"Full Moon" is a song recorded by American singer

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

for her third studio album of the same title (2002). A breakaway from

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

' dominating influence on the album, it was written and produced by

Mike City Mike City (born Michael Flowers) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for producing the singles "I Wish" for Carl Thomas, " Heard It All Before" for Sunshine Anderson, "Full Moon" for Brandy and "One Woman M ...

, one of the few producers Norwood worked with on ''Full Moon'' apart from Jerkins and his production and songwriting crew. Described by Norwood as "ghetto", the track is an R&B and pop song with a simple,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

-led production. Lyrically, the song follows Norwood as she experiences

love at first sight Love at first sight is a personal experience as well as a common trope in literature: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. Described by p ...

in a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

, whose circumstances she attributes to a

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...

night. "Full Moon" was released as the second single from ''Full Moon'' on April 1, 2002, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. The song was well-received by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, with many complimenting Norwood's voice as well as the bass-heavy production, calling it a standout track from the album. A moderate commercial success, it peaked at number 18 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number 15 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Full Moon", directed by Chris Robinson, features Norwood telescoping at night. As the video progresses, she attends a

house party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

where she meets a man with whom she is eventually riding off through Los Angeles, watching the rising full moon. Norwood was nearly six months pregnant at the time of the filming. "Full Moon" was included on set lists of the

Human World Tour The Human World Tour is the second solo concert tour by American recording artist, Brandy. Often acknowledged as the Just Human Tour, the outing supported her fifth studio album, ''Human''. The tour was the singer's first concert tour in nearly t ...

(2009) and the

Slayana World Tour The Slayana World Tour (sometimes referred to as the Slayana ''In These Streets'' Tour) was the third headlining concert tour by American singer Brandy. The tour was announced on February 23, 2016, and started on June 15, 2016 in Auckland, New Ze ...

(2016), and has been performed live by Norwood during several televised events.

Background and development

After the end of the promotional tour for her second studio album '' Never Say Never'' (1998), the cancellation of her

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...

sitcom ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class famil ...

'' (1996–2001), and a flurry of tabloid headlines discussing her

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

in November 1999, Norwood went on a lengthy hiatus to reflect and take some introspective looks. In mid-2000, she started reconsecrating herself on her musical career, contributing songs to albums such as ''

Urban Renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

'' (2001), which introduced a scratchy, evocative edge to Norwood's voice, now having a deeper and warmer tone with a textured lower register and notably stronger

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

. In fall 2000, Norwood finally began conceiving ideas for a third studio album with her label

. While

, the main producer of her previous album, and his team had been working on several new songs for her then-upcoming project in hopes of recreating the winning chemistry of ''Never Say Never'', Norwood wanted to make sure that she was gaining more creative control over the project, thus arranging meetings with all her writers and musicians to discuss the lyrical topics and sounds she wanted for the album.

Writing and production

While Jerkins maintained his status as the

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

of ''Full Moon'', contributing most to its track listing with his team, Norwood decided to record with several producers for the album, including the head of Unsung Entertainment

, with whom she had previously worked on the song "Open" for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of the animated comedy film ''

Osmosis Jones ''Osmosis Jones'' is a 2001 American live-action/animated buddy cop crime action comedy film written by Marc Hyman. Combining live-action sequences directed by the Farrelly brothers and animation directed by Piet Kroon and Tom Sito, the film sta ...

'' (2001). According to City, he wrote "Full Moon" in "two or three weeks, writing a line a day". Although Norwood and City crafted several more songs, they were insecure about "Full Moon" being included on the final track listing since it differentiated stylistically from what she had recorded before. "I'm glad it did because it really showed where I was coming from musically and vocally ..and I could relate to the lyrics of the song", Brandy said the following year in an interview with ''

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

'', adding: "It took him a while to understand my crazy ideas, but ..he really challenged himself. If you listen to it, it's different from what he's already done in the past ...

Music and lyrics

Norwood has characterized "Full Moon" as "

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

", explaining that it is " pop and R&B at the same time ndhas a lot of elements to it". Lyrically, the song deals with the circumstances of an unexpected love at first sight. Norwood stated: "Anything can happen on a full moon. On that particular

ong Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip Places * Ong, Nebraska, US, city * Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town * Ong River, Odisha, India ...

