"Have I Told You Lately" is a song written and recorded by Northern Irish singer and songwriter

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

for his nineteenth studio album ''

Avalon Sunset ''Avalon Sunset'' is the nineteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 1989 by Mercury Records to both commercial and critical success. In 2008, ''Avalon Sunset'' was reissued and remastered, featuri ...

'' (1989). It is a romantic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

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, and reached number 12 on the US ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. 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 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as well as on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In 2021, the song peaked at #1 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on the radio airplay chart. "Have I Told You Lately" has received acclaim, winning a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and a BMI Million-Air certificate.

Composition

Composed as a love ballad and built on the framework of " Someone Like You", 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 Brian Hinton, MBE (born 21 September 1950) is an English poet and musicologist. In June 2006 he was honoured in H. M. the Queen's Birthday Honours List with an MBE for services to the Arts. Education Born in Southampton, Hinton studied Engl ...

what follows is:

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 WXPN (88.5 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format, along with many other format shows ...

from listeners' votes. 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, and was ranked number 98 on the '' New York Daily News'' list of The 100 Greatest Love Songs, published on 12 February 2007. 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 London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. The ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' 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 Richard Clayderman (; born Philippe Pagès , 28 December 1953 in Paris) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville, Olivier Toussaint and Marc Minier, instrumental renditions of popular ...

in the corridor at his record company. There's a really slushy bit of piano in this that my mum would love." '' Cash Box'' called it "gorgeous" and an "instant classic."

Charts

Original version Coney Island Medley With

the Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

Certifications

Other releases

Morrison chose "Have I Told You Lately" as one of the songs included on 1990s ''

The Best of Van Morrison ''The Best of Van Morrison'' is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It compiles songs spanning 25 years of his recording career. Released in 1990 by Polydor Records, the album was a critical and commercial succes ...

'', his first greatest-hits album. It was also one of the songs on two of the compilation albums that were issued in 2007: ''

Still on Top - The Greatest Hits A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been use ...

'' contains a remastered version of this song and it was also featured on the compilation album, ''

Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

''. A live performance version was included on his 1994 album, '' A Night in San Francisco''. In 1995 Morrison accompanied

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

on a recording of the song for their album ''

The Long Black Veil "Long Black Veil" is a 1959 country ballad, written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell. It is told from the point of view of a man falsely accused of murder and executed. He refuses to provide an alibi, ...

''; this version was awarded the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. A jazz arrangement is featured on the 2018 album Morrison recorded with organist

Joey DeFrancesco Joey DeFrancesco (April 10, 1971August 25, 2022) was an American jazz organist, trumpeter, saxophonist, and occasional singer. He released more than 30 albums under his own name, and recorded extensively as a sideman with such leading jazz perfo ...

entitled ''

You're Driving Me Crazy "You’re Driving Me Crazy" is an American popular song composed (music and lyrics) by Walter Donaldson in 1930 and recorded the same year by Lee Morse, Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees and Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians (with vocal ...

''. 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.

Rod Stewart versions

Rod Stewart covered the song for his album ''

Vagabond Heart ''Vagabond Heart'' is the sixteenth studio album by British recording artist Rod Stewart, released on 26 March 1991 by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 10 in the US, and reached No. 2 in the UK. The album features five singles, amon ...

'' (1991). A live version from his album '' Unplugged...and Seated'' (1993) was released as a single, becoming a number-five hit in the US and the UK. This version also reached number four on the US ''Billboard'' Mainstream Top 40 chart and spent five weeks at number one on the US ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

. It was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold 700,000 copies in the US. Another live version by Stewart from his 2013 performance at

The Troubadour, West Hollywood The Troubadour is a nightclub located in West Hollywood, California, United States, at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive and the border of Beverly Hills. Inspired by a visit to the newly opened Troubadour café in London, i ...

was included on the deluxe edition of his album ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Heb Ik Ooit Gezegd

''"Heb ik ooit gezegd"'' ("Have I ever said") is a song recorded by Belgian pop band

Clouseau Inspector Jacques Clouseau (), later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical ''The Pink Panther'' series. He is portrayed by Peter Sellers in the original series, and also by Alan Arkin in the ...

from their eleventh studio album, '' In Stereo'' (1999). The song was produced by

Kris Wauters Kris Wauters (born 21 December 1964) is a Flemish artist, active with the band Clouseau combined with his brother Koen Wauters Koen Maria Gaston Wauters (born 17 September 1967) is a Flemish singer, active with the band Clouseau, television pre ...

and Jean Blaute. The song was released as the album's lead single on 29 January 1999, and remained on the Belgium (Flanders)

Ultratop 50 Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

chart for sixteen weeks, peaking at number seven for two weeks. It also spent eight weeks on the Netherlands GfK Dutch Chart, peaking at number 68.

Background

Clouseau is best known for their ballads; but although lead singer

Koen Wauters Koen Maria Gaston Wauters (born 17 September 1967) is a Flemish singer, active with the band Clouseau, television presenter, and occasionally actor and race car driver. Biography Koen Wauters was born in Halle in 1967. Together with his three br ...

