Rod Stewart is a prolific writer, but he doesn’t write all of his music. Not afraid to record songs by other writers, Stewart also wasn’t afraid to take another artist’s song and make it his own, which he did in the early 90s. On Stewart’s 1993 live album, Unplugged…and Sealed, is “Have I Told You Lately”. Written by Van Morrison, the songwriter himself first released “Have I Told You Lately” in 1989, on his Avalon Sunset album.
Before Stewart released “Have I Told You Lately” as a single, it was first an album track on his 1991 Vagabond Heart record. Two years later, Stewart finally made it a single, becoming a No. 1 hit for him.
Interestingly, when Morrison released “Have I Told You Lately”, it became the final Top 15 single of Morrison’s legendary career.
In 1995, Morrison released “Have I Told You Lately” again, this time with the Chieftains, for their 1995 The Long Black Veil project. That version earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
The Message in “Have I Told You Lately” by Rod Stewart
“Have I Told You Lately” says, “Have I told you lately that I love you / Have I told you there’s no one else above you / You fill my heart with gladness / Take away all my sadness / Ease my troubles, that’s what you do / For the morning sun and all it’s glory / Greets the day with hope and comfort, too / You fill my heart with laughter / Somehow, you make it better / Ease my troubles, that’s what you do.”
It’s surprising that Stewart didn’t release “Have I Told You Lately” as a single from Vagabond Heart. One of Stewart’s more successful albums, the record includes his “It Takes Two” duet with Tina Turner, plus “Rhythm Of My Heart”, “The Motown Song”, and “Broken Arrow”, all hit singles for Stewart. Vagabond Heart also includes a cover of “Downtown Train” by Tom Waits.
Stewart is far from the only artist to cover “Have I Told You Lately”. Other artists who put out their own version of the sweet love song include Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell, Andy Williams, Barry Manilow, and Della Reese, among others.
Rod Stewart is no stranger to doing cover songs. In addition to “Have I Told You Lately”, Stewart has also covered “The First Cut Is The Deepest” by Cat Stevens, “This Old Heart Of Mine” by The Isley Brothers, and others.
Photo by Rino PetrosinoMondadori via Getty Images
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Author: Gayle Thompson