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3 Van Morrison Songs Almost Everyone Already Knows
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.
In short
- Article lists three enduring, widely recognised Van Morrison songs.
- Includes "Brown Eyed Girl", "Have I Told You Lately" and "Moondance".
- Morrison once called "Brown Eyed Girl" a "throwaway song".
Explained simply
Van Morrison is a Northern Irish songwriter and musician whose career has spanned more than five decades. His influence on popular music is significant, with several songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s continuing to be widely recognised and culturally relevant.
Three of Morrison's best-known recordings are "Brown Eyed Girl" (1967), "Have I Told You Lately" (1989), and "Moondance" (1970). These songs have achieved lasting prominence through radio play, cover versions by other artists, and inclusion in films and television programmes.
The enduring popularity of these tracks demonstrates how certain popular songs transcend their original era to become part of the broader cultural landscape. Despite their iconic status, Morrison has expressed mixed feelings about some of these recordings, with the artist describing one of his signature pieces as merely a "throwaway".