"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 ...

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

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), better 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 two Grammy Awards from 19 nomi ...

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

Mike City Michael Flowers, known professionally as Mike City (born December 2, 1970), 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 Ande ...

, 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 A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

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

love at first sight Love at first sight is a personal experience and a common theme in creative works: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. It has been desc ...

in a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

, whose circumstances she attributes to a full moon 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 the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. 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 ...

, 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 accompanying

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

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 held at the home 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, word of mouth, pos ...

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 (2009) and the Slayana World Tour (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 operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

sitcom ''

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

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

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

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 (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

'' (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 language, 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 ...

. 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 production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

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 a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

of the animated comedy film ''

Osmosis Jones ''Osmosis Jones'' is a 2001 American live-action animated buddy cop 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 stars the ...

'' (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 ''

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'', 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 is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

", 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 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 20, Rhythmic Top 30, 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 hit ...

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

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to 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 ...

of P.M. Dawn's 1992 single " I'd Die Without You", featuring Norwood's younger brother

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, television presenter, and actor. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother o ...

, and remixes of " What About Us?"–as well as 12-inch and limited maxi CD 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. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

and

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

both appeared on separate versions of the Precision Remix, which was crafted by Glen Marchese. Danish production duo Cutfather & Joe produced a remix laying Brandy's vocals over the electro–funk song " I.O.U." (1983) by British band Freeez, while

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

' collaborator Soulchild utilized American singer Michael Wycoff's "Lookin' Up to You". Producer Damien Mendis reworked the song entirely around the basis of the

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

song " I Want Your Love" (1979) by

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

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 Yor ...

'' 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 advertis ...

'' 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), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

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

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' called the song "a perfect slice of R&B-lite with a fine hook line". They also felt that it should emulate the chart success of "What About Us?", and help "refocus interest on the album, as well as scoring in its own right". 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, ...

'' 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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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

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

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 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 The Dance Singles Sales was a record chart released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling Dance music, dance singles in the United States. Its previous names include Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles ...

. 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

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

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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 (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's music video chart program ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...

'' 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 full moon 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. 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 (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, he follows her back into the car. In the end, they stop by a viewpoint, watching the sinking full moon.

Legacy

On March 25, 2020, ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' named "Full Moon" Norwood's seventh best song. The same year, Grant Rindner from '' Oprah Daily'' included it in his Brandy's 20 Best Songs listing and noted: "The hook is one of her most creative, with staccato vocal runs stacked atop harmonic swells." In 2022, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine ranked the song 30th in its list of The 50 Best Songs of 2002. In her commentary, editor Jaelani Turner-Williams wrote: "Equally grown up, "Full Moon" solidified Brandy as "the Vocal Bible," her deep tone fluttering and trilling over Mike City’s bouncy, piano-driven production." In 2023, In celebration of Black Music Month, R&B singer

Coco Jones Courtney Michaela Ann "Coco" Jones (born January 4, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee, Jones began auditioning as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Sh ...

performed a special live rendition of "Full Moon" for ''

Revolt Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

''s ''The Link Up''. In 2024, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked the song at number ten on their list of The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century, writing: "The trope of meeting in the club and locking eyes across the dance floor is R&B’s super glue, but Brandy fortifies it as she gets trapped in an orbit of lunar infatuation."

Track listings

Enhanced maxi single # "Full Moon" (Radio Edit) – 3:31 # "Full Moon" ( Cutfather & Joe Remix) – 3:52 # "Full Moon" (Ernie Lake Radio Edit) – 3:37 # " Die Without You" (featuring Ray-J) – 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" ( Damien Mendis 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" ( Cutfather & Joe Remix) – 3:56 # "Full Moon" ( Full Intention Club Mix) – 6:56 # "Full Moon" (Ernie Lake Club Mix) – 7:01 # "Full Moon" (

Filur Filur is a Danish Electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic danc ...

Vs. Cutfather & Joe Mix) – 6:55 # "Full Moon" ( Robbie Rivera Freeze Mix) – 6:37 # "Full Moon" ( Mike Rizzo 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 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 Michael Wycoff. * (C) incorporates a sample of " I.O.U." by Freeez.

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