Avalon Sunset
Encyclopedia
Avalon Sunset is the nineteenth album
by Northern Irish singer-songwriter
Van Morrison
, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music
.)
The album has been described as "a powerful statement that the often turbulent muse had stabilized and was now a sublime force flowing through Van Morrison".
The 29 January 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains an alternative take of "Whenever God Shines His Light
" and a version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with additional lyrics by Morrison.
, the mythic kingdom of King Arthur
.
It marked the first appearance of Georgie Fame
, who played the Hammond organ
and would also provide backup vocals and help direct the band. Morrison and Fame would work together for most of the nineties.
The all new songs were rehearsed in two days and then recorded in another two days. Arty McGlynn (the guitarist) remarked about the band's feelings when the sessions ended "we still don't know if it's an album, or maybe a demo for an album." Morrison's reliance on spontaneity was evident on "Daring Night" where he can be heard calling out chord changes "one-four, one-four" (Gmaj to Cmaj) to Roy Jones near the song's ending. The album was previewed at a private concert at Ronnie Scott
's club on 24 May 1989.
", issued as a successful single that charted at #20 in the U.K.
and was a duet with Cliff Richard
.
"Contacting my Angel" is actually about a woman's presence not the more heavenly kind.
On "I'd Like to Write Another Song" the singer conveys a feeling that writer's block
seems to make living not worthwhile and makes a subtle joke by saying if he could only write another song: "In poetry I'd carve it well / I'd even make it rhyme/" but then doesn't by pairing it with "mind".
The album contains the romantic ballad "Have I Told You Lately
", which became a hit single for Morrison, reaching #12 on the Adult Contemporary Charts and was a bigger hit for Rod Stewart
in 1993. This song was again released on Morrison's 2007 album, Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits
.
The song "Coney Island
" is set in a resort area in Northern Ireland
and tells of a perfect day with a loved one and talk of "potted herring" and ending with the spoken words, "Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time?"
The song "I'm Tired Joey Boy" has a pastoral
setting and was originally written as a poem
, Morrison has said.
On a later song "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God" the certainties of faith are questioned.
The song "Orangefield
" takes the singer back to schooldays and falling in love
for the first time with an idyllic female that Brian Hinton compares to Beatrice
in the Divine Comedy.
It has often been said to be Morrison's most spiritual album, but contains songs exploring more earthy pleasures such as "Coney Island" and "Daring Night". "Daring Night" is explicitly sensual with words of "And the bodies move and we sweat/And have our being/" and was originally recorded as an instrumental
for the album Beautiful Vision
.
The album closes with "These Are the Days
" which finds the singer lost in the moment with words of "There is no past, there's only future; There's only here, there's only now".
, going gold soon after release.
Allmusic calls it a "deeply spiritual album" noting that although it is "not a consistently strong LP, Avalon Sunset is nevertheless the work of a master craftsman, its lush orchestration and atmospheric production casting an irresistibly elegant spell."
Robert Christgau
gave it an A-, finding that: "Like it or not, Morrison's genre exercises are kind of boring. Having long since sold his soul to his Muse, he's her slave for life, and though he keeps importuning various gods to loose his chains, the best they can offer is extra inspiration once in a while—now, for instance."
In September 1989, a Time Magazine writer commented that "Van Morrison, a favorite since the early '60s, released yet another album, Avalon Sunset, a lyrical, ruminative shard of spirituality that he refused to push or publicize."
film Nine Months
- and the album cover can also be seen in one scene.
It was listed at #63 on The Times
Magazine list of The Times All Time Top 100 Albums in 1993.
Special guests
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Northern Irish singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
.)
The album has been described as "a powerful statement that the often turbulent muse had stabilized and was now a sublime force flowing through Van Morrison".
The 29 January 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains an alternative take of "Whenever God Shines His Light
Whenever God Shines His Light
"Whenever God Shines His Light" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset as a duet with Cliff Richard. Although the album was released in June 1989, this song was released as a single in November 1989 for the Christmas...
" and a version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with additional lyrics by Morrison.
Recording
This album was recorded in London and Bath, England, and close to AvalonAvalon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...
, the mythic kingdom of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
.
It marked the first appearance of Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
, who played the Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
and would also provide backup vocals and help direct the band. Morrison and Fame would work together for most of the nineties.
The all new songs were rehearsed in two days and then recorded in another two days. Arty McGlynn (the guitarist) remarked about the band's feelings when the sessions ended "we still don't know if it's an album, or maybe a demo for an album." Morrison's reliance on spontaneity was evident on "Daring Night" where he can be heard calling out chord changes "one-four, one-four" (Gmaj to Cmaj) to Roy Jones near the song's ending. The album was previewed at a private concert at Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
's club on 24 May 1989.
