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The Healing Game (song)

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Wikipedia article




"'The Healing Game'" is the title song on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison's 1997 album.

It was released twice as a single in 1997 as an A-side with different B-sides including "Have I Told You Lately" and "Gloria". The single reached number 46 in the UK.

Recording and composition



"The Healing Game" was recorded in 1996 at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin with Walter Samuel as engineer.Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence, p. 527

Morrison explains the song in Q Magazine as: "The song is about when people used to sing on the streets: It came from America, where they had all the doo-wop groups. That's the general idea of the song: you've never really moved from this position. You took a lot of detours but you're still back on the corner."Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p. 335

Brian Hinton remarks on the song: "Van is like the protagonists in Yeats play, Purgatorial, condemned to eternal recurrence, 'here I am again', back with the 'backstreet jelly roll'....only music can assuage."

Other releases



"The Healing Game" is one of the songs on disc one of the 2007 compilation album, 'The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3'. It is also included as one of the hits on Morrison's third compilation album issued in 2007 'Still on Top - The Greatest Hits'. It is listed as an alternate take and appears on both the 2-CD album issued in the UK and also the single disc 21 hit album released in the US on 6 November 2007.

Personnel



*Van Morrison vocals

*Georgie Fame Hammond organ, backing vocals

*Ronnie Johnson electric guitar

*Nicky Scott electric bass

*Alec Dankworth double bass

*Leo Green tenor saxophone, backing vocals

*Ralph Salmins percussion

*Geoff Dunn drums

*Pee Wee Ellis baritone saxophone, backing vocals

*Matt Holland trumpet, backing vocals

*Haji Ahkba flugelhorn

*Robin Aspland piano

*Brian Kennedy backing vocals

*Horns arranged by Leo Green and Matt Holland

Covers



John Lee Hooker recorded a duet of this song with Van Morrison and included it on his 1997 album, 'Don't Look Back'.

Charts



References



Other reading

*Heylin, Clinton (2003). 'Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography', Chicago Review Press

*Hinton, Brian (1997). 'Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison', Sanctuary,

Category:1996 songs

Category:1997 singles

Category:Van Morrison songs

Category:Polydor Records singles

Category:Songs written by Van Morrison

Category:Song recordings produced by Van Morrison

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