Blue Money

"Blue Money" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was the second of two Top Forty hits from his 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir (the other being "Domino"), reaching No. 23 on the US chart. The US single featured "Sweet Thing", from the album Astral Weeks, as the B-side. It was released as a single in the UK in June 1971 with a different B-side, "Call Me Up in Dreamland". The song became Morrison's third best selling single of the 1970s, remaining on the charts for three months.[2]

For the films, see Blue Money (1972 film) and Blue Money (1985 film).

"Blue Money"
Single by Van Morrison
from the album His Band and the Street Choir
A-side"Blue Money"
B-side
Released1971
Recorded1970
GenreR&B[1]
Length3:40
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Van Morrison
Producer(s)Van Morrison
Van Morrison singles chronology
"Domino"
(1970)		 "Blue Money"
(1971)		 "Call Me Up in Dreamland"
(1971)

The lyrics have the singer promising his girl that they will paint the town together with her "blue money".[3] Critic Maury Dean states that the theme picks up from Lefty Frizzell's 1950 No. 1 song "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time".[3] In a 1972 Rolling Stone interview with John Grissim Jr., Morrison commented about the popularity of "Blue Money" in cities like Boston and New York City: "Out here I get asked to play 'Blue Money' all the time. All the kids love it, the kids in the street. It's their favorite number."[4]

Critical response

Robert Christgau, writing in the Village Voice in 1971, described "Blue Money" and "Domino" as "superb examples of Morrison's loose, allusive white r&b."[1] Record World called it a "nifty cut" and praised Morrison's "scat singing."[5] Cash Box said "Van Morrison heads further into the blues base that marked his early hit material, but which now serves as a change of recent pace."[6] Billboard called it "a solid rocker that should keep [Morrison] active on the charts."[7]

Writer M. Mark described it as "a pun-filled song about time and cash."[8] Biographer Brian Hinton compared the song's sound to Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames: "boozy horns and a nonsensical chorus."[9] Dean praises the song's "snarly, snappity sounds" and Morrison's "jazzy baritone."[3]

Covers

Cristina covered "Blue Money" on her 1984 album, Sleep It Off and The Flying Pickets included an a cappella version as the title track on their 1990 album, Blue Money. The song was also featured throughout the 1985 British television film Blue Money, starring Tim Curry[10]

Personnel

The Street Choir:

  • Larry Goldsmith
  • Janet Planet
  • Andrew Robinson
  • Ellen Schroer
  • Dahaud Shaar
  • Martha Velez

Charts
Chart (1971)[11] Peak
Position
U.S. Pop Singles 23

Notes
  1. Chritgau, Robert (1 March 1971). "Consumer Guide". Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  2. Dewitt. The Mystic's Music. p.87
  3. Dean, M. (2003). Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 329. ISBN 0875862071.
  4. Grissim Jr., John (2 June 1972). "Van Morrison: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  5. "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Single Product. 30 January 1971. p. 12. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  6. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 30 January 1971. p. 26. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  7. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 30 January 1971. p. 60. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  8. Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island, Greil Marcus, ed., p.10 (1979)
  9. Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p.123
  10. "Blue Money (TV Movie 1985) - IMDb". IMDb. 23 April 1985.
  11. Allmusic: Van Morrison bllboard singles

References
  • Hinton, Brian, Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary (1997). ISBN 1-86074-169-X
  • DeWitt, Howard A., Van Morrison: The Mystic's Music, Horizon Books (1983). ISBN 0-938840-02-9
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