Composition
The album opens with "Whenever God Shines His LightWhenever God Shines His Light
"Whenever God Shines His Light" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset as a duet with Cliff Richard. Although the album was released in June 1989, this song was released as a single in November 1989 for the Christmas...
", issued as a successful single that charted at #20 in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and was a duet with Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
.
"Contacting my Angel" is actually about a woman's presence not the more heavenly kind.
On "I'd Like to Write Another Song" the singer conveys a feeling that writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
seems to make living not worthwhile and makes a subtle joke by saying if he could only write another song: "In poetry I'd carve it well / I'd even make it rhyme/" but then doesn't by pairing it with "mind".
The album contains the romantic ballad "Have I Told You Lately
Have I Told You Lately
"Have I Told You Lately" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded for his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. It is a romantic ballad often played at weddings although it was originally written also as a prayer....
", which became a hit single for Morrison, reaching #12 on the Adult Contemporary Charts and was a bigger hit for Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
in 1993. This song was again released on Morrison's 2007 album, Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits
Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits
Van Morrison at the Movies – Soundtrack Hits is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 2007 comprising 19 songs as featured in various movies. The album was released on 12 February 2007 in the United Kingdom and February 13, 2007 in the United States. ...
.
The song "Coney Island
Coney Island (song)
"Coney Island" is a spoken-word song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1989 album, Avalon Sunset. The narrative is accompanied by lush instrumentation which successfully contrasts with Morrison's thick Ulster brogue. The singer revisits his youthful...
" is set in a resort area in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and tells of a perfect day with a loved one and talk of "potted herring" and ending with the spoken words, "Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time?"
The song "I'm Tired Joey Boy" has a pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
setting and was originally written as a poem
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, Morrison has said.
On a later song "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God" the certainties of faith are questioned.
The song "Orangefield
Orangefield (song)
"Orangefield" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. The song takes place on "a golden Autumn day" and is named for the school for boys that Morrison attended during his youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The song was...
" takes the singer back to schooldays and falling in love
Falling in love
In romantic relationships, "falling in love" is mainly a Western term used to describe the process of moving from a feeling of neutrality towards a person to one of love...
for the first time with an idyllic female that Brian Hinton compares to Beatrice
Beatrice Portinari
Beatrice "Bice" di Folco Portinari was a Florentine woman known as the muse of the poet Dante Alighieri. Beatrice was the principal inspiration for Dante's Vita Nuova, and also appears as his guide in the Divine Comedy in the last book, Paradiso, and in the last four canti of Purgatorio...
in the Divine Comedy.
It has often been said to be Morrison's most spiritual album, but contains songs exploring more earthy pleasures such as "Coney Island" and "Daring Night". "Daring Night" is explicitly sensual with words of "And the bodies move and we sweat/And have our being/" and was originally recorded as an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
for the album Beautiful Vision
Beautiful Vision
Beautiful Vision is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released February 1982 by Warner Bros. Records in the US and Mercury Records in the UK. As with many of Morrison's recordings, spirituality is a major theme and some of the songs are based on the teachings of...
.
The album closes with "These Are the Days
These Are the Days (song)
"These Are the Days" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. It was released as the B-side of the single with "Orangefield" as the A-side.-Composition:...
" which finds the singer lost in the moment with words of "There is no past, there's only future; There's only here, there's only now".
Reception
Avalon Sunset was Morrison's fastest selling record in the U.K.United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, going gold soon after release.
Allmusic calls it a "deeply spiritual album" noting that although it is "not a consistently strong LP, Avalon Sunset is nevertheless the work of a master craftsman, its lush orchestration and atmospheric production casting an irresistibly elegant spell."
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave it an A-, finding that: "Like it or not, Morrison's genre exercises are kind of boring. Having long since sold his soul to his Muse, he's her slave for life, and though he keeps importuning various gods to loose his chains, the best they can offer is extra inspiration once in a while—now, for instance."
In September 1989, a Time Magazine writer commented that "Van Morrison, a favorite since the early '60s, released yet another album, Avalon Sunset, a lyrical, ruminative shard of spirituality that he refused to push or publicize."
In the media and acclaim
The album features prominently in the soundtrack of the Hugh GrantHugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
film Nine Months
Nine Months
Nine Months is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. It stars Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum, and Robin Williams. The movie is a US remake of the French movie Neuf mois and served as Grant's first US starring role. It was filmed on location in...
- and the album cover can also be seen in one scene.
It was listed at #63 on The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
Magazine list of The Times All Time Top 100 Albums in 1993.
Track listing
All songs by Morrison- "Whenever God Shines His LightWhenever God Shines His Light"Whenever God Shines His Light" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset as a duet with Cliff Richard. Although the album was released in June 1989, this song was released as a single in November 1989 for the Christmas...
" – 4:58 - "Contacting My Angel" – 4:57
- "I'd Love to Write Another Song" – 2:52
- "Have I Told You LatelyHave I Told You Lately"Have I Told You Lately" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded for his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. It is a romantic ballad often played at weddings although it was originally written also as a prayer....
" – 4:20 - "Coney IslandConey Island (song)"Coney Island" is a spoken-word song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1989 album, Avalon Sunset. The narrative is accompanied by lush instrumentation which successfully contrasts with Morrison's thick Ulster brogue. The singer revisits his youthful...
" – 2:00 - "I'm Tired Joey Boy" – 2:29
- "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God" – 5:38
- "OrangefieldOrangefield (song)"Orangefield" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. The song takes place on "a golden Autumn day" and is named for the school for boys that Morrison attended during his youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The song was...
" – 3:50 - "Daring Night" – 6:10
- "These Are the DaysThese Are the Days (song)"These Are the Days" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. It was released as the B-side of the single with "Orangefield" as the A-side.-Composition:...
" – 5:08
Bonus tracks (2008 CD reissue)
- "Whenever God Shines His LightWhenever God Shines His Light"Whenever God Shines His Light" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset as a duet with Cliff Richard. Although the album was released in June 1989, this song was released as a single in November 1989 for the Christmas...
" – 3:51 (alternative take) - "When the Saints Go Marching InWhen the Saints Go Marching In"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a spiritual, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band...
" – 6:01 (traditional, arranged Morrison)
Personnel
- Van Morrison - vocalSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Alan BarnesAlan Barnes (musician)Alan Barnes is an English Jazz musician.- Career :Alan Barnes attended Leeds College of Music between 1977–80 where he studied saxophone, woodwinds and arranging before moving to London. In 1980 he played with the Midnight Follies Orchestra and the following year was with the Pasadena Roof...
- baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece... - Clive CulbertsonClive CulbertsonClive Culbertson Clive Culbertson Clive Culbertson (born 28 August 1954, Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland is the founder of The Order Of Druids In Ulster. He is a mystic, musician and healer. Culbertson trained with his friend and teacher, the late Ben McBrady, Aircinneac and Herenach of...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Neil Drinkwater - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Dave EarlyDave EarlyDave Early was an English drummer and percussionist. Early worked with Sade, Chris Rea, Van Morrison, The Chieftains, Mary Black, and others. Later he moved to Belfast, where he played with traditional Irish artists. He frequently worked with drummer-percussionist Martin Ditcham...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Cliff Hardie - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Roy Jones - drums, percussion
- Carol KenyonCarol KenyonCarol Kenyon , is a British singer. She was born c. 1959.Although primarily known as a session vocalist on many albums and singles by a variety of prominent artists, as well as in many concerts, Kenyon has also released several singles as a solo artist...
- backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Katie Kissoon - backing vocals
- Henry LowtherHenry Lowther (musician)Henry Lowther is an English jazz trumpeter.Lowther's first experience was on cornet in a Salvation Army band. He studied violin briefly at the Royal Academy of Music but returned to trumpet by 1960 though he sometimes played violin professionally...
- trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Arty McGlynnArty McGlynnArty McGlynn is an Irish guitarist born in Omagh, County Tyrone. In addition to his solo work, he has collaborated with different notable groups such as Patrick Street, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog, De Dannan and the Van Morrison Band. He played guitar on the critically acclaimed 1989 Van Morrison...
- guitar - Stan SulzmannStan SulzmannStanley Ernest Sulzmann is an English jazz saxophonist.Sulzmann began on saxophone at age 13 and played in Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music from 1969-1972...
- alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Steve Pearce - bass guitar
Special guests
- Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
- vocal on "Whenever God Shines His Light" - Georgie FameGeorgie FameGeorgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
- Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
Album
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
13 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
91 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 11 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 10 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 30 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 18 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
IRE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
US AC | ||
| 1989 | "Have I Told You Lately Have I Told You Lately "Have I Told You Lately" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded for his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. It is a romantic ballad often played at weddings although it was originally written also as a prayer.... " |
74 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
| "Whenever God Shines His Light Whenever God Shines His Light "Whenever God Shines His Light" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset as a duet with Cliff Richard. Although the album was released in June 1989, this song was released as a single in November 1989 for the Christmas... " |
20 | — | 3 | — | |
| "Orangefield Orangefield (song) "Orangefield" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. The song takes place on "a golden Autumn day" and is named for the school for boys that Morrison attended during his youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The song was... " |
— | 70 | — | — | |
| "Coney Island Coney Island (song) "Coney Island" is a spoken-word song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1989 album, Avalon Sunset. The narrative is accompanied by lush instrumentation which successfully contrasts with Morrison's thick Ulster brogue. The singer revisits his youthful... " |
76 | — | 30 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||