"Have I Told You Lately" is a song written and recorded by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison for his nineteenth studio album, Avalon Sunset (1989). It is a romantic ballad that is often played at weddings, although it was originally written as a prayer.
It was released as the album's lead single on 5 June 1989 by Mercury, and reached number 12 on the US BillboardAdult Contemporary chart.[1] It has become a popular cover song with many vocal and instrumental versions recorded by numerous artists and bands. In 1993, Rod Stewart's version charted at number five on both the US BillboardHot 100 as well as on the UK Singles Chart. In 2021, the song peaked at #1 in Ireland on the radio airplay chart.[2]
Composed as a love ballad and built on the framework of "Someone Like You",[5] it is preceded on Avalon Sunset by the song, "I'd Love to Write Another Song" proclaiming "In poetry I'd carve it well/ I'd even make it rhyme." Then, in the words of Brian Hinton what follows is:
One of the finest love songs of the century, which I remember devastated me when I first heard it, as it seemed both something never quite said before, and yet a song I felt I had known forever. Earthly love transmutes into that for God, just like in Dante, 'there's a love that's divine and it's yours and it's mine.' The morning sun has set by the end of the song, suggesting love shading into death, but subtly.[6]
Reception
"Have I Told You Lately" was listed as number 261 on the "All Time 885 Greatest Songs" list compiled in 2004 by Philadelphia radio station WXPN from listeners' votes.[7]
Van Morrison's original recording was also voted number six on a list of the "Top 10 First Dance Wedding Songs", based on a poll of 1,300 DJs in the UK,[8] and was ranked number 98 on the New York Daily News list of The 100 Greatest Love Songs, published on 12 February 2007.[9][10]
In October 2007, Van Morrison received a Million-Air certificate for over four million air plays of "Have I Told You Lately" from the prestigious BMI awards ceremony held in London, England.[11]
The Record Mirror said, "Van the Man must have been talking to Stevie Wonder recently, because he seems to have caught some of his infectious sentimentality. Either that, or he bumped into Richard Clayderman in the corridor at his record company. There's a really slushy bit of piano in this that my mum would love."[12]Cash Box called it "gorgeous" and an "instant classic."[13]
Filmed performances of the song include a version recorded in 1989 that was featured on Morrison's video album Van Morrison: The Concert the following year. In 1995 Morrison performed the song in a duet with Sinéad O'Connor on Late Show with David Letterman; this version was subsequently released on the Live on Letterman: Music from the Late Show CD.
"Heb ik ooit gezegd" ("Have I ever said") is a song recorded by Belgian pop band Clouseau from their eleventh studio album, In Stereo (1999). The song was produced by Kris Wauters and Jean Blaute. The song was released as the album's lead single on 29 January 1999,[48] and remained on the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 50 chart for sixteen weeks, peaking at number seven for two weeks.[49] It also spent eight weeks on the Netherlands GfK Dutch Chart, peaking at number 68.[50]
Background
Clouseau is best known for their ballads; but although lead singer Koen Wauters was eager to release more lively, upbeat songs, their cover of Van Morrison's romantic ballad "Have I Told You Lately" was chosen as the album's lead single.[51] The Dutch translation of Morrison's English lyrics was written by Koen Wauters and Yurek Onzia, and the song was produced by Kris Wauters and Jean Blaute.[52]
"Heb ik ooit gezegd" entered the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 50 chart on 6 February 1999 at number 27. Two weeks later on 20 February 1999, it peaked at number seven, where it remained for two weeks. It briefly dropped out of the top ten but returned to number eight on 20 March 1999 and held that position for two weeks. The song finally exited on 22 May 1999, having spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart, five of which were in the top ten.[52]
In the Netherlands, "Heb ik ooit gezegd" entered the Dutch charts at number 88 on 1 May 1999, peaking three weeks later at number 72 on 22 May 1999. The song dropped out at number 90 on 19 June 1999, after a total of eight weeks on the chart.[55]
Belgian X-Factor winner Udo Mechels[64] recorded a cover of Clouseau's version of the song for the album Braveau Clouseau (2007), produced by Hans Francken.[65][66] The album, a tribute to Clouseau, topped the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 200 Albums chart in September 2007[65] and was certified Gold in Belgium on 22 September 2007.[67] Udo performed the song live in 2011 at a concert in Lier, Belgium; Alexandra Soto of Gazet van Antwerpen described Udo's performance of "Heb ik ooit gezegd" as "beautiful".[68]
Other versions
"Have I Told You Lately" has been performed by many unknown as well as many famous artists.
^"The Year in Music 1993"(PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. 25 December 1993. p. YE-46. Archived(PDF) from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
