His career:
At the age of nineteen, he earned an ARCT in classical piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, in Toronto. Upon graduation, he enjoyed modest local success with the band Rhinegold in 1976.
After Rhinegold broke up in 1981, Lawrence Gowan began a successful solo career under his surname, "Gowan", releasing his self titled debut on Columbia Records in 1982. This album Gowan contained his first singles "Victory" and "Keep Up The Fight". His 1985 album Strange Animal was his first real Canadian commercial breakthrough, spawning the hit singles "A Criminal Mind", "(You're A) Strange Animal" and "Cosmetics". The album was produced by David Tickle (Prince, Split Enz, Sting, U2 ) and featured Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) on bass / Chapman stick, and Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel) on drums. His 1987 follow up Great Dirty World was also produced by Tickle and again featured Tony Levin on bass but had session percussionist Nigel Olsson (Elton John) on drums. This album's arrangements were assisted by Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel) and gave him another breaking hit single, "Moonlight Desires," which featured Jon Anderson (Yes) on backing vocals.
1990's Lost Brotherhood featured Rush's Alex Lifeson on guitar', however, it was a commercial disappointment, and Gowan elected to pursue a change in his musical direction. Taking a more subdued, acoustic approach, he released an adult contemporary album ...but you can call me Larry in 1993, using his full name for the first time, and Lawrence Gowan returned to the Canadian charts with three strong singles: "When There's Time For Love", "Soul's Road", and "Dancing On My Own Ground". Gowan subsequently released critically acclaimed The Good Catches Up in 1995, which was produced by Eddie Schwartz (The Doobie Brothers, Paul Carrack), but the album did not generate singles or radio airplay. In 1997, Gowan released two live CDs: Sololive - No Kilt Tonight containing a strong rendition of Ragtime's classic "King Chanteclerc Rag", and Au Québec with an evocative cover of Harmonium's "Pour Un Instant", as well as his first French song, "Stéphanie", which was dedicated to his supportive Quebec fan base.
In 1997, Gowan released "Healing Waters" as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales after her death. However, despite what many believe, this song was not originally written for this purpose. It was, in fact, used in its original form in the 1995 soundtrack for the movie 'When The Bullet Hits The Bone' (starring Jeff Wincott), which was two years prior to the infamous accident that killed Diana. Although this song is not actually listed in the movie's credits, it plays a significant role within the film. After the Princess' death, the lyrics were modified by Gowan into the version that fans have come to know.
Gowan's classic "A Criminal Mind" was covered in 2005 by Canadian hip-hop artist Maestro; and Gowan appears in the song's video with his vocals sampled on the recording.
In February 2006, Lawrence Gowan did four orchestra accompanied concerts in London, Ontario and Kitchener, Ontario. On March 23rd, 2010, The Return of the Strange Animal was released by Linus Entertainment featuring remastered versions of the original recordings packaged alongside a documentary on the making of his breakthrough CD at Tittenhurst Park with Peter Gabriel's band mates. The disc features some of the original demo recordings, two new songs, and full resolution videos, including an animated cartoon entitled "The Checkmate: Ominous Spiritus 2010". The disc closes with a Live recording of "Criminal Mind" featuring his current band, Styx.
Gowan has guest-starred on the Canadian animated comedy series Chilly Beach, and he has also displayed a passionate love for ice hockey by playing for The Rock & Roll All-Stars, a celebrity team that participates in charity events across Canada.
Moonlight Desires
Gowan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To take hold of my thoughts
Over-riding my senses
Lock your sights
Dead in line with my heart
Share your powers
You stir my soul
And whet my hunger
That pulls me under
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
They want me, they want me
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
You're sending, you're sending
Secret fires
Burning inside me unknown
Ragging on
Never mentioned
Only you
Can uncover the flames
Break their silence
And make them dance
For us to see them
And break their chains
And give them freedom
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
They want me, they want me
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
You're sending, you're sending
A wave over my mind (wave over my mind)
And I fall to it blind
You say :
Trust me
Stir my soul
And whet my hunger
And weave that spell
That pulls me under
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
They want me, they want me
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
You're sending, you're sending
A wave over my mind
Moonlight desires
Your secret powers burn me
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
They want me, they want me
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
They want me, they want me
You're sending, you're sending
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
They want me, they want me
These moonlight desires
Haunt me
You're sending, you're sending
They want me, they want me
A wave over my mind
Moonlight desires
The lyrics of Gowan's song Moonlight Desires express the overwhelming attraction and desire that someone feels towards another person. The other person has a mysterious and enchanting quality that takes hold of their thoughts and senses, and they feel under the spell of their powers. The singer expresses the burning passion within them, which has been kept hidden until the object of their desires appeared in their life. They plead to the person to uncover the flames that only they can see and make them dance, giving the passion freedom. They fall blindly into the spell cast by the other person and are haunted by their moonlight desires.
