Linden Arden Stole The Highlights

Album: Veedon Fleece (1974)
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Songfacts®:

  • This Irish fable contains some bizarre imagery about the titular character who "loved the morning sun, and whiskey" and "stole the highlights with one hand tied behind his back." Mojo (November 2012) asked Morrison the inspiration behind this song. He explained: "It was a house I was staying in at the time. It was another way of writing songs. I just seemed to be picking stuff up, different ideas from this house. But I don't actually know what it's about. In fact I don't have a clue what most of the album is about."

    "I think I was picking those songs out of the air," he added. "Psychic air. Whatever you want to call it. They were fictional characters. Sometimes a place will inspire something and you get ideas without knowing what they mean."

Comments: 2

  • Bellahorrida from CanadaReplying to Bill - you got that right brother. And he's one of the few who doesn't try to make songwriting sound like some kind of science, or moan about how hard he's working. It just flows!
  • Bill from UsHere is more proof a lot of Van's songs are not written by him ....consciously, Just as he goes into a trance when he sings I wager he goes into a trance to channel all the words and ideas of the poets, bluesmen and mystics he has name checked here and there. And for that, we are thankful.
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