Van Morrison – Caravan

Just a perfect song. I listen to it and can’t believe it wasn’t a hit. When I bought the Moondance album I zeroed in on this song. I then heard Van Morrison on The Last Waltz singing it and it was a clincher.

The performance of this song on the Last Waltz for me may have been the best performance in the film and that says a lot. I’ve seen Van live one time and his voice seemed stronger in person than on record…if that is possible. This song blends folk rock, R&B, and jazz styles perfectly.

The album is one of his great ones. It has some great songs like And It Stoned Me, Moondance, These Dreams of You, Brand New Day, Crazy Love, and Come Running which all sound like they belong on the radio. Morrison’s love of radio influenced this song heavily. 

This was his second album for Warner Brothers following up the critical smash Astral Weeks.  This album peaked at #29 on the Billboard Album Charts, #46 in Canada, #36 in New Zealand, and #32 in the UK in 1970. His albums never charted too high. The highest in the 70s was for Saint Dominic’s Preview at #15 on the Billboard charts in 1972. 

Van Morrison:  I could hear the radio like it was in the same room. I don’t know how to explain it. There was some story about an underground passage under the house I was living in, rumors from kids and stuff and I was beginning to think it was true. How can you hear someone’s radio from a mile away, as if it was playing in your own house? So I had to put that into the song, It was a must

Caravan

And the caravan is on it’s way
I can hear the merry gypsies play
Mama mama look at Emma Rose
She’s a-playin with the radio
La, la, la, la…

And the caravan has all my friends
It will stay with me until the end
Gypsy Robin, Sweet Emma Rose
Tell me everything I need to know
La, la, la…

Turn up your radio and let me hear the song
Switch on your electric light
Then we can get down to what is really wrong
I long to hold you tight so I can feel you
Sweet lady of the night I shall reveal you

Turn it up, turn it up, little bit higher radio
Turn it up, turn it up, so you know, radio
La, la, la, la…

And the caravan is painted red and white
That means ev’rybody’s staying overnight
Barefoot gypsy player round the campfire sing and play
And a woman tells us of her ways
La, la, la, la…

Turn up your radio and let me hear the song
Switch on your electric light
Then we can get down to what is really wrong
I long to hold you tight so I can feel you
Sweet lady of the night I shall reveal you
Turn it up, turn it up, little bit higher, radio
Turn it up, that’s enough, so you know it’s got soul
Radio, radio turn it up, hum
La, la, la, la…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

33 thoughts on “Van Morrison – Caravan”

  2. Pingback: Van Morrison – Caravan – MobsterTiger

  3. Van Morrison met The Band in Los Angeles in 1970 when he ran into Robbie Robertson, a neighbor from Woodstock. Their friendship grew, especially with pianist Richard Manuel. Morrison was invited to play with The Band on their fourth album, CAHOOTS. 

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  8. As you know, truth be told I’m not nearly as much a Van the Man Fan as you…but this song is one by him I do like and hardly ever hear. To me ‘Moondance’ album was his crowning achievement, though off the top of my head it’s been so long since I listened to it through, I forgot it was on there. Really wasnt a bad song on that LP.

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  10. Great, great song. One of my favorites and one of his best. I didn’t really know much about Van Morrison until I heard Johnny Fever playing him on WKRP in Cincinnati. I was intrigued and started getting some of his stuff. Thank you, Howard Hesseman R.I.P.

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    1. That is great that you heard it through that show…yes Hesseman was great. I saw him the other night on the Bob Newhart Show

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  13. I fired on the Last Waltz DVD the day Hudson passed away, and reminded myself how awesome all those artists are/were….a lot say they didn’t like that version of Caravan but loved it, sure, Young may have been high, but him in that jam at the end was perfect……

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  16. I assumed I had written about his song, like you with special emphasis on the Last Waltz version, but low and behold not only hadn’t I written about it, I didn’t even have it in my music collection! Thanks for the jolt Max!

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