Tag Archives: Van Morrison

♫ Jackie Wilson Said ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history

Since there are only two days left in Van Morrison Week, I’m playing one of Pete’s requests tonight, and will do a post with a few of the other suggestions from Clive and rawgod tomorrow night. Today’s song is one that I vaguely remember hearing, but don’t fully recall it, so I probably heard it only in passing once or twice.

According to Wikipedia …

The first known recording of “Jackie Wilson Said” was in January 1972 at singer and musician Lee Michaels’ studio in Mill Valley, California. For this early demo, Morrison and Doug Messenger played guitars and Michaels contributed piano. Only three sections had been composed and there was no clear structure. On January 29 it was recorded with “Gypsy” at Pacific High Studios in San Francisco for his forthcoming album, Saint Dominic’s Preview. Morrison was joined by his band at the time: Messenger on guitar; Rick Shlosser on drums; Bill Church on bass; Mark Naftalin on piano and Jack Schroer on saxophone. This version was released by Warner Bros. in July 1972 and featured as the opening tune on the album.

Morrison’s band had only rehearsed the song once before the session, which led to the parts being rearranged in the studio. Despite the initial problems, the band recorded it in one take, as Messenger recalls: “At the end [we] all stood in silence: had [we] got it in one go? Van called for another take, but stopped a few bars in because he felt it wasn’t working. ‘I think we’ve got it.’” Overdubs were added later on by saxophonists Schroer and Rolf “Boots” Houston. Writer Peter Wrench commented that “What does seem clear, though, is that ‘Jackie Wilson’ is a genuine example of a one-take wonder which came together extraordinarily quickly as a shared creation in the moment.”

According to Morrison “Jackie Wilson Said” was “particularly inspired” by a line in Jackie Wilson’s song “Reet Petite”. Morrison also acknowledged later in his career that his vocals are also influenced by the 1950s soul singer, remarking that Wilson’s consecutive hits were an important influence in developing his early vocal style. According to biographer Peter Mills, Morrison’s vocal performance, which borrows from early styles of rhythm and blues, pop, jazz and blues, “is prime time Morrison: tight, melodic, fully vocalised from the centre-back of the throat”.

“Jackie Wilson Said” was released as a single in July 1972 in the US and August 1972 in the UK, with the rare and never again released song “You’ve Got the Power” as the B-side. It peaked at number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Record World said the single “just about lives up to the promise of its title” and that it’s an “exhilarating preview” of the album. Thomas Ryan wrote in 1996 that the song was “denied its commercial destiny by never gaining entry to the upper echelons of the singles charts, a fact as unacceptable as it is inexplicable.”

In reviewing the album for the BBC, James Young describes the song as “soulful and uplifting” and comments that “it’s awash with lyrical hooks powered by his increasingly mellifluous voice, and backed with pumping horns and rhythm section. It also showcases his signature utterances and vocalisations, the do-de-de-doos and dang-a-lang-a-langs, which are pure homage to his soul and doo-wop influences.”

Robert Christgau wrote in his review of Saint Dominic’s Preview, “‘Jackie Wilson said it was reet petite,’ he shouts for openers, and soon has me believing that ‘I’m in heaven when you smile’ says as much about the temporal and the eternal as anything in Yeats.”

Reviewer Scott Floman states that the song was the best of “four monumental tracks” on the album commenting that, “The joyous ‘Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)’ starts the album off with three minutes of pop perfection, thereby continuing his recent trend of beginning each album with a great concise upbeat number. This grand horn heavy homage to another great r&b performer is the best of the bunch.”

Jackie Wilson Said

Van Morrison

Jackie Wilson said
It was Reet Petite
Kinda love you got
Knock me off my feet
Let it all hang out
Oh, let it all hang out
And you know
I’m so wired up
Don’t need no coffee in my cup
Let it all hang out
Let it all hang out

Ding a ling a ling
Ding a ling a ling ding
Ding a ling a ling
Ding a ling a ling ding
Do da do da
I’m in heaven, I’m in heaven
I’m in heaven, when you smile
When you smile, when you smile
When you smile
And when you walk
Across the room
You make my heart go
Boom boom boom
Let it all hang out
Baby, let it all hang out
And every time
You look that way
Honey child, you make my day
Let it all hang out
Like the man said let it all hang out

Ding a ling a ling
Ding a ling a ling ding
Ding a ling a ling
Ding a ling a ling ding
Do da do da
I’m in heaven, I’m in heaven
I’m in heaven, when you smile
When you smile
I’m in heaven, I’m in heaven
I’m in heaven, when you smile
One more time
I’m in heaven, I’m in heaven
I’m in heaven, when you smile
When you smile

Writer/s: VAN MORRISON
Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

♫ Caravan ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history

This one was suggested by Pete when he mentioned doing a weeklong series of Van Morrison songs.  I’ve run out of ones I was familiar with, so I’m walking blindfolded through the fields of Morrison’s prolific works!

