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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Morrison, Van
Ancient of Days. Daniel 7:9 (KJV) says, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
Both of these. “The holy grail we seek / On down by haunts of ancient peace” in “Haunts of Ancient Peace” and “Oh the Holy Grail /Baby behind the sun /Oh the Holy Grail / Down by Avalon” in “Avalon of the Heart.” The Holy Grain is presumably the cup from which Christ drank at the last supper or, in other legends, the cup that collected drops of His blood at the crucifixion.
the phantoms of the old men he once was. According to the Van Morrison website, which quotes the “Collation Of Theosophical Glossaries,” the term “dweller on the threshold” originated with “English mystic and novelist Sir Bulwer Lytton” and represents the “ghosts of the dead men that the present man formerly was.” More specifically, it “refers to the imbodied (sic) karmic consequences or results of the man's past, haunting the thresholds which the initiant or initiate must pass before he can advance or progress into a higher degree of initiation.” To add my own note: The concept of putting off the “old man” to put on the “new man” also has Christian applications (see Ephesians 4:23-25). Van’s lyrics actually accord well with a Christian interpretation, since he is saying he IS the dweller “waiting at the door” (i.e. Christ says, “knock and it shall be opened unto you”) wishing to get out of the “darkness.” So we could also interpret this as a man on the verge of accepting (NOT rejecting) Christ, though the term “dweller on the threshold” is foreign to Christian tradition. (Van sings about “A New Kind of Man” on his album “Sense of Wonder” also.)
Tore down a la Rimbaud and Poetic Champions Compose. The Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross wrote a religious reflection called “The Dark Night of the Soul,” in which he described that hard time when a Christian ceases to find pleasure in his or her devotions and feels as if God is absent.
Give Me My Rapture. No, I wasn’t trying to trick you; it is the obvious title after all. In Christian tradition, the rapture is the time when believing Christians are snatched up in the air to meet Christ upon His second coming.
The song does not say. This is another example of the spiritual vagueness of much of Van’s music, which has the advantage of allowing people from all sorts of religious traditions to relate to the songs.
The ancient of days. From “Youth of a Thousand Summers”: “He's the king of the mountain / And the clear crystal fountain / He's the saint of the river / He's the ancient of days.” The Ancients of Days is a name used for God in the Old Testament.
live in God. The song is “When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God?” A cover of the song was done by Christian musician Phil Keaggy.
Because the whole world has gone astray. He sings: “It's a choice between fact and fiction / And the whole world has gone astray / That's why there's no religion, no religion, no religion here today.”
“Rough God Goes Riding” and “For Mr. Thomas”. In my opinion, the “rough God” term refers to Christ at his Second Coming and the Day of Judgment. Here's some evidence: (1) William Butler Yeats in his poem “The Second Coming” refers to Christ a “rough beast.” (2) In the song “Rough God Goes Riding,” Van says that when the rough God goes riding “they’ll be nobody hiding.” In Revelation, it is said men will attempt to hide from God (Rev. 6:15-17) but they will not be able to escape “for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10). (3) In "Mr. Thomas," the rough God is riding with his “shears,” which suggests to me the image of Christ rooting up the chaff and separating it from the wheat to be burned (Matthew 3:12). (4) And when that rough God does go riding, Van wants somebody to “hand [him] a Bible” and to give him “that number to call.” (This latter is perhaps a reference to the Christian song "Jesus is on that mainline / you can call Him up anytime you want.")
The fallen angel Lucifer. He sings: “And they shut him out of paradise / Called him Lucifer and frowned / 'Cos he took pride in what God made him / Even before the angels shot him to the ground.”
Man Has to Struggle. He sings, “Man was told that he was born in original sin / By people long ago that were conning him.” In Christian theology, original sin is the doctrine that, because of the Fall and the sin of Adam and Eve, man is born in a fallen state, already tainted by sin, and incapable of achieving good without the grace of God. Not all Christians accept this doctrine; the Church of Christ, for instance, considers it to be unbiblical, but most Protestants and Catholics ascribe to it (or at least their churches do). Interestingly, in the very same song in which Morrison refers to original sin as a con, he talks about what Christians traditionally regard as the consequences of original sin: “Man is in conflict with his natural self / Man has to suppress his own desires and instincts / Man has to work so hard to keep them at bay” and also “Man has to work so hard to make it all pay” (this latter being the curse Adam received for his sin in Genesis.)
to be with his love tonight. He sings, “Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord / Just wanna be with my love tonight.”
Ball and Chain. This is an allusion to Matthew 15:14: “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
Just a Closer Walk With Thee. He sings “Be Thou My Vision” on Disc Two, not Disc One, though it too is a traditional Christian hymn.
Moondance. This song was written by Van Morrison and featured initially on the "Moondance" album. The song also features in the film "Moondance", which was released in 1995.
Days Like This. "As Good As It Gets", was directed by James L Brooks. The track was included in the soundtrack of the film.
| A well known Van Morrison song, "Brown Eyed Girl", has featured in "Born on the 4th of July" (1989) and "Sleeping With The Enemy" (1991). Can you complete the following lyric to the song?
"Whatever happened
To Tuesday and so slow
Going down to the old mine with a
________________" | Van Morrison Songs in Movies
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transistor radio. This song also featured in the film "Saving Siverman" (2001). Van Morrison states that it was "vaguely inspired", by the novel "Sylvie and Bruno", by Lewis Carroll.
Yes. This film starred Robin Williams. The song was originally released in 1935 by Big Joe Williams.
| The Van Morrison song, "Bright Side of the Road" featured in the film "Michael" (1996), starring John Travolta. Who wrote this song? | Van Morrison Songs in Movies
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Van Morrison. This was included on Van Morrison's "Into the Music" album released in 1979. The song was also featured in the UNESCO advertisements for World Press Freedom Day, in 1984.
| The Van Morrison song "Someone Like You", featured in the films "Prelude to a Kiss" (1992) and "Someone Like You" (2001). Can you complete the lyric?
"Ive been searching a long time
For someone exactly like you
Ive been travelling all around the world
Waiting for you to ___________________" | Van Morrison Songs in Movies
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Come through. The full verse for this is ;
"I've been searching a long time
For someone exactly like you
I've been travelling all around the world
Waiting for you to come through.
Someone like you makes it
All worth while
Someone like you keeps
Me satisfied. someone exactly
Like you."
This features on the album "Poetic Champions Compose", released in 1987. It also features in the film "Bridget Jones' Diary " released in 2001.
| The Van Morrison song, "Have I Told You Lately" featured in the films, "One Fine Day" (1996) and "What a Girl Wants" (2003). Which singer had a top ten hit with this song in 1993? | Van Morrison Songs in Movies
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Rod Stewart. The song featured on Rod Stewart's "Unplugged and Seated" album of 1993, following his MTV 'Unplugged' concert.
Van Morrison, At the Movies, Soundtrack Hits. This album includes "Gloria", "Jackie Wilson Said", "Caravan" and many more.
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