Moondance is the third studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 27 January 1970 by Warner Bros. Records. After the commercial failure of his first Warner Bros. album Astral Weeks (1968), Morrison moved to upstate New York with his wife and began writing songs for Moondance.

There, he met the musicians that would record the album with him at New York City’s A & R Studios in August and September 1969.

The album found Morrison abandoning the abstract folk jaz compositions of Astral Weeks in favour of more formally composed songs, which he wrote and produced entirely himself. Its lively rhythm and blues/rock music was the style he would become most known for in his career. The music incorporated soul, jazz, pop, and Irish folk sounds into songs about finding spiritual renewal and redemption in worldly matters such as nature, music, romantic love, and self-affirmation.

Moondance was an immediate critical and commercial success. It helped establish Morrison as a major artist in popular music, while several of its songs became staples on FM radio in the early 1970s. Among the most acclaimed records in history, Moondancefrequently ranks in professional listings of the greatest albums of all time. In 2013, the album’s remastered deluxe edition was released to similar acclaim.

Released: January 27, 1970
Recorded: August–September 1969
Studio: A & R (New York)
Genre:Rhythm and bluessoulrockjazzpopIrish folk
Length: 38:14
Label: Warner Bros.
Producer: Van Morrison

Singles released from the Album:

“Come Running”
Released: March 1970

“Crazy Love”
Released: April 1970

“Moondance”
Released: November 1977