Sweet Thing (Van Morrison song)

"Sweet Thing" was recorded during the last Astral Weeks session on 15 October 1968, at Century Sound Studios in New York City with Lewis Merenstein as producer.^[3] Morrison described the song to Ritchie Yorke: "'Sweet Thing' is another romantic song. It contemplates gardens and things like that...wet with rain. It's a romantic love ballad not about anybody in particular but about a feeling".^[4] It is the only song on the album that looks forward instead of backward.^[2][3]

In The Words and Music of Van Morrison, author Erik Hage wrote:

"Sweet Thing" is one of the most beautiful and euphoric songs in the Morrison catalogue, humming along on the sweet undercurrent of [Richard] Davis's bass and the levity in Morrison's lyrics and delivery. Here, as in the past, Morrison turns to the natural landscape as an external reflection of the internal pulse of love, again signaling kinship with English romantic poetry. The lyrics find expressions of love in jumping hedges, watching ferry boats, and strolling and talking with his sweet thing "in gardens all wet with rain." "My, my, my, my, my sweet thing," sings Van Morrison, exercising his penchant for emotionally connected, expressive repetition.^[5]

William Rulhmann of Allmusic called the song "effervescent" and a "musical meditation", contrasting with the more somber mood of the rest of the album.^[2] The New York Times considered it "nothing less than a slice of mystery: rhythms like the angular slant of rain, violins arching like branches, the strange flight of a flute and a voice hushed with sadness...transparent, as incorporeal as time or light".^[6] Mark Seymour, writing for The Guardian, called it "the most perfect song of all time".^[7]

"Sweet Thing" is the only song from Astral Weeks included on the 1990 compilation album The Best of Van Morrison.^[2] It was also featured on Morrison's album Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl, released in 2009 to celebrate forty years since Astral Weeks was first released.^[8]

• Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Jay Berliner – classical guitar
• Richard Davis – double bass
• Connie Kay – drums
• John Payne – flute
• Warren Smith Jr. – triangle
• Larry Fallon – string arrangements