Editing Van Morrison (section)

===Start of solo career with Bang Records and "Brown Eyed Girl": 1967===
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 |title=Brown Eyed Girl|description=Morrison's classic 1967 hit single which appeared on the album ''Blowin' Your Mind!''. In 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame|title=Grammy Hall of Fame award|publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences|access-date=18 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042616/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame|archive-date=22 January 2011}}</ref>
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[[Bert Berns]], Them's producer and composer of their 1965 hit "Here Comes the Night", persuaded Morrison to return to New York to record solo for his new label, [[Bang Records]].<ref name="RoganPagep188">Rogan (2006), page 188.</ref> Morrison flew over and signed a contract he had not fully studied.<ref>Heylin (2003), pages 144–147</ref> During a two-day recording session at [[A & R Studios]] starting 28 March 1967, he recorded eight songs, originally intended to be used as four singles.<ref>Turner (1993), page 76</ref> Instead, these songs were released as the album ''[[Blowin' Your Mind!]]'' without Morrison's consultation. He said he only became aware of the album's release when a friend mentioned that he had bought a copy. Morrison was unhappy with the album and said he "had a different concept of it".<ref name="RoganPage204">Rogan (2006), page 204.</ref>

"[[Brown Eyed Girl]]", one of the songs from ''Blowin' Your Mind!'', was released as a single in mid-June 1967,<ref>Rogan (2006), p.201</ref> reaching number ten in the US charts. "Brown Eyed Girl" became Morrison's most-played song.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aperfectdj.com/Z%20Most%20played%20songs.htm#200%20from%202007//www.aperfectdj.com/Z%20Most%20played%20songs.htm#101|title=Most played 2007|website=Aperfectdj.com|access-date=11 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905101925/http://www.aperfectdj.com/Z%20most%20played%20songs.htm#200%20from%202007//www.aperfectdj.com/Z%20Most%20played%20songs.htm|archive-date=5 September 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The song spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/van-morrison|title=Van Morrison Brown Eyed Girl Chart History|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> An evaluation in 2015 of downloads since 2004 and airplay since 2010 had "Brown Eyed Girl" as the most popular song of the entire 1960s decade.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6472929/revisionist-history-valentines-day-edition-captain-tennille |title=Revisionist History, Valentine's Day Edition: Captain & Tennille Crunches Aerosmith, Van Morrison Boots Lulu |last=Appel |first=Rich |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=/sbs/awardsbmi.html}}</ref> In 2000, it was listed at No.&nbsp;21 on the ''Rolling Stone''/MTV list of 100 Greatest Pop Songs<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/rsmtv100.htm|title=Rolling Stone's and MTV's 100 Greatest Pop Songs|publisher=rockonthenet.com|access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> and as No. 49 on [[VH1]]'s list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1rocksongs.htm|title=VH1: 100 Greatest Rock Songs|publisher=rockonthenet.com|access-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> In 2010, "Brown Eyed Girl" was ranked No.&nbsp;110 on the ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine list of [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]].<ref name="RS500GRSONGS">{{cite web|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/rs |title=Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Songs |access-date=24 October 2010 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524154958/http://www.metrolyrics.com/rs/4 |archive-date=24 May 2013 }}</ref> In January 2007, "Brown Eyed Girl" was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref name="Grammy Hall of Fame">{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |title=Grammy Hall of Fame Award |publisher=[[Grammy]] |access-date=20 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707235113/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=7 July 2015 }}</ref>

Following the death of Berns in 1967, Morrison became involved in a contract dispute with Berns' widow, [[Ilene Berns]], that prevented him from performing on stage or recording in the New York area.<ref name="RoganPage212-215">Rogan (2006), pages 212–215.</ref> The song "Big Time Operators", released in 1993, is thought to allude to his dealings with the New York [[music industry|music business]] during this period.<ref name="RoganPage216">Rogan (2006) page 216.</ref> He moved to [[Boston]], Massachusetts, and faced personal and financial problems; he had "slipped into a malaise" and had trouble finding concert bookings.<ref name="RoganPage217">Rogan (2006) page 217.</ref> He regained his professional footing through the few gigs he could find, and started recording with [[Warner Bros. Records]].<ref name="HeylinPage170">Heylin (2003), page 170.</ref><ref name="HeylinPage176,177">Heylin (2003), pages 176–177.</ref>

Warner Bros. bought out Morrison's Bang contract with a $20,000 cash transaction that took place in an abandoned warehouse on [[Ninth Avenue (Manhattan)|Ninth Avenue]] in Manhattan.<ref name="WalshPages15-19">Walsh (2018), pages 15–19.</ref> A clause required Morrison to submit 36 original songs within a year to Berns' music publishing company. He recorded them in one session on an out-of-tune guitar, with lyrics about subjects including [[Dermatophytosis|ringworm]] and sandwiches. Ilene Berns thought the songs were "nonsense" and did not use them.<ref name="RoganPage212-222">Rogan (2006), pages 212–222.</ref><ref>Turner (1993), page 80</ref> The throwaway compositions came to be known as the "revenge" songs,<ref>Heylin (2003), page 159</ref> and did not see official release until the 2017 compilation ''[[The Authorized Bang Collection]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=30 March 2017|title=Van Morrison Details 'Authorized Bang Collection'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/van-morrison-details-authorized-bang-collection-117565/|access-date=31 December 2020|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>