I'm actually falling in love with somebody I'm just meeting", adding: "I hope that's the second single, because it's different. I've never heard anything like it."

Release

"Full Moon" was released as the second single from ''Full Moon'' by

. It was added to

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

and

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

radio stations in the United States on April 1, 2002. The song was released as a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

–including "Die Without You", a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

P.M. Dawn P.M. Dawn was an American hip hop and R&B act that formed in 1988 by the brothers Attrell Cordes (known by his stage name Prince Be, sometimes credited as Prince Be the Nocturnal) and Jarrett Cordes (known as DJ Minutemix) in Jersey City, New J ...

's 1992 single "

I'd Die Without You "I'd Die Without You" is a song by American R&B duo P.M. Dawn. The song first appeared on the soundtrack of the 1992 film ''Boomerang'' and was one of several songs to chart from the album. The song later appeared on P.M. Dawn's own '' The Bliss A ...

", featuring Norwood's younger brother

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording a ...

, and remixes of " What About Us?"–as well as

12-inch The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

and limited

maxi CD A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

singles. In addition, "Full Moon" was remixed by several producers and DJs. Rappers

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

and

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his Chopper (rap), chopper style of rapping and for once holding the t ...

both appeared on separate versions of the Precision Remix, which was crafted by Glen Marchese. Danish production duo

Cutfather & Joe Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, ...

produced a remix laying Brandy's vocals over the electro–funk song "

I.O.U. An IOU (abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you") is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of re ...

" (1983) by British band

Freeez Freeez were an English electronic music group, initially known as one of the UK's main jazz-funk bands of the early 1980s. Initiated by John Rocca, Freeez consisted of various musicians, originally with Rocca and others such as Andy Stennett ( ...

, while

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

' collaborator Soulchild utilized American singer

Michael Wycoff Michael Wycoff (January 1, 1956 – March 13, 2019) was an American R&B singer. He scored several hits on the US R&B chart during the 1980s. Biography Wycoff attended Wilmington Junior High School and Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington ...

's "Lookin' Up to You". Producer

Damien Mendis "Danger! High Voltage" is a song by American rock band Electric Six. It was released as the band's debut single and the lead single from their debut studio album, ''Fire'' (2003), in 2002 as a 7-inch vinyl. It was re-released by XL Recordings on ...

reworked the song entirely around the basis of the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song " I Want Your Love" (1979) by

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology ''Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictiona ...

Critical reception

Upon its release, "Full Moon" garnered widespread critical acclaim. Sal Cinquemani from ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' felt that Norwood afforded "the tired

genre new life" on the song. He complimented it for its "hypnotic oscillating bassline and a chorus catchy enough to make the track the next summer anthem". Chuck Taylor of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' noted that the song portrayed "how a few years off have allowed orwoodto evolve and grow" and called it "another hit destined for the R&B and pop saturation". He found that "the best part of the song is in the verses, which Brandy delivers with a rich, bassy sensuality" while he declared the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

as "sing-songy and on the repetitious side, but multiple layers of creamy harmonies help it rise above the mundane". J. Victoria Sanders from ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' called the record "a club-ready song, with a lulling drumbeat and heavy bass". She further added that "her voice on this song, like many of the others, is slightly computerized without sounding overdone".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

ranked the song among his favorites from ''Full Moon'' alongside " What About Us?" and "

He Is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

Commercial performance

For the week ending May 4, 2002, "Full Moon" entered the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 68, becoming Norwood's 13th entry on the chart. The song peaked at number 18 after ten weeks on the chart, on the issue dated July 6, 2002, becoming Norwood's second single from ''Full Moon'' to enter the top 20. "Full Moon" fared slightly better on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, where it debuted at number 38 the week ending April 15, 2002, becoming the highest debut on the chart that year. Norwood's 12th top-20 entry, it eventually reached number 16 in the week of June 8, 2002. In addition, the song reached number 11 on the

Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...

chart, number 15 on the

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

chart and number 20 on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

. The dance mixes reached number two on the

Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales In the issue dated March 16, 1985, '' Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...