According to SongFacts …

“Caravan” is a song full of gypsies, travel, and community. It’s a song about the open road and music, a general celebration of freedom, but Morrison actually wrote it during a stationary period of his life.

Morrison moved to Woodstock, New York, shortly after recording his second studio album, Astral Weeks, in 1968. Even in 2021 Woodstock remains a small town out in the Catskills, but in 1968 it was doubly so. Morrison moved there for the silence and the art community, but also because Bob Dylan had moved out there not long before. Morrison’s first wife, Janet Planet, said Dylan was the only contemporary musician Morrison felt was worth his attention.

Morrison’s house was a mile away from any other houses, but while living there he swore he could hear a radio playing as though it were in the same room (“turn up your radio and let me hear the song”). This mystery fascinated Morrison, who at one point hypothesized that he was hearing the radio being played in someone else’s house, which he thought might be coming to his home through the tunnel that supposedly ran under his house (according to some locals).

No traces of the mysterious tunnel radio story remain in “Caravan,” but that’s where the radio references were inspired. In the song, they become a general celebration of music and friends.

In our modern age of streaming, ever-present music, such an elevation of radio might seem odd. For the musicians of the ’60s, though, radio made up the bulk of the music they heard, especially while growing up in the ’40s. Many people didn’t even have record players in the ’40s, and music was truly new when it hit the radio. Morrison captures that magic in this song.

“Caravan” was never released as a single but became one of Morrison’s most popular songs and a staple of his concerts. It’s included on his third album, Moondance, and also on his popular 1974 double live album, It’s Too Late to Stop Now.

Morrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. He was the first living musician to miss his own induction ceremony. In his place, the Counting Crows performed “Caravan.”

And from Wikipedia …

In his book, Songbook, about his 31 favourite songs, Nick Hornby names “Caravan” from the live album, It’s Too Late to Stop Now as the song he wants played at his funeral. He writes that “in the long, vamped passage right before the climax Morrison’s band seems to isolate a moment somewhere between life and its aftermath, a big, baroque entrance hall of a place where you can stop and think about everything that has gone before.” Then he humorously realizes that this is also the place where Morrison introduces the band and wonders how the mourners will feel about hearing all the unknown people’s names being called out as they file out of the funeral, but says “I’m not changing my mind, so there.”

Caravan

Van Morrison

And the caravan is on it’s way
I can hear the merry gypsies play
Mama mama look at Emma Rose
She’s a-playin with the radio
La, la, la, la…

And the caravan has all my friends
It will stay with me until the end
Gypsy Robin, Sweet Emma Rose
Tell me everything I need to know
La, la, la…

Turn up your radio and let me hear the song
Switch on your electric light
Then we can get down to what is really wrong
I long to hold you tight so I can feel you
Sweet lady of the night I shall reveal you

Turn it up, turn it up, little bit higher radio
Turn it up, turn it up, so you know, radio
La, la, la, la…

And the caravan is painted red and white
That means ev’rybody’s staying overnight
Barefoot gypsy player round the campfire sing and play
And a woman tells us of her ways
La, la, la, la…

Turn up your radio and let me hear the song
Switch on your electric light
Then we can get down to what is really wrong
I long to hold you tight so I can feel you
Sweet lady of the night I shall reveal you
Turn it up, turn it up, little bit higher, radio
Turn it up, that’s enough, so you know it’s got soul
Radio, radio turn it up, hum
La, la, la, la…

♫ Crazy Love ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history

Day #4 of Van Morrison Week … I picked this one even though it wasn’t one of those that were suggested, mainly because I like it.  Don’t worry … I’ll get to some of the suggestions tomorrow, but I’ve been in the kitchen cooking much of the day and figured I should pick one that pleases my ears tonight!

