"Moonlighting" is a song by Leo Sayer released in August 1975 as the first single from his third album '' Another Year''. It became his fourth top-ten hit, peaking at number 2 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 ...

and was certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

Lyrics

"Moonlighting" was written by Sayer and Frank Farrell and was co-produced by Sayer's manager Adam Faith and Russ Ballard. It was inspired by a roadie with Sayer who fell in love with the daughter of a

chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

in the late 1960s. The chief of police was not pleased about this and would not agree for them to get married, so the couple decided to run off and

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was historica ...

in Scotland, where this would be possible. However, they never made it to Gretna Green, as they were stopped by

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

police who had been made aware by

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

police of the couple's intentions. For the song, Sayer wanted the story to end happily, represented with the lyrics "we're only ten miles to Gretna, they're three hundred behind".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1975 singles 1975 songs Leo Sayer songs Songs written by Leo Sayer