. The final international single from ''Full Moon'', "Full Moon" entered the top 40 in the Belgian region Wallonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and the United Kingdom, but failed to match the success of its predecessor " What About Us?".

Music video

The

for "Full Moon" was directed by Chris Robinson and filmed on various locations throughout

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on March 1–2, 2002. Norwood, who was nearly six months pregnant at the time of the video shoot, does not dance in the video, which features model and ''

'' actor Yoki Brown as her male counterpart. The final edit premiered on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's music video chart program ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

'' on April 3, 2002, where it debuted at number ten and reached number one. It stayed on the show for forty-three days. The video opens with Norwood stargazing through a telescope on her Los Angeles balcony at a

night. Through the instrument she turns her attention to someone's

a few miles away, where she spots a longhaired male, portrayed by Brown, among the guests. She changes clothes and then rides through the hillside along the coast in her silver

cabriolet A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

. Once she has arrived, Norwood enters the shindig in hopes of meeting him. This serves as the catalyst for a distant flirt between her and Brown that continues as the song plays. During the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, he follows her back into the car. In the end they stop by a view point, watching the sinking

Track listings

Enhanced maxi single # "Full Moon" (Radio Edit) – 3:31 # "Full Moon" (

Cutfather Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for his ...

& Joe Remix) – 3:52 # "Full Moon" (Ernie Lake Radio Edit) – 3:37 # " Die Without You" (featuring

Ray-J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording a ...

) – 3:56 # " What About Us?" (Simon Vegas Remix) – 3:58 # "What About Us?" ( Enhanced Video) – 4:08 UK CD single # "Full Moon" (Radio Mix) – 3:35 # "Full Moon" (Album Version) – 3:37 # "Full Moon" (Full Intention Club Mix) – 6:56 # "Full Moon" (Enhanced Video) US CD single # "Full Moon" (Radio Mix) # "Full Moon" (Album Version) # "Full Moon" (Full Intention Club Mix) # "Full Moon" (Video) US remix single # "Full Moon" (

Remix) – 3:56 # "Full Moon" (Precision Remix featuring

) – 4:24 # "Full Moon" (Precision Remix featuring

) – 4:23 # "Full Moon" ( Soulchild Remix) – 3:59 # "Full Moon" (

& Joe Remix) – 3:56 # "Full Moon" (

Full Intention Full Intention is an English house music duo consisting of Michael Gray and Jon Pearn. They are best known as prolific producers and remixers. They have reworked songs for varied artists such as the Sugababes, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and ...

Club Mix) – 6:56 # "Full Moon" (Ernie Lake Club Mix) – 7:01 # "Full Moon" (

Filur Filur is a Danish duo band established in 1999 and made up of producer Tomas Barfod and of Kasper Bjørke (on lead vocals). They also feature many guest artists for their releases. Filur has released 4 albums and many successful singles. They ar ...

Vs. Cutfather & Joe Mix) – 6:55 # "Full Moon" (

Robbie Rivera Roberto "Robbie" Rivera (born 1973) is a house music producer and DJ born in Puerto Rico. He has an extensive catalog of original productions and remixes to his credit, ranging from tribal to progressive house, as well as incorporating garage ...

Freeze Mix) – 6:37 # "Full Moon" (

Mike Rizzo Michael Rizzo, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer from New York City, active since the early 1990s. He is well known for working with various artists such as Jennifer Green and Sun, all of whom scored hits on both '' Billboard's Ho ...

Global Club Mix) – 7:54 # "Full Moon" (Rascal Extended Mix) – 6:29 # "Full Moon" (Rascal Dub) – 6:02 Limited UK 12 # "Full Moon" (

Mad Skillz Donnie Shaquan Lewis, (born June 2, 1974) also known as Skillz, or Mad Skillz is an American rapper known for his acclaimed 1996 album ''From Where???'', a reference to his origins in Virginia, not a New York City or Los Angeles rapper. He ...

Mix) # "Full Moon" (Mad Skillz Dub) Sample credits * (A) contains a sample of " I Want Your Love" by

. * (B) contains excerpts from the composition "Lookin' Up to You" by

. * (C) incorporates a sample of "

" by

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2001 songs 2002 singles Brandy Norwood songs Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Songs written by Mike City