"Have I Told You Lately" | ||||
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Single by Van Morrison | ||||
from the album Avalon Sunset | ||||
B-side | "Contacting My Angel" | |||
Released | 5 June 1989 | |||
Recorded | 1989 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:20 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison | |||
Producer(s) | Van Morrison | |||
Van Morrison singles chronology | ||||
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Avalon Sunset track listing | ||||
10 tracks
|
"Have I Told You Lately" is a song written and recorded by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison for his nineteenth studio album, Avalon Sunset (1989). It is a romantic ballad that is often played at weddings, although it was originally written as a prayer. The opening line is from the song "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" by William Bell.
It was released as the album's lead single on 5 June 1989 by Mercury, and reached number 12 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [1] It has become a popular cover song with many vocal and instrumental versions recorded by numerous artists and bands. In 1993, Rod Stewart's version charted at number five on both the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as on the UK Singles Chart. In 2021, the song peaked at #1 in Ireland on the radio airplay chart. [2]
"Have I Told You Lately" has received acclaim, winning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals [3] and a BMI Million-Air certificate. [4]
Composed as a love ballad and built on the framework of his earlier song "Someone Like You", [5] it is preceded on Avalon Sunset by the song, "I'd Love to Write Another Song" proclaiming "In poetry I'd carve it well/ I'd even make it rhyme." Then, in the words of Brian Hinton what follows is:
One of the finest love songs of the century, which I remember devastated me when I first heard it, as it seemed both something never quite said before, and yet a song I felt I had known forever. Earthly love transmutes into that for God, just like in Dante, 'there's a love that's divine and it's yours and it's mine.' The morning sun has set by the end of the song, suggesting love shading into death, but subtly. [6]
"Have I Told You Lately" was listed as number 261 on the "All Time 885 Greatest Songs" list compiled in 2004 by Philadelphia radio station WXPN from listeners' votes. [7] Van Morrison's original recording was also voted number six on a list of the "Top 10 First Dance Wedding Songs", based on a poll of 1,300 DJs in the UK, [8] and was ranked number 98 on the New York Daily News list of The 100 Greatest Love Songs, published on 12 February 2007. [9] [10]
In October 2007, Van Morrison received a Million-Air certificate for over four million air plays of "Have I Told You Lately" from the prestigious BMI awards ceremony held in London, England. [11]
The Record Mirror said, "Van the Man must have been talking to Stevie Wonder recently, because he seems to have caught some of his infectious sentimentality. Either that, or he bumped into Richard Clayderman in the corridor at his record company. There's a really slushy bit of piano in this that my mum would love." [12] Cash Box called it "gorgeous" and an "instant classic." [13]
Original version
Coney Island Medley
| With the Chieftains
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Morrison chose "Have I Told You Lately" as one of the songs included on 1990s The Best of Van Morrison , his first greatest-hits album. It was also one of the songs on two of the compilation albums that were issued in 2007: Still on Top - The Greatest Hits contains a remastered version of this song and it was also featured on the compilation album, Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits . A live performance version was included on his 1994 album, A Night in San Francisco . In 1995 Morrison accompanied The Chieftains on a recording of the song for their album The Long Black Veil ; this version was awarded the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. [4] A jazz arrangement is featured on the 2018 album Morrison recorded with organist Joey DeFrancesco entitled You're Driving Me Crazy .
Filmed performances of the song include a version recorded in 1989 that was featured on Morrison's video album Van Morrison: The Concert the following year. In 1995 Morrison performed the song in a duet with Sinéad O'Connor on Late Show with David Letterman ; this version was subsequently released on the Live on Letterman: Music from the Late Show CD.
"Have I Told You Lately (Live)" | ||||
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Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
from the album Unplugged...and Seated | ||||
B-side | "Gasoline Alley" (live) | |||
Released | 13 April 1993 | |||
Recorded | February 1993 | |||
Studio | Universal (Los Angeles) | |||
Length | 4:08 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison | |||
Producer(s) | Patrick Leonard | |||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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In 1993, British rock and pop singer and songwriter Rod Stewart covered the song for his sixteenth album, Vagabond Heart (1991). A live version from his album Unplugged...and Seated (1993) was released as a single, becoming a number-five hit in the US and the UK. [19] [20] This version also reached number four on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart and spent five weeks at number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [21] [22] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold 700,000 copies in the US. [23] [24] Another live version by Stewart from his 2013 performance at The Troubadour, West Hollywood was included on the deluxe edition of his album Time .
