"Vanlose Stairway" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1982 album, Beautiful Vision. It remained a favorite with fans and a popular concert performance for several years during the 1980s. He performed a baroque rendition of this song with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra at the 1989 Montreux Jazz Festival.

Morrison wrote the song about his Danish girlfriend, Ulla Munch, from Vanlose Street in Copenhagen who lived on the fourth floor of an apartment building with no lift.Clinton Heylin remarks..."he turned this mundane set of stairs in an uninspiring block of flats into a 'Stairway that reaches up to the moon/And it comes right back....to you'. Alternately, a feature story in the Copenhagen Post in 1999 cites nearby Vanlose station as the location of the suspect stairway. This seems reasonable, since Morrison was occasionally seen strolling the streets of the city, despite being partially-disguised from passers-by in one of his trademark wide-brimmed hats. (On the other hand, the stairway to the S-train platform is reportedly only 30-odd steps, whereas a regular four-story climb to his girlfriend's flat would likely have been more memorable to the songwriter.)

The singer also includes the lines "Send me your Pillow/" which referenced bluesman John Lee Hooker's influence on his music.

Appearance on other albums

• There is a live version included on the 1984 album, Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast.
• A medley version appears on the 1994 album, A Night in San Francisco.
• On the 2007 compilation album, Still on Top - The Greatest Hits, a re-mastered version is included.

Personnel on original release

• Van Morrison - vocals
• John Allair - organ
• Tom Donlinger - drums
• Pee Wee Ellis - tenor saxophone
• Chris Hayes - guitar
• David Hayes - bass
• Mark Isham - trumpet
• Pauline Lozano - backing vocals
• Chris Michie - guitar
• Annie Stocking - backing vocals
• Bianca Thornton - backing vocals

Notes

References

• Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
• Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison:No Surrender, London:Vintage Books ISBN 9780099431831

External links

• All Music song review
• Lyrics and Audio sample 1980s, Beautiful Vision
• Vanlose Stairway on the Web
• Van Morrison tribute to Denmark on the Vanløse stairwayThe Copenhagen Post
• Video: Vanlose Stairway, 2008