Van Morrison’s “Listen to the Lion” remains one of the most striking long-form songs from his 1970s work, 54 years after its release.
The more than 11-minute track, recorded during sessions at Columbia Studios in San Francisco in 1971, became part of Morrison’s 1972 album Saint Dominic’s Preview.
The song stands out for its unusual length, repeated phrases, shifting vocals and slow-building musical arrangement. Instead of following a short verse-and-chorus format, Morrison allows the performance to grow over time, using his voice almost like another instrument.
“Listen to the Lion” was first recorded during the sessions for Moondance in 1969 but was not used. The longer version released on Saint Dominic’s Preview came from the 1971 San Francisco sessions and had originally been intended for Tupelo Honey.
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More than five decades later, the recording remains an important part of Morrison’s catalog and has continued to appear in live performances and retrospective releases.
Morrison wrote “Listen to the Lion,” with the recording featuring him on vocals and guitar alongside Ronnie Montrose on guitar. The session also included Connie Kay on drums and Gary Mallaber on percussion and vibraphone, with Mark Jordan on piano, Bill Church on bass and Boots Rolf Houston providing backing vocals.
Mallaber recalled that there were two different takes of the song. “There were two different takes. I did one and Connie did the other. They used the one with the live vibes, which is what I played live.”
That detail helps explain one of the recording’s notable sounds. The vibraphone adds another layer to a track already built around bass, drums, piano, guitars and Morrison’s unusual vocal approach.
The song also connects with the atmosphere of Astral Weeks, the 1968 album that helped establish a different side of Morrison’s music. His work often moved between rhythm and blues, soul, jazz, Celtic influences and long, free-flowing musical passages.
“Listen to the Lion” follows that path.
The words are simple in places, but Morrison repeats them in different ways. The song begins with lines about love and tears before moving toward the repeated idea of searching for “the lion” inside himself.
The song shifts into the image of a ship sailing from Denmark to Caledonia and around the world while looking for a new beginning.
The repeated words give the recording a steady movement. Morrison’s voice changes from singing to chanting, shouting, growling and wordless vocal sounds.
“Listen to the Lion” did not remain only a studio recording. Morrison continued performing it live, and the song became a concert highlight during the 1970s.
A live version appeared on Morrison’s 1974 album It’s Too Late to Stop Now, recorded during his 1973 tour with the Caledonia Soul Orchestra. Another important part of the song’s history came in later decades, as Morrison continued to return to it in different settings.
In 1974, he performed “Listen to the Lion” in San Francisco at Winterland and later at the Orphanage. A 1989 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival showed the song in another setting, this time with a jazz-oriented band.
The song also returned during Morrison’s 2008 performances at the Hollywood Bowl. Those concerts focused on Astral Weeks, but Morrison used “Listen to the Lion” as an ending piece. The live performance was later connected with the title “Listen to the Lion – The Lion Speaks.”
In a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Morrison explained the thinking behind that performance: “If you listen to that, I am playing as if the lion is trying to speak with no voice. He only has his soul and I think, I hope, that came across. It’s about getting out of one’s way so the soul can be heard, I suppose. The lion speaks. . . . I decided to end the show on a spiritual note.”
The recording has also appeared in later releases, including the 2007 remastered edition of Still on Top – The Greatest Hits and the 2009 Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl release.
The song even received a musical follow-up. Morrison included “The Lion This Time” on his 2005 album Magic Time.
At 54 years old, “Listen to the Lion” continues to show why Morrison’s music can reach beyond a single period.
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