There really isn’t a lot of background info on this song.  According to SongFacts …

Morrison had recently married his girlfriend Janet Planet when he wrote this rather poetic song, which is about a love that makes the bad times good and the good times better. It’s a soothing love that makes you complete, and the song caught on as a way for lovers to express just these emotions. It’s a very popular wedding song, just don’t tell the happy couple that Morrison and Janet divorced in 1973.

Artists to cover this song include Brian McKnight, Ray Charles, Aaron Neville, Helen Reddy, Rod Stewart, Paul Carrack and John Anderson. Canadian vocalist Michael Bublé covered this for the title track of his 2009 album.

An interesting side note … while I cannot find a single place where Van Morrison’s or any of the other covers charted, the  Michael Bublè version is listed as having charted in the UK at … wait for it … #122!!!

Now, I found two versions besides the original that I thought were fun, but I know that some Van Morrison fans are purists, so … I’m playing his original, but also offering up the other two.  One is a duet with Ray Charles (one of my faves!) that they performed when Ray Charles introduced Van Morrison by starting the first verse before Van’s appearance when he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2003. Morrison and Charles then finished with a duet of Crazy Love. Ray Charles remarked about this performance: “It meant a lot to sing ‘Crazy Love’ on stage that evening.”  And the other is a duet with Bob Dylan.  Take your pick … listen to one or all!

Crazy Love

Van Morrison

I can hear his heart beat
For a thousand miles
And the heavens open
Every time he smiles

And when I come to him
That’s where I belong
Yet I’m running to him
Like a river’s song

He give me love, love
Love, love, crazy love
He give me love, love
Love, love, crazy love

He’s got a fine sense of humor
When I’m feeling low down
And when I come to him
When the sun goes down

Take away my trouble
Take away my grief
Take away my heartache
In the night like a thief

He give me love, love
Love, love, crazy love
He give me love, love
Love, love, crazy love

Yes, I need him in the daytime
Yes, I need him in the night
Yes, I want to throw my arms around him
Kiss him, hug him, kiss him, hug him tight

And when I’m returning
From so far away
He gives me some sweet loving
Brighten up my day

Yes, it makes me righteous
Yes, it makes me feel whole
Yes, it makes me mellow
Down in to my soul

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Laura Nyro

Crazy Love lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

♫ Moondance ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history

Day #3 of Van Morrison week!  I must say that I knew little to nothing about Van Morrison when I first started this project, and don’t know a heck of a lot more about him now than I did before!  But, I’ve been listening to more of his music … some I like, and some I turn off after the first minute or so.  I was already familiar with tonight’s tune and have always liked it whenever I heard it.  One thing puzzles me about Van Morrison’s work … many of his songs seem quite popular, yet they never charted particularly high, if at all.  One of life’s great mysteries, I suppose.

According to SongFacts …

Van Morrison comes up with songs many different ways, sometimes a lyric or title idea sparks a song, and other times it’s a melody. “Moondance” started as a jazz saxophone instrumental, and Van played that original sax solo he wrote for the song. He told Rolling Stone magazine: “I used to play this sax number over and over, anytime I picked up my horn.”

That Rolling Stone quote is about all you’re going to get from Van regarding the song. He is notoriously fickle when it comes to speaking about his music, as he feels that the songs should speak for themselves. The liner notes to the Moondance album were written by his girlfriend Janet Planet (seriously???), and instead of a traditional explanation of the recording process or a list of thank-you’s, these notes are a fable, telling the story of an artist in ancient times who has a great gift but keeps it to himself. When his wife gets sick, he cures her using his gift of song. She then asks, “But who will ease your pain, who will save you?”

The flute is a big part of this song. It was played by Collin Tilton, who replaced John Payne on the instrument for the Moondance album.

Pianist and organist Jeff Labes recalled the recording of the track to Uncut: “I remember ‘Moondance’ itself was a big question mark. It was jazzy, and didn’t seem to belong to the pack. The first time we recorded it, it came out really well, but Van thought there must be a catch. So we did it about a dozen times, and ended up going back to the first one, He liked to sing live along with the track, because Sinatra did that. He loved having a first-take vocal. He was looking for the magic.”

As I said, his music doesn’t seem to have been chart toppers, and this is no exception.  It reached #92 in the U.S. and as far as I can tell did not chart anywhere else.

