History YMMV / VanMorrison

* SampledUp: The intro to Them's cover of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is now commonly recognized as the basis for Music/{{Beck}}'s song "Jackass", from his album ''Music/{{Odelay}}''.

** ''Into The Music'': "Bright Side Of The Road".

** ''Poetic Champions Compose'': "Someone Like You".

** ''Moondance'': the title track, "Crazy Love", "Into The Mystic" and "And It Stoned Me" all qualify as his most popular songs behind "Brown Eyed Girl". "Caravan" is also a significantly popular track, and is also praised.

** ''Tupelo Honey'': the title track and "Wild Night".
** ''St. Dominic's Preview'': "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)".

** ''Avalon Sunset'': "Have I Told You Lately", which ties for silver with the main songs from ''Moondance''. Two other well-known songs are "Whenever God Shines His Light" and "These Are the Days".

** ''Back on Top'': "Precious Time", although more thanks to live performances than audience popularity.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Due to his accumulation of NewAge influences, there was the time between ''Into the Music'' and ''Hymns To The Silence'' where he drifted into increasingly esoteric and poetic subject matter, which alienated many casual listeners (which is not to say it doesn't have its fans). ''Too Long In Exile'' was a [[MeaningfulName step away from this]], and a step back towards the rhythm'n'blues he grew up on and became famous for.

* HilariousInHindsight: "Saint Dominic's Preview" used the line "Meanwhile, back in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco" decades before it became a running gag at live screenings of ''Film/TheRoom''.

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take Thats!]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns, including one song about how he's still waiting for a royalty check. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic -- and indeed, the three 'protest' songs (“Born to Be Free”, “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown”) lived all the way down to their lowest expectations. Even more worrying, Van promises -- quite seriously -- that this is now his preferred form of songwriting: "Now I'm doing social observation, commentary, satire...I’m going straight for the jugular." His next album includes song titles like “Stop Bitching, Do Something,” “They Own the Media” and “Why Are You On Website/{{Facebook}}?”.
* ArchivePanic: Morrison's discography includes 42 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 2 albums with his former band, Them.

** ''Astral Weeks'': "Sweet Thing". Also the TitleTrack has gained quite a lot in popularity.
** ''Moondance'': the title track, "Crazy Love", "Into The Mystic" and "And It Stoned Me" all qualify as his most popular songs behind "Brown Eyed Girl".

** ''Inarticulate Speech of the Heart'': "Irish Heartbeat" (also counts for his eponymous album with Music/TheChieftains and for his duets album (where he sings the song with Mark Knopfler).

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns, including one song about how he's still waiting for a royalty check. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic -- and indeed, the three 'protest' songs (“Born to Be Free”, “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown”) lived all the way down to their lowest expectations. Even more worrying, Van promises -- quite seriously -- that this is now his preferred form of songwriting: "Now I'm doing social observation, commentary, satire...I’m going straight for the jugular." His next album includes song titles like “Stop Bitching, Do Something,” “They Own the Media” and “Why Are You On Website/{{Facebook}}?”.

** ''Astral Weeks'': "Sweet Thing".

** ''Inarticulate Speech of the Heart'': "Irish Heartbeat".

** ''Avalon Sunset'': "Have I Told You Lately", which ties for silver with the main songs from ''Moondance''.

** Also averted with "Gloria". The cover by The Shadows of Knight was a Top 10 hit in the US while Them's original only got to #71. You hear both versions on oldies stations, but Them seems to get played more. Music/PattiSmith's version of "Gloria" from ''Music/{{Horses}}'' is almost unrecognisable as a cover until the end; Patti completely inverts the heterosexual context of the original with her paean to a [[HoYay different sort of love for a girl called Gloria]].

* HilariousInHindsight: "Saint Dominic's Preview" used the line "Meanwhile, back in San Francisco" decades before it became a running gag at live screenings of ''Film/TheRoom''.

* MainstreamObscurity: Van is beloved by his fanbase and adored by critics, but not that well-known to the larger public. Many people assume the '60s Pop Hit "Brown-Eyed Girl" was a One-Hit Wonder. For whatever reason, Van never quite developed the massive following his contemporaries Music/BobDylan, Music/TheBand, and Music/NeilYoung, and PromotedFanboy Music/BruceSpringsteen did. Consider how long it took for him to get his own page on this wiki. Some people probably know his music without really knowing him, since there have been several hit [[CoverVersion Cover Versions]] of his songs, and he seems to be an oddly popular choice among services that provide loudspeaker music at retail stores.

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns, including one song about how he's still waiting for a royalty check. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic -- and indeed, the three 'protest' songs (“Born to Be Free”, “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown”) lived all the way down to their lowest expectations. Even more worrying, Van promises -- quite seriously -- that this is now his preferred form of songwriting: "Now I'm doing social observation, commentary, satire...I’m going straight for the jugular." His next album includes song titles like “Stop Bitching, Do Something,” “They Own the Media” and “Why Are You On Facebook?”.

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns, including one song about how he's still waiting for a royalty check. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic -- and indeed, the three 'protest' songs (“Born to Be Free”, “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown”) lived all the way down to their lowest expectations. Even more worrying, Van promises -- quite seriously -- that this is now his preferred form of songwriting: "Now I'm doing social observation, commentary, satire...I’m going straight for the jugular." His next album includes song titles like “Stop Bitching, Do Something,” “They Own the Media” and “Why Are You On Facebook?”

* SampledUp: The intro to Them's cover of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is now commonly recognized as the basis for Music/{{Beck}}'s song "Jackass, from his album ''Music/{{Odelay}}''.

** ''Astral Weeks'': "Sweet Thing", "Cyprus Avenue".

** ''St. Dominic's Preview'': "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)", "Listen to the Lion".

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns, including one song about how he's still waiting for a royalty check. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic. And indeed, the three 'protest' songs (“Born to Be Free,” “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown”) lived all the way down to their lowest expectations.

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns, including one song about how he's still waiting for a royalty check. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic.

* MagnumOpusDissonance: For a long time Van disagreed with the critical opinions on ''Astral Weeks'', at least partially through associating it with his [[ExecutiveMeddling time with Bang records]]. In more recent years, he has made his peace with the album and recorded ''Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl''. "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Gloria", on the other hand, are simply quick pop songs to him. He even claimed he wrote the latter completely off-the-cuff.
** Also, he said in [[https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/sir-van-morrison-exhilarated-over-knighthood-34422905.html an interview]] that his favorite album is neither ''Astral Weeks'' nor ''Moondance'', but 1980's comparatively obscure ''Common One''.

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the messages of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic.

* {{Anvilicious}}: While Morrison doesn't really do much in the way of "message songs", when he does he tends to throw subtlety out the door. A frequent target of ire is the music business itself, dating all the way back to the infamous "Bang Records demos" that he recorded as a ContractualObligationProject to get out of his deal with Bang, which were loaded with [[TakeThat Take That!s]] to Bang and his late producer Bert Berns. 1973's "The Great Deception" is a rant about "plastic revolutionaries", including rock stars who happen to be richer than him ("Got three or four Cadillacs[=/=]Saying "[[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]], [[Music/SlyAndTheFamilyStone dance to the music!]]"). Upon hearing that he was going to release some anti-lockdown [[ProtestSong Protest Songs]] during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, longtime fans got ready to cringe not only at the content of the songs, but at the ham-fisted way he undoubtedly would tackle the topic.

** ''Astral Weeks'': "Sweet Thing".

** ''St. Dominic's Preview'': "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)".