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."

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

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

Best Van Morrison Songs - The Love Ballads

As the creator of "Brown Eyed Girl" and an impressive list of rom-com soundtrack favorites, Van Morrison might be best known to the average listener as a romantic balladeer. The reputation is deserved, but is just one facet of the artist. My list here includes a couple you probably won't hear in the movies, and one you certainly have already.

"Crazy Love" - Moondance (1970)

"Crazy Love" has been covered often and featured in film (Aaron Neville's version in Phenomenon comes to mind first), simply because it's a perfect love song. Van's version is definitive, however, sung in a hushed falsetto, backed with subtle vibraphone and soulful call-and-response from female backing vocals. As we often see in Van Morrison songs, the singer finds redemption in the love of a woman: "She gives me some sweet loving, brightens up my day, and it makes me righteous, makes me whole."

"Stepping Out Queen Part II" - outtake from Into the Music (1979), released on Philosopher's Stone (1998)

This is a typical Van meditation jam, but the beauty here is it's from the recording session of one of his best records. Backed by drums, bass, piano, and fiddle, Van lays down a sensual strum on acoustic guitar, beginning the song with a spoken intro. When he starts singing "Come into my garden and just look at the flowers!" it gets me every time. I know it looks dumb on paper, but you've got to hear it. He transforms a line, repeats it, reworks it and makes it pure and undeniable. The passion builds as the singer pleads to his lover at dawn and the acoustic guitar goes to double-time strum, the bass climbs and falls, the cymbals explode and, well, just listen and use your imagination.

"Sweet Thing" - Astral Weeks (1968)

Astral Weeks is special for myriad reasons, one of which is the group of unfamiliar musicians Van found himself with at a recording session in New York in 1968. Fresh off a terrible experience with Bang Records (one that did produce the classic "Brown-Eyed Girl"), Van had a fresh start with Warner Bros. and this was his first session under the new contract. Jazz musicians were hired, and the fusion of their improvisational instincts with Van's soulful folk songs produced a classic in less than a week. Van invokes the Romantic poets here; "Sweet Thing" sounds like it could have been written by John Keats - "I will stroll the merry way and jump the hedges first / I will drink the clear clean water for to quench my thirst." Connie Kay's drumming stands out to me, as it does whenever he shows up on a Van Morrison recording. Kay's insistent hi-hat and tasteful fills give the song urgency; Jay Berliner adds sweet flourishes on acoustic guitar; even the string arrangement overdubbed in later sessions adds just the right touches of grace. Together they give the sensation of floating - a fitting ode to romantic love, I'd say.

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

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

Playlist For Writing Your New Years Resolutions - Top 5 Van Morrison Songs To Guide The Way

Van Morrison, for all his curmudgeonry (it's a word, I looked it up) has left us a gorgeous body of work, a common theme of which is rebirth and renewal. As I start to reflect on resolutions I'd like to make for the new year, here are the top 5 Van songs that will serve to comfort and guide me as I do.

"Brand New Day" - Moondance (1970)

Like much of Moondance, this one seems to wrap you in a warm blanket - and a palpable sense of hope that something new and whole is on the horizon. "I've been used, abused and so confused... but I stood and looked, and my eyes got hooked, on that beautiful morning sun." You may be sitting down to your pen and paper with some shame and regret on your shoulders - "Brand New Day" will help you shrug it off and begin anew.

"Astral Weeks" - Astral Weeks (1968)

Van finds salvation in newfound love and nature itself in one of his most mystical works. The finale sings of "another time... another place" but you'll find sufficient wonder and peace in this one to inspire action today.

"Starting a New Life" - Tupelo Honey (1971)

From the looks of the album cover, Van's at peace on his farm with his family and some animals, but the reality was far from it. At any rate, Van seems to be aspiring to the pastoral dream of the album's image, in spite of some significant domestic drama, with sweet songs like this one - "I've been shoveling the snow away, working hard for my pay, all I gotta say is we're starting a new life."

"Spirit"- Common One (1980)

In another mystical gem, Van plays benevolent pied piper, directing us inward "to the one." Interpretation of "the one" is up to you, but the affect is unmistakable - "you turn it around, you keep walking on." (On a side note, if you don't feel like shifting between albums as this list suggests, just stick with Common One, one of Van's most spiritual - and underrated - albums.)

"Wasted Years" - Too Long in Exile (1993)

This is a lovely duet with John Lee Hooker, a thought or two from a pair with a few years under the belt. Long time fans of Van's recognize him as a very bitter fellow at times, but here a wizened man makes this heartening conclusion: "The great sadness, oh you've got to let it all go, live in the present, live in the future - John Lee ain't that so?"

For some more great music, much of it appropriate for making New Years resolutions, check out the Van-inspired act prattle on, rick.. You can download a free copy of their latest single at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

Best Van Morrison Songs - Balm For The Wounded Soul

It's clear from both Van Morrison's live shows and his records that healing is one of his primary ends, why he goes to all the trouble of making music and dealing with the record-making machine. If Van Morrison has a religion, it's music and music alone, in spite of whatever you may hear about God on some select Van Morrison songs. Music is what he has come back to over and over again, from his childhood, through his philosophical searches, through to present day. It's what provides solace, wonder, and purpose. And at times it's as if he's trying to convert the rest of us.

