Mystic Eyes
Encyclopedia
"Mystic Eyes" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter
Van Morrison
when he was leader of the band Them
. It was the opening tune for the band's first album, The Angry Young Them
that was released in June 1965. It was released as a single in the US
and UK
on November 12, 1965 and charted at No. 33 in the US.
reporter how the song had just happened during the first recording session for the album and the band was just "busking" around. "Someone started playing a fast riff and we all just joined in. The lyrics
I sing at the end were just words from a song I had been writing at the time." Later in 1966 he told an American
reporter how it was inspired by an occasion in Nottingham Park as he walked by a graveyard
wall where some children played next to it. "You know, man, there was life and death beside one another so close...yet so different...And then I thought of the bright lights in the children's eyes...and the cloudy lights in the eyes of the dead."
Tommy Scott who was acting producer of Them sessions after Bert Berns
returned to America described how "Mystic Eyes" came about in the studio as being originally conceived as an instrumental: "after blowing his harmonica
for about seven minutes, Van suddenly burst into this spontaneous lyric." The ten minute take was condensed to a single's length by cutting from the beginning and ending of the instrumental. It was recorded at the Regent Sound a mono studio in Denmark Street in London
England
.
Greil Marcus
said about hearing "Mystic Eyes" for the first time: "I'd never heard anything like that. A piece of music that was supposedly made for airplay, with this long instrumental introduction that was really the whole song." Marcus also wrote in a 1969 Rolling Stone
article on Van Morrison: '"Mystic Eyes" though, was a triumph for both Van as an artist responsible to no one but himself, and for the band. Van wrote it after watching children frolicking among the tombstones of an ancient cemetery, and the vocal consisted in essence of Van chanting virtually demonic incantations over a mad tempo and the harsh chords of a biting guitar."
released in 1997 on the Deram Records
label.
, and appears on the 2000 release of the Soundtrack to the Sopranos.
. A different 2006 version is also included on their 4-CD collection, The Live Anthology
.
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...
when he was leader of the band Them
Them (band)
Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career...
. It was the opening tune for the band's first album, The Angry Young Them
The Angry Young Them
The Angry Young Them is the first album from the Northern Irish rock and roll group Them. The album was released in the UK in June 1965. The band's lead singer and songwriter was Van Morrison...
that was released in June 1965. It was released as a single in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and UK
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...
on November 12, 1965 and charted at No. 33 in the US.
Recording history
In 1965, Van Morrison explained to a BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
reporter how the song had just happened during the first recording session for the album and the band was just "busking" around. "Someone started playing a fast riff and we all just joined in. The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
I sing at the end were just words from a song I had been writing at the time." Later in 1966 he told an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reporter how it was inspired by an occasion in Nottingham Park as he walked by a graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
wall where some children played next to it. "You know, man, there was life and death beside one another so close...yet so different...And then I thought of the bright lights in the children's eyes...and the cloudy lights in the eyes of the dead."
Tommy Scott who was acting producer of Them sessions after Bert Berns
Bert Berns
Bertrand Russell Berns , most commonly known as Bert Berns as well as Bert Russell and Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s...
returned to America described how "Mystic Eyes" came about in the studio as being originally conceived as an instrumental: "after blowing his harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
for about seven minutes, Van suddenly burst into this spontaneous lyric." The ten minute take was condensed to a single's length by cutting from the beginning and ending of the instrumental. It was recorded at the Regent Sound a mono studio in Denmark Street in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Aftermath
"Mystic Eyes" was not released as a single until five months after the album that it was the opening song on. ln the United States, it was promoted as the follow-up to "Gloria" and was a successful single. In the UK, it did not chart.Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
said about hearing "Mystic Eyes" for the first time: "I'd never heard anything like that. A piece of music that was supposedly made for airplay, with this long instrumental introduction that was really the whole song." Marcus also wrote in a 1969 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
article on Van Morrison: '"Mystic Eyes" though, was a triumph for both Van as an artist responsible to no one but himself, and for the band. Van wrote it after watching children frolicking among the tombstones of an ancient cemetery, and the vocal consisted in essence of Van chanting virtually demonic incantations over a mad tempo and the harsh chords of a biting guitar."
Other releases
This was one of the songs included on the compilation album, The Story of Them Featuring Van MorrisonThe Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison
The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison is a compilation album that includes almost every song recorded by the Northern Irish band Them during the two year history of the band when it featured Van Morrison as the vocalist for the group.-Track listing:...
released in 1997 on the Deram Records
Deram Records
Deram Records was a subsidiary record label established in 1966 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. At this time U.K. Decca was a completely different company than the Decca label in the United States, which was then owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings were also distributed in the U.S. through...
label.
In the media
This song was featured in the HBO series The SopranosThe Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, and appears on the 2000 release of the Soundtrack to the Sopranos.
Cover versions
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers frequently cover "Mystic Eyes" in concert. A 2006 performance was included on the 4-disc version of the documentary on Tom Petty, entitled Runnin' Down a DreamRunnin' Down a Dream (film)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down A Dream is a 2007 documentary about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The 4-hour documentary chronicles the history of the band, from its inception as Mudcrutch, right up to the 30th anniversary concert in Petty's home town...
. A different 2006 version is also included on their 4-CD collection, The Live Anthology
The Live Anthology
The Live Anthology is a live box set by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The box set was released by Reprise Records on November 23, 2009, in a number of formats, with the standard CD and download formats, composed of 48 tracks .The album's cover artwork and packaging was...
.