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Remember When Rod Stewart Covered a Van Morrison Classic in 1993?
Rod Stewart recorded a cover of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately" that went on to become one of his signature hits, illustrating his willingness throughout his career to take other artists' songs and reshape them into his own. The track had a winding path to success: Stewart first recorded it as an album cut on his 1991 record Vagabond Heart before finally releasing it as a single in 1993, when it topped the charts for him via his live album Unplugged…and Sealed.
Morrison originally wrote and released the love song on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset, where it became the final Top 15 single of his career; he later re-recorded it with the Chieftains in 1995, earning his first Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Numerous other artists, including Kenny Rogers, Barry Manilow and Andy Williams, have also covered the song, while Stewart himself has a long history of reinterpreting other songwriters' work, including tracks by Cat Stevens and The Isley Brothers.
In short
- Rod Stewart's 1993 hit cover of Van Morrison's song had a long backstory
- Song first appeared on Stewart's 1991 album before becoming a single in 1993
- Morrison's original earned him a Grammy in a later Chieftains collaboration
Explained simply
Van Morrison wrote and released "Have I Told You Lately" as a love song on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. The track became the final Top 15 single of Morrison's career and later proved popular with other musicians.
Rod Stewart first recorded the song as an album track on his 1991 record Vagabond Heart before releasing it as a single in 1993 from his live album Unplugged…and Sealed. The single topped the charts for Stewart and became one of his signature hits.
Throughout his career, Stewart has frequently taken songs by other songwriters and recorded his own versions, including tracks by Cat Stevens and The Isley Brothers. The Morrison song has attracted versions from multiple artists including Kenny Rogers, Barry Manilow and Andy Williams, whilst Morrison himself later re-recorded it with the Chieftains in 1995 and won his first Grammy Award for the collaboration.
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