Best Van Morrison Songs - The Hymns of Praise

Religion is always a touchy subject, and trying to tease out Van Morrison's theology from his songs is neither fair nor possible. So I'll tread carefully with these three Van Morrison songs, each of which can easily be interpreted as Christian hymns of praise. You may debate the "Christian" part, but Van no doubt taps into the Christian lexicon in these lyrics.

"By His Grace"- Hymns to the Silence (1991)

Hymns to the Silence is the Van Morrison album with some of the most overtly Christian tones, with versions of established hymns - "Be Thou My Vision" and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" - and the sublime "By His Grace." But it is easily Van's most schizophrenic album - among the religious invocations are bitter music-industry rants, cheesy contemporary pop songs, straight-up blues, and epic meditations. Perhaps that's why "By His Grace" is a bit unsettling at first, this "grace" sounds so mechanical, like something to be earned - "You've got to try for the kingdom... " and the word "try" is used seven more times in two and a half minutes. This is an album of an artist in manic frustration. Struggle is the only way through, but the struggle can only be made "by his grace."

"Full Force Gale" - Into the Music (1979)

Perhaps the most overtly Christian of Van Morrison songs, and to my ear the most convincing, "Full Force Gale" will hit you just like one. Into the Music is so full of heart-felt gratitude and redemption that it's hard to take this as anything less than a hymn of thanks. "I was headed for a fall, then I looked up and saw the writing on the wall / Like a full force gale I was lifted up again / I was lifted up again by the Lord." The one-two punch of "Bright Side of the Road" and "Full Force Gale" that opens the album is the sunniest stretch of any Van Morrison album you'll find anywhere.

"If I Ever Needed Someone" - His Band and the Street Choir (1970)

So does Van use "Lord" here as an exclamation, as though addressing a redemptive lover, or is he addressing The Lord himself? It's in the ear of the hearer, really. And it's a fitting Christian hymn for someone of the latter perspective: "To see me through the daytime, and through the long and lonely night / To see me through the darkness and on into the light."

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You can read the other articles in my Best Van Morrison Songs: 30 Essentials series, available at my profile.