History of Pink Moon in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: April 25, 2024

Pink Moon, the final studio album by English musician Nick Drake, was released in 1972. Unlike his previous works, Pink Moon features a stripped-down sound with Drake performing solo on vocals and acoustic guitar, except for a piano overdub on the title track. It was the only one of his studio albums released in North America during his lifetime.

1969: Release of Five Leaves Left

In 1969, Nick Drake released his first studio album with Island Records titled 'Five Leaves Left'.

March 1971: Drake Expresses Desire for Simpler Album

In March 1971, during his only known interview with Sounds magazine, Nick Drake shared his vision for his next album. He expressed his intention to create a simpler recording, featuring just himself and John Wood, the engineer at Sound Techniques, without the numerous guest musicians present on his previous album, Bryter Layter.

October 1971: Drake Returns to London and Reaches Out to John Wood

In October 1971, after a rejuvenating break in Spain at a villa owned by Island Records' head Chris Blackwell, Nick Drake came back to London. He contacted John Wood, a record engineer and producer who had collaborated with him on his previous albums. Drake felt a sense of trust in Wood. Wood, known for his work with artists like Fairport Convention, Cat Stevens, and Pink Floyd, frequently partnered with record producer Joe Boyd. Boyd produced Drake's first two albums, with Wood as the sound engineer. Though primarily focused on engineering, Wood often contributed as a producer as well.

October 1971: Recording of Pink Moon

In October 1971, the recording process for Pink Moon was remarkably streamlined compared to Drake's previous albums. The recording took place at Sound Techniques studio in London, with only Drake and Wood present. Due to daytime bookings, they started recording late at night, around 11:00 PM, completing half the album in the first session and the remaining half the following night. In just two late-night sessions, armed with his voice and acoustic guitar, Drake created what is considered by many as one of the most influential folk albums ever made.

1971: Jerry Gilbert's Review of Pink Moon

In 1971, despite being a supporter of Nick Drake's music, Jerry Gilbert of Sounds expressed disappointment with Pink Moon in his review of the album. Gilbert found the album, consisting solely of Drake's guitar, voice, and piano, lacking compared to Bryter Layter. He also expressed frustration at what he perceived as Drake's lack of ambition and suggested that Drake's music might benefit from additional instrumentation.

1971: Release of Bryter Layter and Mental Health Struggles

Nick Drake's second album with Island Records, 'Bryter Layter' was released in 1971. The album, like his first, sold poorly. Coupled with Drake's reluctance to perform live or engage in promotional activities, Island Records became hesitant about releasing another album from Drake. This same year, Drake's mental health suffered, leading him to seek psychiatric help and receive a prescription for antidepressants. However, he was hesitant to take the medication due to the stigma surrounding depression and concerns about its interaction with marijuana, which he used regularly.

February 1972: Pink Moon Album Release

In February 1972, Nick Drake's third and final studio album, Pink Moon, was released in the UK by Island Records. This album was unique as it was recorded without a backing band, featuring only Drake's vocals, acoustic guitar, and a piano melody overdubbed on the title track.

October 1972: Creem Magazine Album Review

In October 1972, Colman Andrews reviewed Pink Moon for Creem magazine, describing the songs as "not awfully good" and "weak", and that the music was "a triumph of style over sententiousness, of sound over sense" with "a lulling repetitiousness to a lot of what he sings", but that this was the point: "he knows precisely what emotional limits to impose upon his self-accompaniment. It's seductive music."

November 1974: Nick Drake's Death

Tragically, in November 1974, Nick Drake passed away at the young age of twenty-six. The lyrical content of Pink Moon, released two years prior, is often interpreted as reflecting Drake's struggle with depression.

1990: Q Magazine Album Review

In 1990, Martin Aston of Q magazine noted that "the mood is even more remote [than Drake's first two albums] with – finally – a defeated strain in both throat and words, but several of his most elegant melodies".

1992: Lucinda Williams and Sebadoh Release Covers of Pink Moon Songs

In 1992, the first notable cover versions of Nick Drake songs were released: Lucinda Williams covered "Which Will" on her album Sweet Old World and alternative rock band Sebadoh covered "Pink Moon" on their EP Sebadoh vs Helmet.

