Sweet Thing (Van Morrison song)
| "Sweet Thing" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Van Morrison | |
| from the album Astral Weeks | |
| Released | November 1968 (1968-11) |
| Recorded | 15 October 1968 |
| Studio | Century Sound, New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:22 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison |
| Producer(s) | Lewis Merenstein |
| Astral Weeks track listing | |
8 tracks | |
"Sweet Thing" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on his second studio album Astral Weeks (1968). It was on the first side of the album, that was under the heading: In the Beginning. The song was later used in 1971 as the American B-side to Morrison's single "Blue Money".
Recording and composition
[edit ]"Sweet Thing" was recorded during the last Astral Weeks session on 15 October 1968, at Century Sound Studios in New York City with Lewis Merenstein as producer.[3] It is the only song on the album that looks forward instead of backward:[4]
Morrison described the song to Ritchie Yorke: "'Sweet Thing' is another romantic song. It contemplates gardens and things like that...wet with rain. It's a romantic love ballad not about anybody in particular but about a feeling."[5]
Acclaim
[edit ]The song was listed as No. 415 on the All Time 885 Greatest Songs compiled in 2004 by WXPN from listener's votes.[6] Mark Seymour on The Guardian called it "the most perfect song of all time".[7]
Other releases
[edit ]"Sweet Thing" is the only song from Astral Weeks included on the 1990 compilation album The Best of Van Morrison . It was also featured on Morrison's album Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl , released in 2009 to celebrate forty years since Astral Weeks was first released
Personnel
[edit ]- Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jay Berliner – classical guitar
- Richard Davis – double bass
- Connie Kay – drums
- John Payne – flute
- Warren Smith Jr. – triangle
- Larry Fallon – string arrangements
References
[edit ]- ^ Seymour, Mark (15 January 2023). "Mark Seymour: Sweet Thing by van Morrison is the most perfect song of all time". The Guardian.
- ^ "Sweet Thing - van Morrison | AllMusic". AllMusic .
- ^ Heylin, p. 518
- ^ Heylin, p. 157
- ^ Yorke, p. 57
- ^ "All-Time 885 Greatest Songs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
- ^ Seymour, Mark (15 January 2023). "Mark Seymour: Sweet Thing by Van Morrison is the most perfect song of all time". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
Sources
[edit ]- Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
- Yorke, Ritchie (1975). Into The Music, London: Charisma Books, ISBN 0-85947-013-X