"And the Healing Has Begun"- Into the Music (1979)

Van returns to a familiar groove - the exact chord progression and meter of "Madame George" in fact. But this time he trades pity for transcendence. He and his lover will walk and talk and sing, and have some port, and make love, and shut out the rest of the world until the healing has begun. And music is redemption: "We're gonna make music underneath the stars / we're gonna play to the violin and the two guitars / and we'll sit there playing for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours... when the healing has begun."

"Virgo Clowns" - His Band and the Street Choir (1970)

This album was originally demoed in a church in Woodstock, and there's a lighthearted feeling of community throughout, as though Van had bought into the hippie aquarian dream. "Virgo Clowns" is when it sounds most sincere, as Van lulls us to rest with his syncopated guitar strum and sparse instrumentation. The performance is loose but compassionate and Van makes a communal pronouncement: "Let us lift you up on high, see the twinkle in your eye... Light up your golden smile, take away all your misery and gloom."

"The Mystery" - Poetic Champions Compose (1987)

"Let go into the mystery, let yourself go / You've got to open up your heart, that's all I know." So often a theme of Van Morrison's work, resignation to (or belief in?) the unknown is again his counsel here. To many it may seem naïve at best, escapist at worst. But with Van you can be confident he has searched and searched. It's why his music is still so vital to me, 20 years since my first encounter with it. The idea - of mystical surrender - is a frightening one, and a liberating one. And in such a mystifying world, perhaps the only truly sensible one.

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

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

Best Van Morrison Songs - The Mystical Psalms

One of Van Morrison's many faces is that of the window-gazing dreamer, rapt in wonder - or caught in Silas Marner-like catalepsy. He's given us gorgeous songs of rapture, hymns to the unknown, to love, to mystery, to the indefinable things of our lives. And, in my estimation, no one has done it better. Take a moment to experience this introduction to some of the best Van Morrison songs for daydreaming and staring into the Great Unknown.

"Astral Weeks" - Astral Weeks (1968)

Strains of separation, alienation, intense spiritual love, familial love, all come in a stream of consciousness and settle into a meditation on the afterlife. Interesting that the singer doesn't find his solace or redemption in this woman and her boy, on the "far side of the ocean," but instead in his "home on high, in another life, so far away." There's almost a naiveté about Van's conclusion here, one that can be forgiven a man in his early 20s. It's also interesting to note this was written in the days where Van's band Them had fallen apart, his early solo career had been a music industry cliché of a disaster, and his future was uncertain. He had very little, and he turned to "the One" for solace. Which leads us to...

"Spirit" - Common One (1980)

This is maybe my favorite of Van Morrison songs about the mystical. "When you've given up hope... You turn to the One." I added the caps, on "the One" but how else are we to interpret the phrase? This is a recurring theme for Van, where he returns to a belief in something higher, something unknown and really unknowable, when all else seems uncertain and useless. At least he does through the early 1980s; by the 1990s it's as if there's no religion for Van, other than music itself (see "No Religion" from 1995's Day's Like This). Whatever his theology, this song is a must-have for the modern mystic, and a go-to for the soul in its dark night.

"And it Stoned Me" - Moondance (1970)

I'm so thankful to Van Morrison for his work, for so many reasons. "And it Stoned Me" reminds us to find beauty and wonder in simple things, in this case an afternoon walk to the local swimming hole. I like the way he phrases it too - "And it stoned me, to my soul" - stoned, like drugs? or stoned like the ancient form of capital punishment? I'm going with the first one - and what a lovely thought: great highs, transformation of the mind even, can be find in the common and the routine. Thank you, Van - that was a wonderful remark!

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

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

Best Van Morrison Songs - The RnB Scorchers

Van Morrison's diversity is one of the many qualities that make his songs and his records legendary. One of the genres he's frequented - and mastered - over the years is classic soul and RnB music. Classic blues and the rock-n-roll of the 1950s were clearly the foundation under his band, Them, that formed in Belfast in the early 1960s (they were, to me, the grittiest and hardest-rocking of all the British Invasion bands, but we'll get to that in another article). And in his ensuing solo career he often worked in the RnB idiom, and by the 1990s he could probably be best described as an RnB artist, especially in light of his live shows. Here's where to start for the best Van Morrison songs in classic RnB mode.

"Jackie Wilson Said" - Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)

After a brief vocal intro, the horns come a-blazing and the rhythm section kicks in with a flawless groove. Van is usually heralded as a great singer and songwriter, but his arrangements are rarely given proper recognition. This one is a great example of the thought and detail put into the songs. All of the stops, breakdowns, horn hits, etc. - those things don't just happen in rehearsal; they're put together and teased out of musicians by a visionary director. While I can't say Van himself sat down and worked out each part on his own or with his band, it's certain he had final say over the way things turned out live and on record.