1996: Clarification on Pink Moon Delivery

In 1996, a common misconception that Nick Drake had anonymously dropped off the Pink Moon master tapes at Island Records' reception was debunked. An interview with Island's press officer David Sandison in the Nick Drake fanzine 'Pynk Moon' revealed that Drake's presence at the record company was definitely noticed, although there was no explicit indication that he was delivering a new album.

November 1999: Volkswagen Debuts "Milky Way" Campaign Featuring Pink Moon

On 11 November 1999, Volkswagen debuted a television advertising campaign named "Milky Way" that featured the Volkswagen Cabriolet with the title track of Pink Moon as the soundtrack.

2000: Pink Moon Ranked 48 on Melody Maker's Best Albums of All Time List

In 2000, Pink Moon was placed at number 48 in Melody Maker's list of the best albums of all time.

2000: Pink Moon Ranked 131 in All Time Top 1000 Albums

In 2000, Pink Moon was voted number 131 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

2000: Q Magazine 2000 Reissue Review

John Harris reviewed the 2000 reissue of Pink Moon for Q Magazine, claiming that "many hold up Pink Moon as Nick Drake's best album" and saying, "The motivation of success had evaporated and Drake made a record so singular and uncompromising that, superficially, it beggars belief ... The truth is that Pink Moon's excellence shines through, irrespective of the endless speculation [regarding Drake's state of mind during the making of the record and subsequent death]. Few records have ever sounded so intimate, or embodied the eternal human ailment known as Melancholy with such grace and assurance."

2000: U.S. Sales of Pink Moon Rise to 74,000 Copies

U.S. sales of Nick Drake's Pink Moon album rose from 6,000 copies, prior to the song's use in the Cabrio commercial, to 74,000 copies in 2000.

2001: Volkswagen Gives New Cabrio Buyers Compilation CD Featuring "Pink Moon"

In 2001, Volkswagen gave all new Volkswagen Cabrio buyers a compilation CD which featured "Pink Moon" as the first track.

2003: Q Magazine 2003 Reissue Review

In 2003, James Hunter reviewed the North American reissue of Pink Moon for Q Magazine saying "The album unleashes a dramatic starkness and some breathtakingly pretty music".

2003: Pink Moon Ranked 320 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

In 2003, Pink Moon was ranked number 320 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

2004: Pink Moon Sells 329,000 Copies in the United States

As of 2004, Pink Moon had sold 329,000 copies in the United States.

2004: 'Plaisir d'amour' Release

In 2004, a recording of 'Plaisir d'amour' ('The Pleasure of Love'), a classical French love song written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, performed by Nick Drake was released. The song, a less than one-minute long guitar instrumental, was originally recorded during the Pink Moon sessions and included on the master tapes as the first track of Side Two but was excluded from the final album due to a note marked 'Spare title - Do not use'. It was eventually included as a hidden track on UK editions of the Nick Drake compilation A Treasury. This track is notable as it would have been the only song on any of his albums not written by Nick Drake himself.

2006: Beck Releases Covers of Pink Moon Songs

In 2006, Beck recorded covers of Pink Moon songs including "Which Will" and "Parasite" for online-only release.

2012: Pink Moon Ranked 321 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

In 2012, Pink Moon's ranking on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time was revised to number 321.

2014: Pitchfork Magazine Tuck Box Review

In 2014, Jayson Greene of Pitchfork reviewed Pink Moon as part of the Tuck Box set, noting, "A 'pink moon' is a baleful symbol, a sign of impending death or calamity ... On paper, this sentiment reads like vindictive rage, but on record, it sounds contemplative. Drake's voice never conveyed palpable anger or sadness; he had a slight, gentle voice and upper-class accent, the product of his upbringing, clipped and clean, and his guitar, as always, rang out with a crystalline purity. His music is so consoling that the darkness at its heart is not always accessible. It's almost impossible to hear the emotional abandon in Pink Moon, then, without the taste of his first two albums lingering on your mouth. It's only then that the bone-dry resonance of the guitars registers as slightly alarming, and the backdrop of silence suggests both the purity of Drake's vision and also something darker: like someone who has dropped out of the world, mumbling prophecies ... There is a stillness to Nick Drake's music that bewitches anyone who gets near enough, and Pink Moon is its purest expression. It remains the Nick Drake record most people begin with, and for good reason."