"Behind the Ritual" | |
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Song by Van Morrison | |
from the album Keep It Simple | |
Released |
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Length | 6:58 |
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison |
Producer(s) | Van Morrison |
"Behind the Ritual" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included as the ending track on his 2008 album, Keep It Simple . In concerts previewing the album, Morrison used this song as a closer and continued to include it on the set lists of his concerts in 2008.
In the opening lines of the song, the singer is reminiscing of the youthful days in his career as when he fronted the band, Them.
Drinking wine in the alley, drinking wine in the alley
Making time, drinking that wine
Out of my mind in the days gone by
The song's meaning and title are contained in the lines:
Behind the ritual, Behind the ritual
You'll find the spiritual
Reviewer Jeffrey Lee Puckett calls it "one of his trademark long and winding odes" and comments, "He's never messed with us more than he does on 'Behind the Ritual'. At the point when Morrison would normally start improvising a key word or phrase, we get this: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah repeated around 60 times." [1]
In a review in the Buffalo News, Jeff Miers writes: "'Behind the Ritual' stands out as one of Morrison's finest. Over a poised, shuffle groove the singer slurs, intones, dances around the edges of the meaning, his activity serving to shine a light on what is unstated much in the manner that the timeless 'Madame George' said so much with so little." [2]
Another reviewer in The Mirror remarked: "'Behind the Ritual' is the killer. Drinking wine and dancing like a dervish Van finds 'the spiritual behind the ritual.'" [3]
Scott Foundas of LA Weekly writes that "it is not the least of Keep it Simple's accomplishments that it adds one trancelike classic in the making to the Morrison repertoire....it's fittingly the album closer...the song is called "Behind the Ritual" and like many of Morrison's best songs, this one points toward a destination. [4]
Greil Marcus calls the song, "a strong statement of the power of simplicity, and moreover an assertion of Morrison's mastery." [5]
Sir George Ivan Morrison is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.
Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released in November of the same year by Warner Bros. Records.
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"Listen to the Lion" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his sixth album, Saint Dominic's Preview (1972). Its poetic musings and "bass-led shuffle" lead back to Astral Weeks territory.
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Keep It Simple is the thirty-third solo studio album recorded by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 17 March 2008 by Exile Productions Ltd./Polydor in the UK and on the Lost Highway Records label on 1 April 2008, in the US. His previous studio album Pay the Devil was also released on the Lost Highway label, in March 2006. The album debuted at No. 10 on the US, UK and Canada charts and No. 7 on European Top 100 Albums. This album achieved Morrison's highest ranking in US charts at that point. Eight years later, in 2016, Keep Me Singing rose to No. 9 in the US charts.
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Van Morrison: The Concert is the second video released by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, first released in 1990. Recorded in New York City the previous year, the concert featured two special guests and long-time friends Mose Allison and John Lee Hooker, each of whom performed some of their own songs. This video mainly consisted of Morrison's work from his last two albums; including four songs from both Avalon Sunset and Irish Heartbeat. The video also features jazz singer Georgie Fame on Hammond organ. Some reviewers have stated that Van Morrison was not in best shape during the concert, his voice was probably strained by a cold.
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Blowin' Your Mind! is the debut studio album by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in 1967. It was recorded 28–29 March 1967 and contained his first solo pop hit "Brown Eyed Girl". It was included by Rolling Stone as one of the 40 Essential Albums of 1967.