Moondance (Van Morrison song)

"Moondance" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his 1970 album Moondance.

Morrison did not release the song as a single until November 1977, seven and a half years after the album was released. It reached the Billboard Hot 100, charting at #92. The single's B-side, "Cold Wind in August" had been released in the same year, on his latest album at the time, A Period of Transition.

"Moondance" is the most frequently played song by Morrison in concert, as it is the only song known to have been played over a thousand times.

Composition and recording

"Moondance" was recorded at the Mastertone Studio in New York City in August 1969, with Lewis Merenstein as producer.

The song is played mostly acoustic, anchored by a walking bass line (played on electric bass), with accompaniment by piano, guitar, saxophones, and flute with the instruments played with a soft jazz swing. It's a song about autumn, the composer's favorite season. Towards the end of the song, Morrison imitates a saxophone. The song also features a piano solo, played by Jeff Labes, which is immediately followed by an alto saxophone solo, by Jack Schroer.

Music journalist Erik Hage wrote that the significance of the song "lies in its direct jazz approach", expanding that observation with "Astral......
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