Chords + Lyrics | Moondance
Intro
| Am Bm | Am Bm | Am Bm | C Bm |
Verse 1
| Am Bm | Am Bm | Am Bm | Am7 Bm |
Well, it’s a marvellous night for a Moondance with the stars up above in your eyes.
| Am Bm | Am Bm | Am Bm | Am7 Bm |
A fantabulous night to make romance, ‘neath the cover of October skies.
| Am Bm | C Bm | Am Bm | Am7 Bm |
And all the leaves on the trees are falling, to the sound of the breezes that blow.
| Am Bm | C Bm | Am Bm | Am7 Bm |
You know I’m tryin’ to please to the calling, of your heartstrings that play soft and low.
Bridge 1
| Dm7 | Am7 | Dm7 | Am7 |
You know the night’s magic seems to whisper and hush.
| Dm7 | Am7 | Dm7 | E7#9 |
You know the soft moonlight seems to shine, in your blush.
Chorus 1
| Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Dm7 |
Can I just have one more Moondance with you, my love?
| Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Dm7 Am7 | N.C E7 |
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?
Verse 2
Well, I wanna make love to you tonight, I can’t wait ’til the mornin’ has come.
You know, I know now the time is just right, and straight into my arms you will run.
And when you come, my heart will be waiting, to make sure that you’re never alone.
There and then all my dreams will come true, dear, there and then I will make you my own.
Bridge 2
And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside.
And I know how much you want me, that you can’t hide.
Chorus 2
Can I just have one more Moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?
Solo
||: Am Bm | C Bm :|| x8
| Dm7 | Am7 | Dm7 | Am7 |
| Dm7 | Am7 | Dm7 | E7#9 |
| Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Bm7 :|| x3
| Am7 Dm7 Am7 | N.C E7 |
Verse 3
Well, it’s a marvelous night for a Moondance, with the stars up above in your eyes.
A fantabulous night to make romance, ‘neath the cover of October skies.
And all the leaves on the trees are falling, to the sound of the breezes that blow.
You know I’m trying to please to the calling, of your heartstrings that play soft and low.
Bridge 3
You know the night’s magic seems to whisper and hush.
You know the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush.
Chorus 3
Can I just have one more Moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?
Outro
||: Am Bm | C Bm :||
One more Moondance with you. In the moonlight.
On a magic night. La, la, la, la, la.
In the moonlight, on a magic night.
End
| Am G | F Em | Dm7 N.C | Am9 |
Can’t I just have one more, more dance with you, my love?
Moondance Chords: Exploring Jazzy Harmony with Modal Interchange
A perfect entry point into jazz-influenced harmony can be found in Moondance. With smooth chord movement, subtle extensions, and a touch of modal interchange, this tune offers a brilliant opportunity to expand your harmonic vocabulary – let’s investigate.
Intro + Verse
The verse centres around A Dorian, which becomes clear as Am – Bm functions as II – III. There’s also a variation that blurs the line between Am7 and C, depending on what the bass does beneath it.
In the course, we explore how changing voicings affects the harmony, analyse the bass line note–for–note, and build a unique acoustic arrangement that blends both parts. To go this deep, you’ll need full TAB – here’s the link: Moondance – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Bridge
The bridge modal–shifts to A Aeolian, as Am7 – Dm7 functions as VI – II. It almost feels like a brief modulation from major to minor, since Bm suggests D major rather than D minor. We begin on the new II chord and play:
||: Dm7 | Am7 :|| Dm7 | E7#9 |
That E7#9 is sometimes interpreted by keyboardists as other altered dominants, such as E7#5 or E7#9#5. Try different alterations and choose what feels best in context.
Chorus
The chorus stays in A Aeolian, simply reversing the movement as we alternate between Am7 and Dm7 within the bar:
||: Am7 Dm7 | Am7 Dm7 :|| Am7 Dm7 Am7 | N.C E7 |
Outro
To close, Moondance moves through a descending line that lands with a lush final colour:
| Am G | F Em | Dm7 N.C | Am9 |
Below you’ll find a chord chart to share with your band mates.
Moondance Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
To download my chord chart can be done as a PDF, and/or in the iReal Pro format:
Moondance TAB | Course Preview
There’s plenty of TAB in the course for you to dig into – electric and acoustic parts, and even a note-for-note transcription of the bass line so we can fully understand what’s happening in this legendary tune.
Developing this level of insight is what allows you to confidently improvise and build an arrangement that suits you, whether you’re playing with a band or performing solo.
As a preview, here’s the ending. It hints at how you can reference the recorded part while still varying your voicings and rhythms to keep things fresh.
How Moondance became a jazz standard
When Van Morrison released Moondance in January 1970, it marked a striking shift from the expansive mysticism of Astral Weeks. Instead of folk-poetic stream-of-consciousness, we got swinging jazz grooves, soul swagger, and tight horn lines – a deliberate stylistic turn that paid off handsomely.
Recorded at A&R Studios in New York during late summer 1969, Morrison brought together a compact rhythm section and tasteful arrangement: walking bass, acoustic guitar, piano, saxophone, and flute, all sitting inside a light, effortless jazz swing. It feels organic, as if Morrison had always lived in this world.
But what nudges Moondance from “jazzy pop song” into genuine jazz-standard territory? Structurally, it draws directly from jazz language: vamped intro, walking bass, horn solos, and a form that hints at classic 32-bar sensibilities. More importantly, musicians embraced it. Jazz groups, pop bands, horn players, cocktail trios – everyone plays Moondance. That communal adoption is what ultimately turns a song into a standard.
Morrison himself described the tune as “sophisticated”, and recalled writing the melody on soprano sax while thinking it wouldn’t sound out of place sung by Sinatra. That intention shows. The tune sits comfortably in the same aesthetic space as Fly Me to the Moon more than, say, Stella by Starlight. It’s jazz-inflected, charming, and accessible.
The song’s unusual release history helped, too. Although the album appeared in 1970, Moondance wasn’t actually released as a single until 1977 – yet by then, it was already a staple in live sets and among working musicians. Critics recognised its impact early: it later landed on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs list (#226 in 2004) and has been regularly cited as a track that shaped the evolution of modern popular music.
What truly cements its place is adaptability. The harmony isn’t overly dense, yet it’s rich enough to encourage improvisation and reinterpretation. Jazz ensembles can stretch, reharmonise, and explore, and the tune still holds shape. That combination – memorable melody plus supportive, flexible changes – is the hallmark of a standard.
For guitarists, pianists, and horn players wanting to bring jazz language into a pop or rock context, Moondance is a perfect bridge. It grooves, it swings, and it offers space: you can comp, take solos, shape your voicings, and make the arrangement your own. Nothing about it is fixed, yet everything feels inevitable. That freedom gives it lasting life on stage.
Drop it into a set and you can lean into its pop familiarity while also stretching out musically. That duality is the secret. What began as Morrison’s attempt to simply write “a good song” with jazz undertones has grown into a cross-genre standard. Every time you play it, you join the long line of musicians who have shaped, stretched, and celebrated it.
Moondance Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Moondance (Van Morrison) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
