SONG OF THE DAY
“Caravan” by Van Morrison (Moondance, Warner Bros. Records, 1970). Written by Van Morrison.
MY TAKE
This was one of the albums I was raised on. Well, to be frank, I was only raised on the A side, though I am familiar with the songs on the B side of the album. Side A is “And It Stoned Me”, “Moondance”, “Crazy Love”, “Caravan”, and “Into The Mystic”. Christ, it’s practically his greatest hits right there! (Hence why I’m tagging this entry as a “Noteworthy Album” as well).
Each of those songs hold a distinct, eternal place in my heart, and each in a different way. For “Caravan” its first of all the cohesive jam-band-style of it: by that I mean it’s perfect for a jam band, and has several spaces in the arrangement that are wide open fields for interpretation, but a good jam doesn’t lose it like so many jam songs do after minute #4. Second of all, the “la la la” chorus. Very reminiscent, very catchy, memorable, stuck-in-my-head-able, and everyone in the car can sing along even if it’s the first time they’re hearing it! Third of all, the story: it’s meant for the road, it’s meant for people going somewhere on the long haul, it’s meant for wind through your hair. That’s what he was thinking of when he wrote it, and it still translates perfectly today.
I know it’s getting repetitive, but this is definitely a windows down, highway driving in summer song. Practically every other song I’ve blogged about this summer seems to garner that response from me, but that’s just what summer does to me! It makes me want to celebrate music! It makes me want to road trip! It brings me back, always, to classic rock, classic albums, days when I sat in the backseat as we drove 18 hours to the coast and dad was the DJ.
BRIEF FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– “Caravan” was a concert highlight for several years and was included as one of the songs on Morrison’s 1974 acclaimed live album, It’s Too Late to Stop Now.
– It was also performed by Morrison with The Band in the 1978 film by Martin Scorsese entitled The Last Waltz which commemorates The Band’s last concert appearance together before disbanding in 1976.
– In his book, Songbook, about his 31 favourite songs, Nick Hornby names “Caravan” from the live album, It’s Too Late to Stop Now as the song he wants played at his funeral. He writes that
“in the long, vamped passage right before the climax Morrison’s band seems to isolate a moment somewhere between life and its aftermath, a big, baroque entrance hall of a place where you can stop and think about everything that has gone before.”
Then he humorously realizes that this is also the place where Morrison introduces the band and wonders how the mourners will feel about hearing all the unknown people’s names being called out as they file out of the funeral, but says “I’m not changing my mind, so there.”
– When asked about his enjoyment performing in The Last Waltz, Eric Clapton commented that “For me, Muddy [Waters] and Van [Morrison] steal the show. Van doing [“Caravan”] with the leg kicks. Some of the greatest live music you’ll ever see.”
– It was listed as No. 254 on the All Time 885 Greatest Songs compiled in 2004 by WXPN from listener’s votes.
– The band Counting Crows filled in for Van Morrison at his 1993 induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed “Caravan”.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
I don’t generally like live recordings because it usually doesn’t sync with all of the perfection that I fell in love with on the studio’s cut. I don’t like how’s he’s screamy screechy in this performance, he seems horse, and I’m not really a fan of how the tempo seems ramped up, I definitely prefer the more danceable album version. But I will say the horns are triumphant here! And that’s ALWAYS a good thing! WATCH FOR THE FAMOUS LEG KICKS: