Cul de Sac (song)

"Cul de Sac" is a song written by Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It first appeared as the seventh track on Morrison's 1974 album Veedon Fleece, and was released as the B-side to the single "Bulbs".

"Cul de Sac"
Single by Van Morrison
from the album Veedon Fleece
A-side"Bulbs"
B-side"Cul de Sac"
ReleasedNovember 1974
GenreFolk-Rock
Length5:51
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Van Morrison
Producer(s)Van Morrison
Van Morrison singles chronology
"Ain't Nothing You Can Do"
(1974)		 "Cul de Sac"
(1974)		 "Caledonia"
(1974)

Lyrics and instrumentation

The song roughly describes traveling on the road, emigration and homecoming.:

"Oh, I traveled far
The nearest star
And Mount Palomar, Palomar, Palomar, Palomar
[…] And when they all,
All go home
Down the cobblestones
You will double back
To a cul de sac"

The lyrics are sparse and added lightly, accenting the melody of the song. "Cul de Sac" is performed in 3/4 time.[1] An alternate version was released in 2008, with slightly different lyrics:[2]

"In the cul de sac
Soft clean eiderdown
Lay you down a while
And take your rest.

It’s been much too long
Since you drifted into song
Relax yourself
And hide away.

I travelled far
The nearest star
Mount Palomar
And we don’t care who you know,
It’s what you are
and who you are.

And they all go home
Down the cobblestones
You can double back
To a cul de sac."

Background and recording

"Cul de Sac" was recorded with a separate lineup of musicians than the rest of Veedon Fleece. "Cul de Sac" along with "Bulbs" was recut at Mercury Studios in New York a few months after the main recording for the album took place. It was made with musicians with whom Morrison had never worked before: guitarist John Tropea, bassist Joe Macho and drummer Allen Schwarzberg. It contrasted slightly with the rest of the album as it was given more of a rock music treatment.[3]

Release and reception

"Cul de Sac" was chosen as the B-side to the single "Bulbs", which was released in 1974 as the lead single for Veedon Fleece. In the UK, it was replaced by "Who Was That Masked Man".

In his book Van Morrison: Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, John Collis writes:

"Cul de sac, for example, begins with a close echo of the classic cheating song by Chips Moman and Dan Penn, 'The Dark End of the Street'. A cul de sac may well have a dark end, but the reason for the aural reference remains mysterious"[1]

Personnel

Notes
  1. Collis, John (1997). p 140
  2. J&R catalog listing for Veedon Fleece, featuring personnel and track info
  3. Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, pp. 282–285

References
  • Collis, John (1997). Van Morrison: Inarticulate Speech of the Heart. Jackson, TN: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80811-0.
  • Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
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