American Songwriter has published a piece highlighting three Van Morrison songs that remain widely recognisable decades after their release, underlining the Northern Irish musician's enduring influence as a songwriter over his more than 50-year career. The article draws attention to how deeply these tracks have permeated popular culture, with one song's writer even admitting he came to dislike performing his most famous hit.

The selection includes "Brown Eyed Girl" (1967), Morrison's debut single from the album Blowin' Your Mind, which never topped the charts but became one of his signature songs despite the singer later calling it a "throwaway"; "Have I Told You Lately" (1989) from Avalon Sunset, a Top 15 hit widely covered by artists including Rod Stewart and Kenny Rogers; and "Moondance", the 1970 title track that was not released as a single until 1977 and later featured in the 2007 film August Rush.