Van Morrison - Beside You

[arjun2191]

Some good lyrics in this song, but - I apolgise, people - I tend to always skip this song. For me it's the weakest on the album, the one that tends towards soppiness.

Having said that - AW is one of my favourite albums of all time. The other seven songs... words simply can't do justice. The album as a whole not only changed my conception of what music could be... but of what music IS. Astonishing stuff, awesome even - and I don't use that word lightly.

[jrfitz88]

muahahaahaa

*trollface*

[fluchderkaribik57]

this is robert pattinsons favourite song :)

[jrfitz88]

well it seems i've touched a sore nerve.

nick drake sounds like a sad summer breeze

van morrison sounds like someone stepped on a sick cat

[ajack2boys]

@jrfitz88 Yes, it seems you have. If you prefer Nick Drake to Van Morrison that's a matter of taste.Nick Drake created wonderful music but he did not create this. Beyond that, I see no need to compare one to the other beyond noting that, sadly, one lacked whatever resources he needed to cope with life and advance his talent while the other has had the strength of purpose to wrestle with his muse and his music for nearly 50 years with great success. That alone deserves respect.

[MrMusik00]

@jrfitz88 then why are you here?



[55pogue]

this whole album is a masterpiece!!!

[jaimie8181]

How have I lived and never heard this song before now?! It really is a shame...

[mapofmarauder]

This is Robert Pattinson's favorite song, his music sounds like this... It's amazing. 

[vedderclone]

thx dad.........

[oldschoolway77]

Me to Exodus z85

[EricAKATheBelgianGuy]

My favorite part is at 3:22- "Wrapped up in your magic shroud as ecstasy surrounds you."

[odyshape]

@EricAKATheBelgianGuy Mine is "the dynamo of your smile caressed the barefoot virgin child to wander". What a stunning visual, an what an overflow of love this song is.

[gerardwoody]

Like ExodusZ85 this makes you cry!!!!!!!!!! Far out!

[jrfitz88]

nick drake would have done a better job

[TroutMaskReplicaa]

@jrfitz88 haha, what an overrated fucking hack.

[55pogue]

@jrfitz88 get out of here!

[SilvioManfredDante85]

@jrfitz88 Nick Drake would have done a better job ? Hahahahahaha

[11yinyang11]

♪₱ÖW£R₣ÜLLest♪

[hotgold9]

This is one of the greatest recordings of music as a whole of all time period.

[lilyizdehshizz]

my mom died a while ago. today is her 51st birthday, and she always loved van morrison... love and miss you mom.. xx

[garyw930]

May I recommend the book 'A Pop Revolution, the transatlantic music scene 1965 to 1969' by the invisible man. The author is a big fan of this track.

[Ingemar100RS]

Such beautiful music, He is a great musician,

[scottysoxfan]

Such a pity he never made a dime for this record.

[kevphillips02]

@scottysoxfan I am sure he wont go hungry.

[leikablue]

Beside you portrays vivid images of love transcended beyond physical touch to the realm of euphoric thought of the special one you love

[kevbot71]

I can not classify this album in any one genre...that is the brilliance of this work.

[TheFenderplecre]

This album is a masterpiece

[PutItAway101]

Thank god he put Sweet Thing right after this or I wouldn't make it through side one without falling apart.

[idiotjim]

-little jim is gone

- away out on the backstreet

- out of the window

- to the falling rain

- right on time right on time

[MrJonessey]

I'm back to square....

[heartstoash]

this is so primal and deep and beautidul it is an exact relfection of his soul

[grandof22]

I agree, possible the most beautiful album ever recorded.

[ExodusZ85]

As a twenty five year old man I have no problem admitting this song makes me cry. I can't choose the things that truly move me nor would I want to. Wow just wow...

[iheartculture]

@ExodusZ85 If this song DOESN'T make you cry, then that's a problem...

[MrFunkytaste]

@ExodusZ85 fag



[kmm1553]

I like this version better than the New York Sessions maybe because it sounds sweeter somehow

[barry9949]

For anyone who has never heard or never will hear Astral Weeks, I simply feel .......Pity

[RockyMissouri]

Thank you...beautiful.

[grossig1]

artista epico, immortale. sorrido ai praticelli.

[xbeyondXwonderlandx]

'beside you ......to never never never wonder why... "

<3 this song!! There isn't anything on the album that I don't love.

PEACE

[Bawbiedoll101]

And Kristen Stewarts! :D

[1001Loves]

Robert Pattinson's favourite song! :))

[Williams010Leffield]

42,000 views, 90 likes and ZERO dislikes...thats what i like to see..

[Demedancer23]

such a gorgeous intro, into a beautiful song!!

[lianghmnv]

anyone knows the meaning of this song??

[dersucapitanuzala]

Mi canción favorita de todos los tiempos, no tengo nada más que escribir.

[nicdreic]

Esta canción vale tanto como toda la música que ha arrasado en las listas de ventas en esta insulsa primera década del siglo XXI.

