Moby wrote this song in about 10 minutes, which sounds about right. The video features a fresh-faced Moby exploring carious surreal reality, and was directed by Roman Coppola. That bluesy vocal from Bessie Jones’ 1960 song “Sometimes” is absolutely iconic over Moby’s wah-wah guitars and thumping piano. If you can’t get coffee, just listen to this in the a.m., and you’ll be seizing the day by the balls in no time.Īs the first track on Moby’s uber-classic LP Play, it holds a special place in the heart of many. The video is the perfect hyperactive picture of the ’90s rave scene and how it brought elements of punk and breakdance culture to a colorful new crossroads. In his autobiography, Moby tells the story of how he pushed vocalist Rozz to her bleeding limits. The drum’n’bass beat gets your heart pumping at a rapid 132 bpm. Rozz MoreheadĪin’t nothing in this world going to give you the candy-colored high of dancing along to this Moby song. “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”ħ. “God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters” was directly inspired by Moby’s faith: A devout Christian, the producer had the story of Genesis in mind when composing these brilliant chords.
The arpeggiated melody is instantly recognizable, and it builds so gracefully, it was the perfect fit for the end theme of the 1995 film Heat. This stark instrumental from Moby’s Everything is Wrong has been noted by the producer as his favorite song he’s ever written. Moby – “God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters” You may also recognize the song as the official credits-roll anthem of the Bourne film series.Ĩ. It’s the end of a night that didn’t go the way you wanted, but you did have a few drinks, and that helps.
Sad piano chords for a song skin#
“Extreme Ways” is a perfect Moby post-punk song: It’s dirty and steamy, like going out and looking good, even though your skin is trapped under a layer of grime. It’s not always the sound fans crave, but “Extreme Ways” is one of the best examples of the producer’s ability to marry his myriad influences. Moby can lose people when he moves too far into his rock roots. It portrays a family of adorable aliens attempting to make human contact, but everyone is so busy with their own lives in the Big Apple, they go unnoticed. The music video really pushes me over the edge. It’s a song that makes your heart well up with tears. A raspy vocal sample from The Davis Sisters’ 1955 song “Lord, Don’t Leave Me By Myself” loops deliciously over weeping strings the color of sunset. The second single from Moby’s 18 is Moby in the style of Play. It remains a generational anthem, one of the old-school rave world’s most sophisticated memories. Moby hoped to sell 4,000 copies it sold a couple million. The tune’s string melody was swiped from the show Twin Peaks. He was playing to crowds all across Europe and the United States, seeing the world for the first time through the lens of illegal nightlife.
“Go” was first released in 1990, and it broke him as an international name. The underground warehouses of Manhattan and elsewhere molded him into a fierce, fast-paced, expansive producer.
More than anything, Moby is a product of the late-night ’90s rave scene. He has said it was his favorite song on the album to perform live, and you can hear why. One second it’s ethereal, then it dives back into chaos, then it wisps psychedelically into hip-hop rhythms and a sped up Tom Jones sample. Its industrial beat stabs the song forward through a variety of emotional breakdowns. It looms over the floor like a rain cloud and shoots lightning up your spine. Moby was so close during the attack, he was stuck in his apartment for days - and the song was meant to inspire hopefulness in the wake of the tragedy.įrom 1999’s landmark Play, “Machete” is one of the hardest tunes in Moby’s arsenal. It was actually written in Moby’s New York City apartment after the horrific events of 9/11. The dance-rock joint follows a traditional pop composition with Moby as lead singer. He harnessed this power for the music video of his album 18‘s lead single, “We Are All Made of Stars.” The clip features 18 cameos, including Verne Troyer, JC Chavez, and Ron Jeremy. Gone were the skyscrapers, in their place a seemingly endless blue sky, and under it, so many twinkling, desperate, beautiful stars. When Moby moved to LA, it must have been a big shock to the system.