Van Morrison and the Maritime Hotel
Image: plaque crediting the site of the Maritime Hotel [1]
The Rhythm and Blues movement Blues gained awesome popularity in the 1960s. A major player in this movement was Van Morrison, singer in the band Them. Morrison created the R&B club at the Maritime Hotel in Belfast, which exploded into instant popularity. Maritime Hotel in Belfast was a hub for the blues, as it became central to the rhythm and blues movement, transforming the musical identity of the 60’s. [2]
Image: Them [4] This article relates the origins of Van Morrison, and the band Them, to the celebrated Maritime Hotel.
Image: The Belfast Blues Appreciation Society is marking the past home of Van Morrison, signifying the importance of Morrison in the Blues community. [3]
The song by Van Morrison, “Into the Mystic” relates Irish elements, like the discovery of an essence and the search for a spiritual meaning. It is reminiscent of John Montague’s poetry, where he is searching for an essence of Ireland, however he cannot find it. This is contrary to Yeats poetry, which is heavily reliant on a cultural nationalism and evoking a state of an ideal, celtic spirit. This spiritual concept of Ireland could only be enjoyed by the aristocracy, which in turn patronized Yeats’s work. Montague struggles with his identity because he was displaced at a young age, and doesn’t understand his nationality, or why he should be nationalistic. In Morrison’s lyric, “Hark, now hear the sailors cry,” verbalizes that the sailors cannot find the essence. This searching for essence also questions the “essence” of home. “Into the Mystic” relates Morrison’s home-coming, another element of Irish identity, in the unfamiliarity in the home, or feeling of displacement in one’s nation.
“We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic”
Muddy Waters’s song “I Be’s Troubled” highlights characteristics of the Mississippi Delta blues. With this opening verse, the evident feeling of longing and desire relates to the stagnation of the Northern Irish political scene during the Troubles.
“I Be’s Troubled
Well if I feel tomorrow, like I feel today
I’m gonna pack my suitcase, and make my getaway
Lord I’m troubled, I’m all worried in mind
And I’m never bein’ satisfied, and I just can’t keep from cry in'”
[1] “Geograph – Photograph Every Grid Square.” Maritime Hotel Plaque, Belfast (C) Albert Bridge. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
[2] Devlin, Patrick. “Maritime Hotel.” – Birthplace of Rhythm & Blues in Belfast. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
[3] Caulfield, Annie. “Follow That Van: Taking a Musical Tour of Belfast in Search of the Great Van Morrison.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 04 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2014
[4] “A Band with a Van.” LPCover Lover RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.