The song describes the powerful and intoxicating nature of desire and attraction, implying that one can only be truly content by succumbing to these desires. The use of moonlight to describe the attraction represents the enigmatic and mystical nature of love and passion, almost suggesting that these feelings are not entirely within our control. The repeated phrase "They want me" emphasizes the sense of being hopeless and consumed by the feelings, which could be seen negatively as a form of obsession.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got ways
Your actions have a certain effect on me
To take hold of my thoughts
You have the ability to control my thoughts
Over-riding my senses
You have the power to overwhelm my senses
Lock your sights
You have a strong focus on me
Dead in line with my heart
Your focus is intimately connected to my emotions
Share your powers
You are willing to share the things that attract me to you
You stir my soul
You arouse a deep emotional response within me
And whet my hunger
You increase my desire for you
And weave that spell
You have the power to enchant me
That pulls me under
You are able to completely captivate me
These moonlight desires
My intense desires for you that are strongest at night
Haunt me
They are a constant presence in my thoughts
They want me, they want me
My desires for you are very strong
You're sending, you're sending
You are the source of my desires and are drawing me in
Secret fires
Passionate emotions that are hidden deep within me
Burning inside me unknown
They are strong, but have not been made clear to anyone else
Ragging on
They are constantly present and becoming more intense
Never mentioned
I have not divulged these passions to anyone
Only you
You are the only one who can help me reveal my secret passions
Can uncover the flames
You have the power to help me reveal and explore these passions
Break their silence
You can help me bring these passions into the open
And make them dance
You can help me express these passions in a positive way
For us to see them
Together we can express and experience these passions
And break their chains
You can help me free myself from the constraints of these secret desires
And give them freedom
Together we can find a way to let these passions express themselves
A wave over my mind (wave over my mind)
My emotions are overcoming me
And I fall to it blind
I am unable to resist them
You say : Trust me
You are asking me to trust you and follow your lead
Moonlight desires
My desires for you that are strongest at night
Your secret powers burn me
Your powers of attraction and seduction are affecting me deeply
They want me, they want me
My desires for you are very strong
You're sending, you're sending
You are the source of my desires and are drawing me in
They want me, they want me
My desires for you are very strong
They want me, they want me
My desires for you are very strong
A wave over my mind
My emotions are overcoming me
Moonlight desires
My desires for you that are strongest at night
Lyrics © Anthem Entertainment
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@taylorjd71
It took me 30 years to find this song. Parts of the song (without words) were in my head since hearing it on the radio as a teenager in 1990. Who knows how many hours I spent scouring the internet trying to figure out the name/band to no avail. In 2020 I saw a random clip from a podcast that was playing a song in the background. I recognized the voice after 3 decades. It only took a minute after that and I found my unicorn. Listening to it for the first time in 30 years took me right back to where I was in 1990 when I first heard this song.
@augustdajnko
I could have helped expedite the process for you! Glad you found this great song again, Cheers!
@JH-le4sd
Pour one out for the 2 or 3 songs I'm looking for the same way now
@TheVoiceofReason4ya
Shazam it next time! Just kidding. (Seriously !) but that’s awesome! Music can take us back to certain moments in time, the ultimate time traveler.
@therealcobracommander8324
Your not alone.
@metal_qt9673
This took me on a trip dude. Thanks for your story
@laurenjohnston3390
Does this ever get old? No.
We had such a plethora of gorgeously talented bands and musicians in the 80's in Canada. People did not know what they were missing.
@perryharper3085
Lauren Johnston I know exactly what you mean 😊
@laurenjohnston3390
@@perryharper3085 (this, as I'm watching Saga Hurry Don't be late). Still so good.
@perryharper3085
Lauren Johnston exactly and the music from back in the day was something that I’ll never forget and I hope you think that same thing 😊