Bruce Springsteen has credited Van Morrison's 1968 album Astral Weeks as a defining influence on his outlook and songwriting, describing it as an "extremely important record" that shaped how he understood beauty and artistry. The reflection highlights how, despite never developing a personal bond with Morrison, Springsteen absorbed the record's spirit from across the Atlantic, illustrating how formative early musical encounters can prove more lasting than personal relationships in shaping an artist's development.

Springsteen said the album "made me trust in beauty" and gave him "a sense of the divine," praising its meditative, slow-paced style rather than any technical innovation as the source of its lasting influence. He specifically linked its impact to his own track "New York City Serenade," stating it would not exist without Astral Weeks, and described Morrison's record as "trance music" that demonstrated how much could be achieved from simple musical foundations.