It’s very possible that you’ve never heard this great Jimmy Webb song because it’s never charted for anyone, but “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” has been covered by Glen Campbell, Judy Collins, Joe Cocker, Pat Metheny, and the incomparable Linda Ronstadt. Webb appropriated the key phrase from the title of a science fiction book (he asked permission from the author, first). In a concert I attended, Webb explained that the moon in the song actually represented two things to him. He had been through a difficult breakup with a lover and he was also going through a rough career patch, so the “harsh mistress” could represent his former girlfriend and it could also represent the pursuit of success and fame.