Song by Song: "Into the Mystic" Quiz

Answer: Moondance

"Moondance" was the third studio album of Van Morrison and his first major commercial and critical success. It peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200. The album remains one of Van Morrison's most popular albums today. "Into the Music" was his 11th studio album, released in 1979. "The Prophet Speaks" was his fortieth studio album and was not released until 2018, and "Blowin' Your Mind" was Van Morrison's debut studio album, in 1967.

Answer: homophones

Brian Hinton, in "Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison" quotes Van Morrison as saying that when it came time to write down the lyrics and send them into his label, he wasn't sure which words to use in a couple of cases. Should it be "I was born before the wind," implying ancient roots, or "I was borne before the wind," implying being carried into the mystic by the wind? Should it be "'ere the bonny boat was one," or "'ere the bonny boat was won"? When the song is sung, these words are subject to the interpretation of the listener, or can even carry a double meaning.

Answer: the sun

A live version of "Into the Mystic" is recorded on Van Morrison's 1974 double album, "It's Too Late To Stop Now." The album was recorded during his performances at the The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, and at the Rainbow in London, England.

Answer: sailors

"Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly
Into the mystic."

This verse of the song makes repeated use of alliteration, which is the repetition of beginning consonant sounds. Here we have "sailors," "smell," "sea," "sky," "soul," and "spirit." It also makes use of imagery, drawing on the senses of sound ("hear the sailors cry") and smell ("smell the sea"). There's even a bit of synesthesia in the verse. Synesthesia is a figure of speech that means describing one sense using the terms typically used to describe another. In this case, we are to "feel the sky" rather than see it.

Answer: fog horn

"And when that fog horn blows
I will be coming home, mmm mmm
And when the fog horn blows
I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it."

The fog horn makes a loud, deep sound to warn ships of fog. This sound adds to the detailed sea imagery of the song, but it may also be a subtle Biblical allusion. Matthew 24:31 speaks of a trumpet calling people home to heaven, as they are gathered from the four winds, and Van Morrison sings that when he hears that "fog horn blow, / You know I will be coming home." Like the believer who has nothing to fear in the afterlife and longs to be called home to heaven, the singer is not afraid of that moment when he is called home: "I want to hear it / I don't have to fear it."

Answer: gypsy

"I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old."

The song may have a spiritual meaning, but it also seems to reflect a sailor's longing to return home to his lover, who awaits him on shore. When they reunite physically, that sexual union will also be a spiritual union:

"And together we will float
Into the mystic
Come on, girl!"

The concept of the "gypsy" figures frequently in Van Morrison's music. His song "Caravan" is about a gypsy caravan. He also has a song tilted "Gypsy" on his album "Saint Dominic's Preview" and "Gypsy in My Soul" features on the album "Magic Time." In Van Morrison's music, the gypsy seems to be symbolic of freedom and lack of inhibition, of seizing and living in the moment.

Answer: magnificently

"I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float
Into the mystic."

"Into the Mystic" was ranked number 474 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." The magazine described the song as one of Van Morrison's "warmest ballads" and an "Otis Redding-style reverie" with "truly mysterious" lyrics. "A lot of times," Van Morrison told the magazine, "I have no idea what I mean."

Answer: no

The original title of this song was "Into the Misty." In "Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison," Brian Hinton quotes Van Morrison as explaining that he changed the named because "I thought that it had something of an ethereal feeling to it ... I guess the song is just about being part of the universe."

Answer: Jason Isbell

The mini-album "Live at Twist & Shout 11.16.07" was released on December 15, 2008. It includes six tracks, including the Van Morrison cover. Isbell has won two Grammy awards for Best Americana Album and two for Best American Roots Song.

The song "Into the Mystic" has been included on the soundtracks of several movies: "Sweets McGee" (1971), "Dream a Little Dream" (1989), "Immediate Family" (1989), "Patch Adams" (1998), "Kate's Addiction" (1999), and "American Wedding" (2003).

Answer: Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers released his debut album, "In Action," in 1964, and continued to release albums on into the 2010s. He is best known for his 1960s hit singles "Memphis," "Mountain of Love," "Secret Agent Man," and "Poor Side of Town."

"Into the Mystic" has been covered live by numerous musicians, including Joe Cocker, Ben E. King, The Allman Brothers Band, The Wallflowers, The Mike McClure Band, and Esther Phillips.