Nanci’s Blue Moon

In the summer of 2021, the world lost a massive talent wrapped in a diminutive package - Ms. Nanci Griffith. Nanci was not one of those folk singers that a non-folkie enthusiast would have heard a lot about, but she was a role model for many singer-songwriters of my era. And she was one of those songwriters whose works became major hits for other singers - for example, Ms. Griffith wrote Kathy Mattea’s “Love At The Five And Dime”.

But I want you to listen to this other gem by Nanci Griffith because it is an example of a simple, yet magnificently crafted tune: Once In A Very Blue Moon.

Pat Pattison stresses the use of uneven numbers of lines in the lyric to create tension or a sense of longing. And that’s exactly what Nanci did in this song. Three-lined verses followed by a repetitive chorus is such a simple yet effective construct. Clearly, the singer has ambivalent feelings toward the second person she is addressing in this song, and that uneven number of verse lines - even though they have a nearly perfect AAA rhyme scheme - lets us feel that.

[verse] I found your letter in my mailbox today

You were just checking if I was okay

And if I miss you, well, you know what they say

[chorus] Just once in a very blue moon

Just once in a very blue moon

Just once in a very blue moon

And I feel one coming on soon

The verses start out with snippets of details (your letter was in my mailbox), gaining “weight” as the verses move along (oh, you wanna stay friends?), and finally deliver a mild rebuke (hey, how come I’m the one hurting!). Thus, the song goes from a mundane daily task to an expression of heartache. All in nine lines of verse!! Songwriters take note: how spare these lyrics are and yet how telling.

And then there’s this bridge:

There’s a blue moon shining

When I am reminded of all we’ve been through

Such a blue moon shining

Does it ever shine down on you?

I LOVE this! It does exactly what a bridge is supposed to do. It takes us away from the details in the verses and into a more introspective zone. And it also does something I often try to do in a bridge: it asks a question!

There are so many other great aspects of this song, such as the chorus starting with a non-tonic (I) chord, distinguishing it from the verses. This approach is not a songwriting “rule” (in songwriting, there are no rules!), but it is a nice way to make your chorus - the central idea of your song - stand in contrast to everything around it.

So, thank you, dear Nanci Griffith. Your beautiful songs - like “Once In A Very Blue Moon” - live on.