What is the (possible) meaning of this 60's hit song lyric?

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

it means that it is 20:33 PM here now,

 

or as I usually say, its quarter past

[Jimbroni]

To me it seems like commentary that applies even more today. People's heads are in the clouds. People are more concerned with obtaining wealth or dreaming about the stars and making it big, rather than facing their day to day issues and relationships with real people. People are caught up with fantasy and in some cases know more about the lives of celebrities than they know about themselves and people around them. Thus the streets full of people, yet all this lonliness, people dreaming about pockets full of money(green) and fancy cars, etc. but are full of sorrow. Money can't buy happiness type scenario.

 

It reminds me of the lyric from Curtis Mayfield's Freddies Dead. "We can deal with rockets and dreams, but reality what does it mean?"

 

I dunno thats what I get out of it.

[Lee Flier]

I agree with you. But it's strange... I don't see my interpretation as literal at all. The mention of NASA and space travel... no, no. It was only mentioned because this was a hot topic at the time. It is NOT about that. The image is symbolic, made more powerful because of it. That's all.

 

Yeah, my feelings exactly.

[Lee Flier]

To me it seems like commentary that applies even more today. People's heads are in the clouds. People are more concerned with obtaining wealth or dreaming about the stars and making it big, rather than facing their day to day issues and relationships with real people. People are caught up with fantasy and in some cases know more about the lives of celebrities than they know about themselves and people around them. It reminds me of the lyric from Curtis Mayfield's Freddies Dead. "We can deal with rockets and dreams, but reality what does it mean?" I dunno thats what I get out of it.

 

Me too.

[Etienne Rambert]

This article is really worth reading. He deconstructs the song.

 

He quotes de Chirico as once saying,

 

"It is necessary to go about living in the world, as if in an immense museum of strangeness.

[WRGKMC]

There were tons of songs in the 60s that dealt with space directly or indirectly. Future, doubble meanings etc. Any thing went so long as it was well done. When you think of number of song like In the year 2525 done a few year later, Aquarious done on broadway, Rocket in my pocket, Venus, numerous others looking forward at a new world.

[Bookumdano2]

And let's not forget the contributions from the 50's. We need a really good dissection of the true meaning of Purple People Eater.

[rasputin1963]

And let's not forget the contributions from the 50's. We need a really good dissection of the true meaning of Purple People Eater.

 

Well, for one thing, it had one eye.

[tremolounge]

It also had one horn.

[Lee Knight]

And it flew! Wrap your head around that symbolism!

[Harvey333]

To me the meaning of the song "Everyone's Gone To The Moon"  is all about the Plight of Humanity, its struggles and its accomplishments.  When we fail to see the big picture of the whole world and its people's then we devalue each other. And sadly we loose our humanity. We become blind to each person , blind to our neighbors and each country, each person's / people's struggle to survive.

  When we decided to go to the moon. We spent 30 billion dollars to do so. We collectedly came together as a nation with a directive a challenge from our leader and we succeeded.  We went to the moon. The song brings to mind, to me, the absentmindedness of man at times. During that time frame we had people starving around the globe. Thus the lines ("Mouths full of chocolate-covered cream. Arms that can only lift a spoon ') . So where was the love when the streets were filled with people protesting the war and civil rights and more on a weekly basis. We had civil unrest, the civil rights movement, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and the man who gave us that challenge to go to the moon, President John F Kennedy also was assassinated.Thus the lines (Church full of singing, out of tune.Everyone's gone to the moon) It was a low point for humanity who lowered the value of human life.
"It was the best and worse of times.  And still man achieved to date his most momentous accomplishment putting a man on the moon.  Looking back you wonder was it worth it? Many will argue it was as we look at the technology that was born from that time and space program. There is always a sacrifice that comes with progress and I get that.

What I don't get is what's going on today in our world. What is the big payout form all of what we are witnessing each day. I can see a similar madness in a divided people. But what is it we are building? Again where is the Love?  As I look at the television I worry that humanity is losing another piece of itself.  So as it was then, so is it now because and I guess "Everyone's Gone To The Moon!" 

[Jeff Leites]

From https://www.songfacts.com/facts/jonathan-king/everyones-gone-to-the-moon

" It was once suggested that the Moon in question was a public house in Cambridge; if that were true one could understand the title - "Everyone's Gone To The Pub" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Although King was a Cambridge undergraduate when he wrote it, this claim has no basis in fact. In his own words, it was intended as a satire on the "Dylan school" of meaningful lyrics; King made a practice of this in his early career. ".

Another interesting tidbit from  https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/77672/jonathan-king-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison

"Former pop star and music industry entrepreneur Jonathan King has been sentenced to seven years in jail in England for a series of sexual assaults against schoolboys. A jury at the Old Bailey in London"

 

[Richard Pluim]

I thought it was about post nuclear war.

[nbaldwinn]

The first six lines are meaningful irony.  That "everyone goes to the moon" strikes me as a critique of the sheepish tendency of humans to mindlessly do whatever is in vogue, just like going to the sun used to be in vogue.  But, who knows the intention of Jonathan King?

More importantly, as someone who writes a lot of lyrics and poetry, I'm never put it past others to be simply looking for words that rhyme, as well as being purposefully obscure to create curiosity, such as the curiosity that has surfaced in this forum.   If poetry/lyrics have some grand meaning that causes mixed interpretations, I find the poetry/lyrics to be elite pretentiousness.  Hats off to the lyricists who can evoke heightened emotions and meaningfulness because the masses see and feel things that they can readily relate to.

In sum, I'm highly impressed with the first six lines and wish the remainder of the lyrics could have sustained my sense of the significance of the lyrics.