Summertime in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Summertime in England” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Van Morrison | ||
| Album | Common One | |
| Released | 1980 | |
| Genre | Jazz, R&B | |
| Length | 15:35 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Writer | Van Morrison | |
| Composer | Van Morrison | |
| Producer | Van Morrison | |
| Common One track listing | ||
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"Summertime in England" is the longest song on Van Morrison's 1980 album, Common One and is approximately 15½ minutes long. Although the album this appeared on was not successful critically or commercially, this song would be performed by Morrison in concert for almost 2½ decades and took on new meaning when live.
Contents |
[edit] Writing
Morrison originally wrote the song as a poem about William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge making a literary trip to the Lake District in England where they worked together on the poems that were to become their landmark joint venture, Lyrical Ballads. The lyrics also refer to Jesus walking down by Avalon — an allusion by William Blake with the lines: "And did these feet in ancient time/Walk upon England's mountain green?" The lyrics verge between several layers of consciousness but always return to the central occurrence of a day in the country that the singer spent with his sweetheart and/or daughter.[1] The song ends with the lines:
- Put your head on my shoulder
- and you listen to the silence
- Can you feel the silence?
Clinton Heylin, one of Morrison's biographers, obviously took the title of his best-selling book from this line and is also referring to Morrison's famously uncommunicative nature. (except in his music)
[edit] Rehearsing and recording
Morrison started rehearsing "Summertime in England" in November and December of 1979 along with "Haunts of Ancient Peace" at club gigs in the San Francisco area. According to Mick Cox, guitarist, "we did 'Haunts' and 'Summertime in England' in 4/4 time...Van brought it right down at the end to nothing, so he's just saying, 'Can you feel the Silence?' but he's still keeping the beat, and then Pee Wee Ellis takes his mouthpiece off and Mark Isham takes his mouthpiece off, and they're both making quiet percussive noises in time to the rhythm." Cox felt like the rehearsal performances were "far better than the final recordings." The song on the album was recorded at a studio in the French Alps and according to Mick Cox the second take was the one on the album. The spoken section is in 3/4 time that begins with John Allair's church organ fugue.[2]
[edit] Appearance on other albums, videos and DVDs
- A live performance of "Summertime in England" as performed by Morrison with most of the Common One band members is featured on the 2006 released DVD, Live At Montreux 1980/1974.
- "Summertime in England" is also one of the songs performed in 1989, on Morrison's second video Van Morrison The Concert, released in 1990.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
[edit] External links
- Lyrics and Audio sample 1980s, Common One
- Video: Summertime in England, 1989 Film, Van Morrison The Concert
