Summary
Sweet Thing by Van Morrison has an atmosphere full of tenderness, wonder and joy. But underneath this there a feeling of transience, a melancholy sense of things coming to an end, and of inevitable change. It was written for his 1968 album Astral Weeks, at a time when the Northern Irish born Van had left his home country and was down-and-out in Boston, USA. We hear how the track has come to mean so much to so many.
Caroline Mellor from Brighton remembers an intense moment of hearing Sweet Thing whilst staying in the mountains of Andalucía, Spain.
Sammy Douglas, Councillor and current High Sheriff of Belfast, reflects on memories of the Troubles and how the song intertwines with the tale of his first love.
Ryan H. Walsh, Bostonian and author of Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968, explains how the seminal album Astral Weeks came about, and John Payne, flautist on Sweet Thing, shares memories of those extraordinary recording sessions with Van Morrison.
And singer-songwriter Alanna Joy from South Africa considers why she opens her live sets with her own rendition of Sweet Thing, and recalls hearing it for the first time through Jeff Buckley's cover.
Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio in Bristol Technical Producer: Ilse Lademann Editor: Emma Harding.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Traitors is back and so is that mysterious cloaked figure with the familiar fringe. |
| 0:06.7 | Yeah, it's me. |
| 0:07.9 | And when you've watched Claudia in the castle, join me, Ed Gamble, for the official visualised companion podcast. |
| 0:13.7 | And remember, I'll be listening. |
| 0:15.9 | Okay? |
| 0:16.7 | No, seriously, I love it. |
| 0:18.5 | What a faithful. |
| 0:19.7 | We'll unpack betrayals and spill scandalous secrets with celeb guests, |
| 0:23.8 | traitors legends, and murdered and banished players. |
| 0:27.1 | The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:28.4 | Watch on EyePlayer, listen for more on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:33.1 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:41.1 | Okay. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. It was very peaceful. |
| 0:43.7 | It was springtime. |
| 0:46.4 | I can remember there was a soft breeze blowing over the mountainside in the olive groves. |
| 0:53.8 | The sun was shining. |
| 0:57.5 | And I think the atmosphere was very similar to the atmosphere of the song. |
| 1:04.8 | It sounds a little like a soft spring breeze. |
| 1:10.9 | Sweet Thing by Van Morrison. |
| 1:13.4 | It sounds a lot like a memory. |
| 1:17.6 | And it also takes us to a place |
| 1:19.9 | where everything somehow already happened. |
... |
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