Van Morrison’s 50 Greatest Songs Countdown – #28 Warm Love

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Look at the flowers and the green grass so tall
It’s not a matter of when push comes to shove
It’s just an hour on the wings of a dove[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

TOC

1. Facts
2. Quotes
3. Lyrics
4. Live versions
5. Cover versions

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Facts

Wikipedia:

“Warm Love” is a hit song written by Van Morrison.

The song was included on his 1973 album Hard Nose the Highway. “Warm Love” was released as a successful single and was also a favorite concert performance in the 70s. It featured the catchy line, “and it’s ever present everywhere, Warm Love.”

It was a Top Forty single hit when released in April 1973. Jackie De Shannon sang back-up vocals.

“Warm Love” was one of the songs included on Morrison’s 1974 acclaimed live album, It’s Too Late to Stop Now. This version of the song was also featured as the B-side of the single “Gloria”, only released in Germany. It was also included on the compilation album The Best of Van Morrison that was released in 1990, and is one of the hits remastered and included on Morrison’s 2007 compilation album, Still on Top – The Greatest Hits.

ZigZag’s review called it “a second cousin to ‘Crazy Love’ and almost as good.” It was a popular concert performance tune for Morrison during the seventies.

Musicians

• Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar
• David Hayes – bass guitar
• Jules Broussard – flute
• Jackie De Shannon – backing vocals
• Jeff Labes – piano
• Gary Mallaber – vibraphone
• John Platania – guitar
• Rick Shlosser – drums
• Jack Schroer – soprano saxophone

Production

• Producer: Van Morrison
• Engineers: Neil Schwartz, Jim Stern
• Arrangers: Van Morrison, Jef Labes (strings), Jack Schroer, (horns)

Live:

• Known Performances: 92
• First performance: May 21 1973, Sunnyvale USA
• Last performance: September 16 2018,  Bristow USA

Orphanage, San Francisco, CA – July 29, 1974:

 

Winterland, San Francisco, CA – Feb 2, 1974:

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Quotes

“Next is the ingratiatingly melodic ‘Warm Love’, which embodies in all its details a sensuous appreciation of life and music.”
– Stephen Holden (Rolling Stone Magazine)

Although it marks a decline from the astonishing run of five great albums Van Morrison had made from 1968 through 1972, Hard Nose the Highway is still a respectable, if uneven, effort, notably containing “Snow in San Anselmo” (which features the Oakland Symphony Chamber Chorus) and “Warm Love.”
– William Ruhlmann (Allmusic)

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Lyrics

Look at the ivy on the cold clinging wall
Look at the flowers and the green grass so tall
It’s not a matter of when push comes to shove
It’s just an hour on the wings of a dove

It’s just warm love
It’s just warm love

I dig it when you’re fancy dressed up in lace
I dig it when you have a smile on your face
This inspiration’s got to be on the flow
These invitations got to see it and know

It’s just warm love
It’s just warm love

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
Warm love

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
That warm love

To the country I’m going
Lay and laugh in the sun
You can bring your guitar along
We’ll sing some songs and we’ll have some fun

The sky is crying and it’s time to go home
And we shall hurry to the car from the foam
Sit by the fire and dry out our wet clothes
It’s raining outside from the skies up above

Inside it’s warm love
Inside it’s warm love

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
That warm love

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
That warm love, can you feel it

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
That warm love, hey

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
That warm love, hey

And it’s ever present everywhere
And it’s ever present everywhere
That warm love

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Live versions

Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ – Oct 6, 1979

 

Nordforum, Malmø, Sweden – July 6, 1990:

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Cover Versions

Otis Clay from Vanthology:

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Check out:

• MusicThisDay.com
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Sources

• Wikipedia
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• ivan.vanomatic.de (wonderful website for VM statistics)