Sweet Thing (Van Morrison song)


"Sweet Thing" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on his second studio album Astral Weeks. It is sequenced on the first side of the album, which is entitled In the Beginning.

Recording and composition

"Sweet Thing" was recorded during the last Astral Weeks session on 15 October 1968, at Century Sound Studios in New York City with Lewis Merenstein as producer. Morrison described the song to Ritchie Yorke: "Sweet Thing' is another romantic song. It contemplates gardens and things like that...wet with rain. It's a romantic love ballad not about anybody in particular but about a feeling". It is the only song on the album that looks forward instead of backward.

Reception and legacy

In The Words and Music of Van Morrison, author Erik Hage wrote:
William Rulhmann of Allmusic called the song "effervescent" and a "musical meditation", contrasting with the more somber mood of the rest of the album. Mark Seymour, writing for The Guardian, called it "the most perfect song of all time".

Other releases

"Sweet Thing" is the only song from Astral Weeks included on the 1990 compilation album The Best of Van Morrison. It was also featured on Morrison's album Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl, released in 2009 to celebrate forty years since Astral Weeks was first released.

Personnel