Moondance

Van Morrison

 Well, it’s a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
‘Neath the cover of October skies

And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
You know I’m tryin’ to please to the calling
Of your heartstrings that play soft and low

You know the night’s magic seems to whisper and hush
You know the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?

Well, I wanna make love to you tonight
I can’t wait ’til the mornin’ has come
You know, I know now the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run

And when you come, my heart will be waiting
To make sure that you’re never alone
There and then all my dreams will come true, dear
There and then I will make you my own

And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside
And I know how much you want me, that you can’t hide

Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?

Well, it’s a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
‘Neath the cover of October skies

And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
You know I’m trying to please to the calling
Of your heartstrings that play soft and low

You know the night’s magic seems to whisper and hush
You know the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?

One more moondance with you
In the moonlight
On a magic night
La, la, la, la, la, in the moonlight
On a magic night
Can’t I just have one more, more dance with you, my love?

Source: Musixmatch

♫ Have I Told You Lately ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history, Political commentary

Moving right along on Van Morrison Week, I chose tonight’s because, in addition to having been recommended by you guys, it is one that I know, although truth be told I was more familiar with Rod Stewart’s version!  Still … I like what Van Morrison does with it, so …

I was a bit surprised to read in both SongFacts and Wikipedia that this song had religious connotations, for I thought he was talking to a girl!  But according to SongFacts …

This song is widely considered to be about Van Morrison’s relationship with God and religious convictions. Although we’ve never heard him speak specifically about the song, he does acknowledge a spiritual element in his music. When asked about the topic in a 2009 Q&A in Time magazine, Morrison said, “Religion is a kind of word game. It’s whatever it means to those individuals who are following that belief system. If you say something has got spirit or “I feel the spirit,” to me, that would be more appropriate – spirit in the Aristotelian sense, that the mind and body and spirit are one thing. Which is different from religion.”

Confused yet?  I am!  But we all take away different things from a song, so I still like it because it pleases my ears.

I have to admit I found some humour in what one British weekly music newspaper, the Record Mirror, said of the song …

“Van the Man must have been talking to Stevie Wonder recently, because he seems to have caught some of his infectious sentimentality. Either that, or he bumped into Richard Clayderman in the corridor at his record company. There’s a really slushy bit of piano in this that my mum would love.”

The song won a Grammy for a Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 

The Van Morrison version charted at #12 in the U.S. and #74 in the UK (Hey, I thought you Brits liked Van Morrison???)  Rod Stewart’s version, however, reached #5 in both the U.S. and the UK, and #1 in Canada where Van Morrison’s did not chart at all.  Ordinarily, I would play both versions here, but since this is Van Morrison Week, I shan’t let Rod steal Rod’s limelight.

Have I Told You Lately

Van Morrison

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

For the morning sun and all it’s glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort, too
You fill my life with laughter
And somehow, you make it better
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun
And at the end of the day
We should give thanks and pray
To the one, to the one

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun
And at the end of the day
We should give thanks and pray
To the one, to the one

And have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do
Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Harold Rome

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You lyrics © Chappell & Co., Inc., Barrule Uk Ltd

♫ Have I Told You Lately ♫

Posted on by under music

This song was originally written and recorded by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison for his nineteenth studio album Avalon Sunset (1989).  Although he would later rerecord the song with The Chieftans in 1995 which would go on to win a Grammy, Van Morrison’s original recording wasn’t wildly popular, ranking only at #12 in Ireland and the U.S., and #74 in the UK.

In 1991, Rod Stewart covered the song for his album Vagabond Heart.  When the single was released in 1993, it made the big time, charting at #1 in Canada, #5 in both the U.S. and the UK.  I didn’t recall Van Morrison’s recording of it, but I well remember liking Rod Stewart’s back in the day.

The song has been covered by many including Della Reece, Engelbert Humperdinck, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell, and Barry Manilow.  Admittedly, I did not listen to the rest, so I cannot speak of them, but I did listen tonight to Van Morrison’s and Rod Stewart’s versions.  My preference is Rod Stewart, but I offer both so you can decide for yourself!

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
Rod Stewart

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

For the morning sun and all it’s glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort, too
You fill my life with laughter
And somehow, you make it better
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun
And at the end of the day
We should give thanks and pray
To the one, to the one

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun
And at the end of the day
We should give thanks and pray
To the one, to the one

And have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do
Take away all my sadness, fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Harold Rome
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You lyrics © Chappell & Co., Inc., Barrule Uk Ltd