacefully, they eventually find ways to resist—quietly at first, then more actively—as they reclaim their dignity and autonomy. The book was translated and secretly distributed in many occupied countries, becoming an underground beacon of hope and a roadmap for it. Steinbeck was considered a hero by many for his contribution. I was inspired to re-read this book last March in lieu of the sense that the world order was shifting in a less-than-positive direction. I wrote this tune around the same time, which might explain its darkness and sort of clandestine vibe, at least in the A part. The B part attempts to capture the hope that comes with resistance, especially during the darkest times.