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [23] | Gold | 700,000 [24] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 13 April 1993 |
| Warner Bros. | [23] |
Japan | 25 May 1993 | Mini-CD | [47] | |
United Kingdom | 14 June 1993 |
| [48] |
"Heb Ik Ooit Gezegd (Have I Told You Lately)" | |
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Single by Clouseau | |
from the album In Stereo | |
Language | Dutch |
English title | Have I Told You Lately |
B-side | "Heb ik ooit gezegd (Instrumentaal)" |
Released | 29 January 1999 |
Studio | Synsound, Brussels |
Genre | |
Length | 4:15 |
Label | EMI |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | |
Music video | |
"Heb Ik Ooit Gezegd" on YouTube |
"Heb ik ooit gezegd" ("Have I ever said") is a song recorded by Belgian pop band Clouseau from their eleventh studio album, In Stereo (1999). The song was produced by Kris Wauters and Jean Blaute. The song was released as the album's lead single on 29 January 1999, [50] and remained on the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 50 chart for sixteen weeks, peaking at number seven for two weeks. [51] It also spent eight weeks on the Netherlands GfK Dutch Chart, peaking at number 68. [52]
Clouseau is best known for their ballads; but although lead singer Koen Wauters was eager to release more lively, upbeat songs, their cover of Van Morrison's romantic ballad "Have I Told You Lately" was chosen as the album's lead single. [53] The Dutch translation of Morrison's English lyrics was written by Koen Wauters and Yurek Onzia, and the song was produced by Kris Wauters and Jean Blaute. [54]
The song was recorded at Synsound Studio in Brussels, Belgium. [55]
Personnel list adapted from The Music Archive [56]
"Heb ik ooit gezegd" entered the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 50 chart on 6 February 1999 at number 27. Two weeks later on 20 February 1999, it peaked at number seven, where it remained for two weeks. It briefly dropped out of the top ten but returned to number eight on 20 March 1999 and held that position for two weeks. The song finally exited on 22 May 1999, having spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart, five of which were in the top ten. [54]
In the Netherlands, "Heb ik ooit gezegd" entered the Dutch charts at number 88 on 1 May 1999, peaking three weeks later at number 72 on 22 May 1999. The song dropped out at number 90 on 19 June 1999, after a total of eight weeks on the chart. [57]
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [58] | 7 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [59] | 68 |
"Heb ik ooit gezegd" was certified Gold on 19 March 1999 for sales in excess of 10,000 units. [60]
Clouseau included "Heb ik ooit gezegd" on several of their subsequent album releases:
Belgian X-Factor winner Udo Mechels [66] recorded a cover of Clouseau's version of the song for the album Braveau Clouseau (2007), produced by Hans Francken. [67] [68] The album, a tribute to Clouseau, topped the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 200 Albums chart in September 2007 [67] and was certified Gold in Belgium on 22 September 2007. [69] Udo performed the song live in 2011 at a concert in Lier, Belgium; Alexandra Soto of Gazet van Antwerpen described Udo's performance of "Heb ik ooit gezegd" as "beautiful". [70]
"Have I Told You Lately" has been performed by many unknown as well as many famous artists.
"Maggie May" is a song cowritten by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart for his album Every Picture Tells a Story, released in 1971. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it number 130 in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2017, the Mercury Records single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart is Rod Stewart's career-retrospective compilation album released in 2001. The album summarises his solo work beginning with material from his 1971 breakthrough album Every Picture Tells a Story until his 2001 album Human. For contractual reasons, only two songs from his Mercury Records tenure were included. The rest of the material is from different albums released under Warner Bros. Records.
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", also written "Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy", is a song by British singer Rod Stewart from his ninth studio album, Blondes Have More Fun (1978). It was written by Stewart, Carmine Appice, and Duane Hitchings, though it incorporates the melody from the song "Taj Mahal" by Jorge Ben Jor and the string arrangement from the song "(If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It" by Bobby Womack.
Avalon Sunset is the nineteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 1989 by Mercury Records to both commercial and critical success. In 2008, Avalon Sunset was reissued and remastered, featuring an alternate take of "Whenever God Shines His Light", and a version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with additional lyrics by Morrison.