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. The Dutch translation of Morrison's English lyrics was written by

and Yurek Onzia, and the song was produced by

and Jean Blaute. The song was recorded at Synsound Studio in Brussels, Belgium.

Track listings

CD single # "Heb ik ooit gezegd" – 4:15 # "Heb ik ooit gezegd" (Instrumentaal) – 4:14

Personnel

Personnel list adapted from The Music Archive * Koen Wauters – vocals * Kris Wauters – keyboards * Jean Blaute – guitar, Hammond organ, piano * Eric Melaerts – guitar * Evert Verhees – bass guitar * Walter Mets – drums

Chart performance

"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. 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.

Certifications

"Heb ik ooit gezegd" was certified Gold on 19 March 1999 for sales in excess of 10,000 units.

Weekly charts

Other releases

Clouseau included ''"Heb ik ooit gezegd"'' on several of their subsequent album releases: * ''Ballades'' (2001) * ''Clouseau20'' (2003) * ''Ballades'' (2010) * ''Essential'' (2011) * ''Clouseau30'' (2017)

Covers

Belgian X-Factor winner

Udo Mechels Udo Mechels, born in Brussels on 10 May 1976, is a Belgian singer commonly known simply as Udo. He won the first season of the Belgian version of ''The X Factor'' in 2005. Biography In 2003, Udo participated in the first season of ''Belgian I ...

recorded a cover of Clouseau's version of the song for the album ''Braveau Clouseau'' (2007), produced by Hans Francken. The album, a

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

to Clouseau, topped the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 200 Albums chart in September 2007 and was certified Gold in Belgium on 22 September 2007. Udo performed the song live in 2011 at a concert in

Lier, Belgium Lier (; french: Lierre, ) is a municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. It is composed of the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. The city centre is surrounded by the river ''Nete'', a ...

; Alexandra Soto of '' Gazet van Antwerpen'' described Udo's performance of "Heb ik ooit gezegd" as "beautiful".

Other versions

"Have I Told You Lately" has been performed by many unknown as well as many famous artists. * Some of the other known covers of the song are by

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artist ...

Michael Ball Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of ''Les Misérables'', and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in ...

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

, Engelbert Humperdinck and an instrumental cover by

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatu ...

. * Andy Williams covered it on his album '' I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up'' (2007) and performed a live version in 2007 at Royal Albert Hall in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. * Barry Manilow included this song on his album ''

The Greatest Songs of the Eighties ''The Greatest Songs of the Eighties'' is Barry Manilow's 38th album, and follow-up to his 2007 album, ''The Greatest Songs of the Seventies''. This album, which features 12 songs from the decade of the 1980s, was released on November 24, 2008. ...

'', released in November 2008. * Contemporary jazz/

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

pianist

Chris Geith Chris Geith is an American composer and arranger of contemporary jazz and New Age music. His band, The Chris Geith Group, signed with Jive Records in Asia in 2001. The band has been no. 1 in the contemporary jazz, Jazz Fusion, and Contemporary U ...

covered the song on his album ''Timeless World''. *

Emilio Navaira Emilio H. Navaira III (August 23, 1962 – May 16, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter of Tejano and country music. He is the winner of one Grammy Award and one Latin Grammy Award. Known to most by the mononym Emilio, he charted more than ...

released a single of the title from his album '' Life Is Good'', which also included a version in Spanish. His version peaked at No. 62 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1996.

In the media

Film

* "Have I Told You Lately" was featured in the 1996 film, '' One Fine Day'', starring George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. * The song was played at the end of the

Amanda Bynes Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress, known for her work in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Bynes began her career as a child actress, working on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' ( ...

2003 film, '' What a Girl Wants'', covered by Matt Acheson. * The song was featured in the 2014 film ''

5 Flights Up ''5 Flights Up'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''Ruth & Alex'') is a 2014 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Loncraine, written by Charlie Peters, and starring Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton. The film is based on the novel '' ...

'', starring Morgan Freeman and

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...

''Desert Island Discs'' selections

* Impressionist and comedian

Rory Bremner Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...

included the song as one of his eight ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

on 20 April 2003. * Television and

radio presenter A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a ra ...

Gloria Hunniford Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regular appea ...

also included the song on her list on 24 December 2006.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{authority control 1989 singles 1989 songs 1993 singles Songs written by Van Morrison Van Morrison songs Rod Stewart songs Emilio Navaira songs Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Live singles Mercury Records singles EMI Records singles Warner Records singles Rock ballads RPM Top Singles number-one singles 1999 singles Clouseau (band) songs Song recordings produced by Van Morrison Song recordings produced by Patrick Leonard

Composition

Reception

Charts

Certifications

Other releases

Rod Stewart versions

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Heb Ik Ooit Gezegd

Background

Track listings

Personnel

Chart performance

Certifications

Weekly charts

Other releases

Covers

Other versions

In the media

Film

''Desert Island Discs'' selections

See also

References

Sources

External links