Domino - Van Morrison (1971) 4/2/21

Sir George Ivan Morrison (known to one and all as "Van") is a pretty talented guy. He's the proud owner of 2 Grammys, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame AND the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the recipient of the 2017 Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, and the talent behind 1967's "Brown-Eyed Girl" and today's "Great Song of 1971-72:" "Domino."

You should also know that Van is pretty smart...and very stubborn.

"Domino" was recorded in several different takes in 1968 and 1969, and was Van's personal tribute to the legendary Fats Domino. He had a feeling it would be a hit...but he refused to release it until 1971.

Why? According to some sources, his music publishing company at the time was entitled to half the copyright income of any single released between September of '68 and September of '69. Van didn't like that idea, so he waited.

Then, in late 1971, long after the publishing contract expired, and his record company (Warner Brothers) asked him for a "radio-friendly" single, he already had one in the can!

The critics loved "Domino." One called it "toughly joyful." Another called it "continually exhilarating." The Village Voice said it was "a superb example of Morrison's loose, allusive white R&B."

Fans and radio listeners loved it, too. It was Van's biggest North American hit, coming in at #9 on Billboard's Hot 100, and #8 on Canada's Top 40..

Van Morrison had played the system, stayed ahead of the game, and won! And, by extension, so did we...as it gave us another "Great Song of the '70s" to enjoy!

"Domino" (1971-72):

And just because it's also a "Great Song," here's "Brown-eyed Girl" (1967):