"You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" is a song written and recorded by Rod Stewart for his 1977 album Foot Loose & Fancy Free. The song became a hit, reaching the top ten of many countries, including the United States (number 4), United Kingdom (number 3), Canada (number 2), and Australia, peaking at number 1 for one week.
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" is a song written by American guitarist Danny Whitten. It was first recorded by American rock band Crazy Horse and issued as the final track on side one of their 1971 eponymous album. It was Whitten's signature tune, but gained more fame via its numerous cover versions, especially that by Rod Stewart. Cash Box magazine has described it as "a magnificent ballad outing."
"Downtown Train" is a song by Tom Waits released on his album Rain Dogs in 1985. The promo video for the song was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, it features boxer Jake LaMotta and Neith Hunter.
"Dreadlock Holiday" is a reggae song by 10cc. Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, it was the lead single from the band's 1978 album, Bloody Tourists.
"Reason to Believe" is a song written, composed, and first recorded by American folk singer Tim Hardin in 1965. It has since been recorded by many artists, most notably by the Carpenters in 1970, and Rod Stewart in 1971 and 1993.
Van Morrison at the Movies – Soundtrack Hits is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 2007 comprising 19 songs as featured in various movies. The album was released on 12 February 2007 in the United Kingdom and 13 February 2007 in the United States. On the U.S. Billboard 200, the album debuted at No. 35, selling about 29,000 copies in its first week, The album also debuted at No. 17 on the UK Top 75 Album Charts.
"Someone Like You" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded for his seventeenth studio album, Poetic Champions Compose (1987). It has become a wedding and film classic and the song subsequently furnished the framework for one of Morrison's most popular classics and love ballads, "Have I Told You Lately", released in 1989.
Vagabond Heart is the sixteenth studio album by British recording artist Rod Stewart, released on 25 March 1991 by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 10 in the US, and reached No. 2 in the UK. The album features five singles, among them a cover of Robbie Robertson's song "Broken Arrow" and Van Morrison's song "Have I Told You Lately", which would become a hit two years later, and is Stewart's most recent top five solo hit in the US and the UK. The two biggest hits from the album were "Rhythm of My Heart" and "The Motown Song". The latter song features with Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Jeff Porcaro—nearly all of the band Toto.
If We Fall in Love Tonight is an album released by Rod Stewart on 12 November 1996. It includes mostly previously released songs. The album was released in both the US and UK, though the versions differ slightly. It was released by Warner Bros. Records, and produced the singles "If We Fall in Love Tonight" and "When I Need You".
Unplugged...and Seated is a live album released by British musician Rod Stewart on 24 May 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. It is Stewart's second live album and his first appearance on MTV Unplugged. The unplugged versions of "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison, "Reason to Believe", "Having a Party", and "People Get Ready" were released as singles, with "Have I Told You Lately" and "Having a Party" reaching success as singles. A special collector's edition was released in March 2009 on Rhino Records. This two-disc package included the DVD of the performance with 13 songs while the CD contained 17 tracks including two songs not on the original 1993 release.
Udo Mechels, born in Brussels on 10 May 1976, is a Belgian singer commonly known simply as Udo. He won the first season of the Belgian version of The X Factor in 2005.
"Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" is a song written and performed by Van Morrison and featured as the opening track on his sixth studio album, Saint Dominic's Preview. It was released by Warner Bros. in July 1972 as the first of three singles from the album and charted at number sixty-one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Both the music and lyrics are inspired by rhythm and blues singer Jackie Wilson and his song "Reet Petite", which is directly quoted in the song.
I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up is the forty-third and final studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the UK by the Demon Music Group in 2007. In the liner notes of the album Williams writes, "Over the past few years I have come across songs that I really wanted to record. I picked 13 of my favorites and set out to make a new record." While the title track is the only new song, the other 12 selections were chart hits for other artists or, as is the case with "Desperado" by the Eagles, received critical acclaim without having been released as a single.
"Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" is a song by Rod Stewart, the title track of his 1981 album Tonight I'm Yours. It was one of three singles released from the album. The song was the lead single internationally except for the United States, where it was the follow-up to "Young Turks."
In Stereo is the eighth studio album recorded by Belgian pop band Clouseau. The album was produced by Jean Blaute and Kris Wauters, and released through EMI on 12 March 1999.