And the Healing Has Begun

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{{Infobox song

| name = And the Healing Has Begun

| cover =

| alt =

| artist = Van Morrison

| album = Into the Music

| released = {{Start date|1979|08}}

| recorded = Spring 1979

| studio = Record Plant Studios, Sausalito, California

| genre = Celtic, folk rock, pop rock

| length = 7:59

| label = Warner Bros.

| writer = Van Morrison

| producer = Van Morrison

}}

"And the Healing Has Begun" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded on his 1979 album, Into the Music.

Recording and composition

"And the Healing Has Begun" was recorded at the Record Plant Studios in Sausalito, California in spring 1979 with Mick Glossop acting as engineer.Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p. 523

Biographer Brian Hinton calls it the central song in the album and perhaps in Morrison's whole career: "It starts just like 'Cyprus Avenue', no coincidence as the line about 'songs from way back when' hints, and with a walk down the avenue (of dreams), to the sound of a haunted violin. A song of full, blazing sex as well as revelation. The healing here is like that in Arthurian myth, the wounded King restored through the action of the Holy Grail, but it is also through as graphic a seduction, almost, as the original live version of 'Gloria{{'"}}.Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p. 221

Author Clinton Heylin concludes that "what makes the song, and indeed Into the Music work is its self-awareness. Gone is the awkward self-consciousness... It is replaced by a newly assured tone, born of a genuine awareness of what he (Morrison) was attempting."Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p.351

Personnel

Covers

Glen Hansard covered the song in the 2006 musical film, Once (Collector's Edition of Original Soundtrack).{{cite web|url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=25281|publisher=sputnikmusic.com|title=The Swell Season – Once: Music from the Motion Picture|accessdate=September 18, 2009}} The Waterboys live performance in 1986 is one of the tracks on their album, Live Adventures of the Waterboys.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r375430|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic (((Live Adventures of the Waterboys > Overview)))|publisher=allmusic.com|accessdate=November 15, 2009}} Bronagh Gallagher covered it as part of the Hot Press Rave On Van Morrison project to celebrate Morrison's 75th birthday.{{Citation|title=Bronagh Gallagher - And the Healing Has Begun (Van Morrison Cover) #RaveOnVanMorrison| date=August 12, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQO5_h0NfU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/UNQO5_h0NfU |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-07-21}}{{cbignore}}

Notes

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References

  • Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, {{ISBN|1-86074-169-X}}
  • Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence?, Chicago Review Press {{ISBN|1-55652-542-7}}

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Category:Van Morrison songs

Category:1979 songs

Category:Songs written by Van Morrison

Category:Song recordings produced by Van Morrison