Stein's lead was the centerpiece of the performance, and he treated the song with the loose, swung phrasing the music demands. His tone had a relaxed jazz-club quality — the kind of voice that feels at home over brushed drums and a walking bass line — and he played with the lyric's rhythmic emphasis throughout. The signature "marvelous night for a moondance" hook sat exactly in the pocket, sometimes ahead of the beat, sometimes leaning back, never square.