“Days Like This” by Van Morrison

Van Morrison named his 1995 album after "Days Like This", and the title song earns the billing: a warm, easy-rolling tune he cut during the 1993 and 1994 sessions at Wool Hall Studios in Beckington and at Real World. He took his cue from "Mama Said", the Shirelles' 1961 hit by Luther Dixon and Willie Denson, and Brian Kennedy, before his own solo breakthrough, sings backing vocals and is all over the video.

It stalled at 65 in the UK, but the song outgrew the chart. It went on to serve as the official anthem of Northern Ireland's peace movement, and the Northern Ireland Office paired it with "Brown Eyed Girl" as the soundtrack to a TV spot promoting the ceasefire. Morrison has gone back to it on stage again and again, and it ranks among the best-loved songs of his later career.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.