Van Morrison: The Reluctant Hitmaker Who Never Gave Up
Van Morrison’s first taste of success came in 1964 with Gloria, released by his band Them.
This led to a U.S. tour where the highlight was sharing the bill with The Doors. On the final night, Van and Jim Morrison performed Gloria together – they may not have been brothers by blood or surname, but they bonded through music.
That moment must have lit a fire under Van. Though Them would soon disband, Van had got a taste for it and began writing what would later become Astral Weeks.
In 1967, still new to the business, Van signed with Bang Records – and got royally ripped off. Instead of releasing what was planned, the label threw together an album without his knowledge: Blowin’ Your Mind. It included what would become his signature song, Brown Eyed Girl.
The single shot into the top ten and started selling fast. It ended up being the most played song of the ’60s – yet Van didn’t see a penny. He was, understandably, not amused.
To escape this dreadful contract, Van was forced to record 36 original songs. So he grabbed an out-of-tune guitar and sang nonsense about ringworm and sandwiches. These “revenge songs” were finally released in 2017.
When Astral Weeks was eventually released in 1968, it failed to chart and had no hits. This must have been deeply disappointing – especially after the success of Brown Eyed Girl, from which he saw no reward.
Over time, Astral Weeks became a cult classic, eventually voted Best Irish Album of All Time by Hot Press magazine. But back then, Van was starving – literally. Still, Van the Man didn’t give up.
His next album, Moondance, changed everything. It became a massive success, featuring classics like Into The Mystic, Caravan, And It Stoned Me, the title track, and my personal favourite, Crazy Love.
If you’re only going to get one Van Morrison album, make it Moondance.
The follow-up, His Band and the Street Choir, wasn’t quite on the same level. Domino did alright, but the album wasn’t a big hit.
In 1971, Tupelo Honey brought the hits back with the title track and Wild Night.
Van would go on to release many more albums and tour the world. But it wasn’t until 1989 that he had another huge hit with Have I Told You Lately – a perfect first dance song, right up there with Let’s Stay Together and At Last.
Van Morrison Tunes | Related Pages
Brown Eyed Girl | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | C | G | D |
Hey, where did we go? Days when the rains came…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Crazy Love | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Crazy Love by Van Morrison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| A C#m | D A |
I can hear her heartbeat, from a thousand miles…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Crazy Love (Van Morrison) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Have I Told You Lately | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Have I Told You Lately by Van Morrison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E G#m | A B11 |
Have I told you lately that I love you…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Into The Mystic | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Into The Mystic by Van Morrison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
We were born before the wind. Also younger than the sun…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Into The Mystic (Van Morrison) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Moondance | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Moondance by Van Morrison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Am7 Bm7 | Am7 Bm7 | Am7 Bm7 | Am7/C Bm7 |
Well, it’s a marvelous night for a Moondance with the stars up above in your eyes…
Van Morrison on the web