Señores músicos, tiren sus reproductores de cd´s, mp3´s, y demás chorradas compren un tocadiscos, pongan este vinilo, y aprendan.

[LordxMagus]

sadly the only reason theres no dislikes is because nobody talks aabout Van Morrison anymore. I'm the only guy at my school who listens to him.....

[mufc187]

@LordxMagus i think people will get into him as they get older. i'm mid 20s and i'm only just starting to explore his music.

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 OK so being in your mid-twenties you probably have a lot of music left to explore. I would say that some kids at 15 could love Besides You and I think it has more to do with ones emotional depth than " spirituality". I guess part of me wants this because I do not understand and have never felt spirituality as defined by religious people. On St Domenic's Preview the song "Listen to the Lion" is very compelling too and you might explore that if you haven't.

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz thanks for the tip. i think some 15-year-old kids could listen to van, but i suspect it's the type of music you'll get into slightly later on. besides, it's often about exposure. at that age, you're often quite impressionable and tend to listen to what's current/popular. i find it's a little later that you really develop your own tastes, branch out and reach back into older stuff. today's generation are so fortunate to have things such as youtube to help them to do that.

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 Today's generation might be too overloaded with rap and hip hop and Justine B and it rewires some brains too much.. It's more some special "seekers" as you who discover other treasures but on the other hand I have noticed that lots of kids on YT constantly say "wish I had been born" in whatever generation(s) came before...when listening to some nugget they never heard.

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz might surprise you but i'm a big hip-hop fan too. the difference between myself and a lot of hip hop fans is that i also seek something deeper from music that you just won't find in hip hop. even my favourite rappers will never 'stone me' like van can ;)

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 It doesn't surprise me at all and I would have guessed you like some of today's music. It's a little funny to think how Van transcends mere "water" into a religious experience (a baptism?). Do you know about 2 years ago there was hardly a van morrison song on YT. After Van what other bands have you liked or who are your favorites including now? Early Neil Young is less spiritual but deep. The Mt Rushmore of Rock: Dylan, John Lennon, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Brittany, Justine

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz i'm still in the exploring phase, but big on jackson browne. also like leonard cohen, ry cooder, john hiatt. nothing really of this type from contemporary artists. most of the newer stuff i have is in the hip-hop, r'n'b category.

[EFISHANT]

@mufc187; Your doing yourself a big favor - cause there aren't any contemporary artists that can write like this - let alone sing!

[MatthewPietrus]

0 dislikes in over 33,000 views. Just saying.

[blackmona10]

my lover he was

[blackmona10]

my lover

my child

my husband

[blackmona10]

my lover

[daninhsa]

Simply the best ear candy ever!

[posaune216]

Hey Griffin and Elvis, go ahead, keep your bar set high. Remember that most pop was crap in Morrison's time too. Itsy Bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini. When Cash and the sun records crowd were starting their thing, the hot song in america was How much is that doggie in the window. Corporate consolidation has only intensified this, but there is no shortage of great new music now.

[ElvisLivesUpstairs]

Can't believe this album is 42 years old now

[pixieandbutch]

It is a rarity to come across entire albums where every song is a musical masterpiece..No matter how many times I've listened to this album(CD) it continues to bring me to another dimension of times gone by and times that have yet to come,,.Every song brings me to a happier place each time I listen to it. It goes without saying that Van Morrison is a musical legend in his time and ours.

[SamuelGriffin]

compare this work of genius to the hip hop crap being produced today.

compare Shakespeare and John Coltrane to Fifty Cent and Eminem.

We are falling as a civilization right before your eyes.

My God, I can't take the garbage of pop American society anymore.

[ElvisLivesUpstairs]

@SamuelGriffin Yes that music is crap because it's not proper hip hop. Proper hip hop from 70s and 80s, the beats and lyrics can be amazin.

[ElvisLivesUpstairs]

@SamuelGriffin PS Look beyound pop music, there are LOADS of amazin music being made out there. Sorry but It bugs me when people judge all music by what they hear in the charts.

[kingjojo14]

@ElvisLivesUpstairs 100perecent correct. Its that simple. Art is not compromised by who declares it mainstream. Its in the eye/ear of the beholder. In 100 yrs there still will be corporations, and billboard etc. Just be your own person.

[crimsonregret10]

Never have I ever cried purely from the beauty of lyrics, or the sound of someone's voice.

[DeathRow187187]

what a great ending

[brianl890]

So hold the lantern against the "pointed idle breeze" and go your merry way.

"Past the brazen footlights of the silence easy".

[brianl890]

Rap is urban. My formative years were rural Canada. You can understand why I like this music. It is one of the best Albums of all time. Easily in the top 100 despite it's initial obscurity. This song is so rich with BASS and amazing and understated guitar. Not to mention the occasional swirl of a flute. Just like a hummingbird. Pure MAGIC!

[brianl890]

You call me an Idiot. The very worst of the hierarchy of idiocy. You could have settled for Moron. Split the difference and settle for Imbecile then.

