MARY HOPKIN - VOYAGE OF THE MOON

VOYAGE OF THE MOON

MARY HOPKIN

SONGWRITER: DONOVAN

COUNTRY: WALES

ALBUM: POST CARD

LABEL: APPLE

GENRE: FOLK

YEAR: 1969

Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti (from her marriage to Tony Visconti), is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles Apple label.

Postcard, known as Post Card, is the debut album by Mary Hopkin. It was produced by Paul McCartney and released by Apple Records in February 1969 in the UK and in March 1969 in the US. It reached number 3 in the UK and number 28 in the US. It also reached number 26 in Canada. The original US version differed from the UK version by including the hit single "Those Were the Days" instead of a cover of "Someone to Watch Over Me". The album included three songs written by the folk singer Donovan, one of which, "Lord of the Reedy River", was deemed to be one of the album highlights by AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger. Rolling Stone critic John Mendelsohn regarded Hopkin's voice as being well-suited to the Donovan songs, although he considered the songs themselves to be "ponderous and over-long". Unterberger felt that the only problem with the album was that it contained too many pre-rock standards, in accordance with McCartney's tastes, which were not as well suited to Hopkin as more simple folk songs. Mendelsohn praised McCartney’s production as much as Hopkin’s singing. The album was launched by Hopkin at the Post Office Tower, London, on 13 February 1969. McCartney attended.

The 2010 CD reissue includes both "Those Were the Days" and "Someone to Watch Over Me", as well as four bonus tracks including "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which was the B-side of "Those Were the Days", and Hopkin's second single "Goodbye", written by McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney, plus five versions in Italian, Spanish, German and French of "Those Were The Days" as a digital download.

The moon is like a boat my Love

Of lemon peel afloat my love

And with a sail of gauze my love

She seems to slightly pause

Upon her silent way

All on her starry way

I see her pearly decks my love

Set in with diamond specks my love

I see her pearly mast my love

Far from her seashell past

And softly does she sway

All on her starry way

Of silk they have been spun my love

Her ropes that limply run my love

Down to her carved prow my love

Down to her mermaid prow

And gently does she sway

All on her starry way

She seems to link her long my love

and if spell by a song my love

I know she terries thought my love

And journey unforgot

She makes her starry way

She makes her starry way

All in the sea of sky my love

The moonships sail and fly my love

Tho' many are their kind my Love

Tho' all need but one wind

To make their starry ways

To make their starry ways

And there will come a time my love

O may it be in mine my love

When men will proudly rise my love

And board to sail the skies

Moonships from all the spheres

Moonships from all the spheres

The men be bathed in light my love

The women clothed in white my love

All in that wonderous fleet my love

As each the other meets

Will smile and softly sing

Will smile and softly sing

And on some distant sand my love

The ships will gently land my love

Fair folk will meet them there my love

With flowing golden hair

And great will be their joy

and great will be their joy

The moon is like a boat my love

Of lemon peel afloat my love

And with a sail of gauze my love

She seems to slightly pause...