"Bright Side of the Road" - Into the Music (1979)

You've heard it on a movie soundtrack, without a doubt, and for good reason. This one swings so light-heartedly and feels so infectious in yet another exquisite arrangement. It's impossible not to sing along with the ladies in the background, to hum along to the horns, and whistle along to Van's perfect harmonica solo. Most of the credit for the horns, it must be said, probably goes to Pee Wee Ellis, the James Brown veteran who brought such class to Van's early '80s records.

"I've Been Working" - His Band and the Street Choir (1970)

I have to say this is not one of my favorite Van Morrison songs, or even one of my favorite of his RnB tracks, but it's such a classic jam I have to include it. The groove is so intense and hypnotic and has inspired scores of cover versions. And take a moment to find a contemporary live version of this; they were sweat-drenched and epic.

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

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

Best Van Morrison Songs - The Jazz Standards

Classic jazz has always been an important influence in Van Morrison's work. From his parents' record collection through to his days as a saxophone player in Irish showband The Monarchs (with stints at military bases in Germany), Van was steeped in the tradition. His setlists from the early 1970s onward often featured heavy swing numbers, and he even recorded a straight-up swing record for 1995's How Long's This Been Going On. And on that collection he revisited a few earlier Van Morrison songs, two of which made my list here:

"I Will Be There"- Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)

This record includes some of his best arrangements period, and "I Will Be There" is a great example. Featuring great saxophone lines, tasteful bluesy vocals, and one of the best endings of all Van Morrison songs - "gonna grab my razor, and my suitcase, and my toothbrush, and my overcoat, and my underwear - I! Will! Be! There!" It's also one of the rare occasions where Van seems to be having a lot of fun on record, and we get a rare glimpse into his sense of humor.

"Moondance" - Moondance (1970)

Like "I Will Be There," this song reappeared in a new album version in 1995. But this is the version everyone knows, and the one that includes that somewhat regrettable flute. I've nothing personal against flutes (not that I know of at least), but its presence really dates this song. Like every wince-worthy 60s movie soundtrack. Yet the recording endures because, as is so often the case with Van Morrison songs, the composition is quality. Besides the flute, my only other regret is that Pee Wee Ellis wasn't in the band at the time to take the sax solo.

"The Way Young Lovers Do" - Astral Weeks (1968)

Though often dismissed by critics as out of place on Astral Weeks, it's one of my favorite tracks on the record. The horn arrangements alone are enough to make my list, but there's quite a bit more to appreciate. Van's steady acoustic strumming, the pocket groove from Connie Kay (drums) and Richard Davis (bass), the trombone solo, the disconcerting play of the strings. And a great example of how music can completely transform a text - this sweet love poem on paper takes on a constant sense of gloom in the context of the music. As though love and life always have a dark side, the way young lovers do.

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/

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

Best Van Morrison Songs - The Best of the Rest

The following songs did not fit neatly into the categories I designated for my Best Van Morrison Songs series. Because all three of these move me immensely, I wanted to include them somehow.

"Linden Arden Stole the Highlights"- Veedon Fleece (1974)

I suppose there's been much speculation about this Linden Arden, and I think there's no definitive answer. My guess is Van read a story in a newspaper - I think I've heard it was a character in a little known play? - and ran with the idea. This is a tale of tender man ("loved to go to church on Sunday," "and he loved the little children like they were his very own") on the run and struggling with his own demons ("whiskey ran like water in his veins," "he took the law into his own hands," "cleaved their heads off with a hatchet"). With the gentle upright bass and piano backing, there's a feeling of compassion similar to Astral Weeks' "Madame George" that makes this an essential track.

"Celtic New Year"- Magic Time (2005)

I realize I could have created another category of Van Morrison songs - Songs of Home - as the theme of home and belonging crops up often in his records. "Celtic New Year" is a great example. There are many lines in this one that I don't quite understand, and I hesitate to overanalyze; I find I'm better-served sticking to the feeling I get when I'm listening. Here I feel an intense longing, the kind you feel when you clearly belong in a particular place at particular time - like home for the holidays, to use a bad example. There are lines that support that feeling - "Won't you come back, I want you to be of good cheer, come back home in the Celtic New Year."

"Saint Dominic's Preview"- Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)

Now, diving into this third song, I realize the common thread among them - they're really kind of mysterious to me. What is Celtic New Year (forgive me, I didn't do the research) and what does it have to do with Louisiana and playing cards? Who was Linden Arden (I did do my research) anyway, and did he really decapitate a bunch of dudes? And what in the world is "Saint Dominic's Preview" (again, I did the research, and there's no conclusive answer). The latter in particular feels very Dylanesque, in the jumping of time frames and seemingly disconnected images - window cleaning in Paris, restaurant business meetings, recording sessions, Safeway supermarkets, and cocktail parties. What's it all about? No idea, to be honest. But it's not so important. What I hear is defiance, determination, and a communal effort towards... something. And it feels pretty damn good.

Whenever I talk about Van Morrison I always want to tell people about another favorite artist, prattle on, rick. Deeply influenced by Van's music, prattle on, rick. preserves Van's heartfelt, dreamy aesthetic and updates it in a lovely modern folk-pop sound. Do yourself the favor of downloading some of their music for free at http://prattleonrickmusic.com/ .

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