[brianl890]

These lyrics are about experiences. Maybe I am just a little older... It has been this way, generation after generation. Yes, Rap music isn't completely to my taste. I am just expressing my biases. We all have them. Instead of name calling...why not try to understand the sentiments of this. Music and all of it's forms is woven into you too my friend.  I love sultry blues and jazz. I will listen to the "metal" genre. Metal without blues...No. You had to have the blues to make metal.

[anabella1609]

the best song ever..........he is THE GOD of music...

[brianl890]

Get away from Hip Hop. and get into real musical and lyrical genius. Van Morrison is a legend in rock, and that music will live far beyond all the fads and superficiality of most music today. I am a hunter ( Like to take responsibility for the meat that I eat) and instead of using a compound bow I now go with a traditional bow. It is a rediscovery of the basics and the things that bind all of humanity together. In fact it binds all living things together. Great spiritual outpouring.

[kallamigelskling]

@brianl890 You're an idiot, who says a rapper can't be a lyrical genious? music is diversity just like humanity..

[lordofthebrown]

One of the most beautiful songs, off of what is quite possibly the most beautiful record ever made.

[TheKingOfSkiffle]

@lordofthebrown  Amen, brother.

[morgthuugg225]

:/ i like the new york sessions version .... lol

[kidkidkid123]

@sallyrocks12 eww you listen to robert pattinson for song advice?

[Obeliam]

I have not heard a track on this album that is not very good to great! Thanks for doing it again Van....Obelia Maeve

[sincere1]

i'm a hip hop head but this is my first time hearing this. this is impressive!!! i never knew about this guy but i'm really diggin it. thanks for posting.

[6ixtymiles]

Artistry bordering on spirituality... Depth of emotion and subject matter in his lyrical prose... Stark musical clarity framed within the simplest form... Astral Weeks... nothing short of poetic brilliance from beginning to end... Forever "beside you," Vann... Thank You!

[blackmona10]

I just love it - crying

[dilescap93]

i like this songs...it is a very potent song ...he sing with his heart

[leinstermad]

Stunning. One of my all time favourites. Poetry. The only real way to describe feelings like this. Just add music.

Love De Man!

[jomavida1]

love this album and all songs from Morrison!!! u r the best ever.....

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz

was that part about death? someone taking their last breaths? after that line he says “Then you’re high, on your high-flying cloud.”

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 Hey. Since Besides You is so personal and universal I suppose your interpretation is as good as any. I think many of Van's songs on Astral Weeks have the theme of obsession and yearning for great love and being spiritually reborn. "Besides You" might be about longing for a perfect woman whom Van may not yet be "besides". It could be about masturbation and breathing in and out faster pussycat faster as he fantasizes about his dream girl. Nah I don't think that.

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 Maybe Van needs to die in the sense of being reborn as a Christian to be worthy of this "ideal women". Might have some drug reference or Van is equating being with this wonder woman as being high on drugs. Whatever Van told us to "never never wonder why" and in person he tells anyone who asks meaning to fuck off. And besides "beside you" is one of his harder songs to interpret. The song Astral Weeks seems much clearer.

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz someone posted that van has suggested he wrote the song for a child - perhaps his stepson from his first marriage - but he said it's generally about being beside someone you love spiritually. the part about drawing last breath and perhaps passing could be him saying he'll be beside this person spiritually in their dying moments and be with them in the ascent to the afterlife. that would fit if he is talking about a son. meh. as you say, you could interpret every line in a million ways.

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 Yeah sounds good. Could Little Johny be Van the Man as a Kid remember his childhood escapades? nah. If you listen to Them with Van you will find one song (I forget) that prefigures Astral Weeks. Have you heard much of "Them"?

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz nope. will check that out. i've still got a fair bit of van to listen to. i've been told irish heartbeat is worst a listen...

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 My favorite Van songs"besides the one's mentioned): And it Stone Me, Caravan, Into the Mystic, Sweet Thing (of Astral Weeks), Tupelo Honey, Wild Night, and on Wavelength there is just a charming little ditty called "Natalia" that sucks me in but not most people.

[mufc187]

@11xzxzxz now you're talking! i love 'and it stoned me' and 'into the mystic' off moondance. in fact, 'and it stoned me' is probably my favourite van tune from what i've heard so far.

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 Right ! And it Stoned Me is just fantastic. And so was Janet Planet his ex-wife in Woodstock Days..

[11xzxzxz]

@mufc187 I guess you like Sweet Thing: I will stroll the merry way and jump the hedges first / And drink the clear clean waterfall to quench my thirst ..

Off of Astral Weeks Sweet Thing to me is better than Besides you and Madame George is very good too.

[NerminYovelou]

awesome.

[bookloverforever]

This man sings from his heart.

[dnoll17315]

awesome emotion evoking ... passed through the doors of time and space and you

are back in the day feeling the same things you did before...bathed in the light of being in love.

[mar30139]

They don't call him "The Man" for nothin',right? He makes LOVE from his soul.

[MDCB1]

"...Wrapped up in your magic shroud as ecstacy surrounds you..." Could that the most powerful, poetical lyric of all time?

[vanessa81805]

amazing <3