Whenever God Shines His Light

1989 single by Van Morrison and Cliff Richard

"Whenever God Shines His Light"

Single by Van Morrison and Cliff Richard

from the album Avalon Sunset

B-side

"I'd Love to Write Another Song"

Released

27 November 1989 (1989-11-27)

Recorded

20 February 1989

Studio

The Townhouse, England

Genre

Gospel^[1]

Length

4:58

Label

Mercury

Songwriter(s)

Van Morrison

Producer(s)

Van Morrison

Van Morrison singles chronology

"Have I Told You Lately"
(1989)

"Whenever God Shines His Light"
(1989)

"Orangefield"
(1989)

Cliff Richard singles chronology

"Lean on You"
(1989)

"Whenever God Shines His Light"
(1989)

"Stronger Than That"
(1990)

Avalon Sunset track listing

10 tracks

"Whenever God Shines His Light"
"Contacting My Angel"
"I'd Love to Write Another Song"
"Have I Told You Lately"
"Coney Island"
"I'm Tired Joey Boy"
"When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God"
"Orangefield"
"Daring Night"
"These Are the Days"

Music video

"Whenever God Shines His Light" on YouTube

"Whenever God Shines His Light" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and released on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset as a duet with Cliff Richard. Although the album was released in June 1989, this song was released as a single in November 1989 for the Christmas sales market. Morrison and Richard performed the duet on the British music chart television show, Top of the Pops. The single charted at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 3 on the Irish Singles Chart.^[2]^[3]^[4] AllMusic critic Jason Ankeny describes it as a "standout opener" to Avalon Sunset.^[5] Critic Patrick Humphries describes it as "the most manifest example of Morrison's Christian commitment," claiming that although it "is not one of Morrison's most outstanding songs" it works as "a testament of faith".^[6] Cash Box said that "if George Harrison can have a hit single while invoking his sweet Lord, Van could do it with the totally engaging 'Whenever God Shines His Light.'"^[7]

Appearances on other albums

The Best of Van Morrison (1990)
Still on Top – The Greatest Hits (2 disc U.K. edition)
Van Morrison The Concert (1990)

Personnel

Van Morrison – vocals, guitar
Cliff Richard – vocals
Arty McGlynn – guitar
Neil Drinkwater – piano
Steve Pearce – bass guitar
Roy Jones – drums, percussion
Dave Early – drums, percussion

Covers

Aled Jones^[8]
Waterdeep^[8]
Danish Radio Big Band^[8]
Marc Roberts

References

^ Ruggieri, Melissa. "Concert review: Van Morrison still stirring souls at Atlanta show". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
^ Rogan, p.385
^ "Van Morrison UK Singles chart positions". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
^ "Ireland singles charts". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
^ Ankeny, J. "Avalon Sunset". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
^ Humphries, P. (1997). Van Morrison. Omnibus Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 0711956006.
^ Wednesday, Oscar (24 June 1989). "Pure Pop for Now People" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 14. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "allmusic: Whenever God Shines His Light". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2009.

Sources

Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison: No Surrender, London:Vintage Books ISBN 978-0-09-943183-1

Van Morrison singles

Discography

1960s

1967: "Brown Eyed Girl"; "Ro Ro Rosey"; "Spanish Rose"

1970s

1970: "Come Running"; "Crazy Love"; "Domino"

1971: "Blue Money"; "Call Me Up in Dreamland"; "Wild Night"

1972: "Tupelo Honey"; "(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball"; "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)"; "Redwood Tree"

1973: "Gypsy"; "Warm Love"; "Bein' Green"

1974: "Bulbs"; "Caldonia"; "Gloria"

1977: "The Eternal Kansas City"; "Moondance"

1978: "Wavelength"

1979: "Bright Side of the Road"; "Full Force Gale"

1980s

1980: "You Make Me Feel So Free"

1982: "Cleaning Windows"; "Scandinavia"

1984: "Dweller on the Threshold"

1985: "Tore Down a la Rimbaud"

1986: "Ivory Tower"

1987: "Did Ye Get Healed?"; "Someone like You"

1988: "Queen of the Slipstream; "I'll Tell Me Ma

1989: "Have I Told You Lately"; "Whenever God Shines His Light"; "Orangefield"

1990s

1990: "Coney Island"; "Gloria"; "Real Real Gone"

1991: "Enlightenment"; "I Can't Stop Loving You"; "Why Must I Always Explain?"

1993: "Gloria"

1995: "Have I Told You Lately"; "Days Like This"; "Perfect Fit"

1996: "That's Life"

1997: "The Healing Game"; "Rough God Goes Riding"

1999: "Precious Time"; "Back on Top"

2000s

2002: "Hey Mr. DJ"

v t e Cliff Richard singles
1950s	"Move It" (1958) "High Class Baby" (1958) "Livin' Lovin' Doll" (1959) "Mean Streak" (1959) "Living Doll" (1959) "Travellin' Light" / "Dynamite" (1959)
1960s	"A Voice in the Wilderness" (1960) "Fall in Love with You" (1960) "Please Don't Tease" (1960) "Nine Times Out of Ten" (1960) "I Love You" (1960) "Theme for a Dream" (1961) "Gee Whizz It's You" (1961) "A Girl Like You" (1961) "What'd I Say" (1961) "When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart" (1961) "Forty Days" (1961) "Outsider" (1962) "The Young Ones" / "We Say Yeah" (1962) "Catch Me" (1962) "I'm Looking out the Window" / "Do You Want to Dance?" (1962) "Lessons in Love" (1962) "It'll Be Me" (1962) "Wonderful to Be Young" (1962) "The Next Time" / "Bachelor Boy" (1962) "Summer Holiday" (1963) "Lucky Lips" (1963) "It's All in the Game" (1963) "Don't Talk to Him" (1963) "Maria No Mas" (1963) "I'm the Lonely One" (1964) "I Only Have Eyes for You" (1964) "Constantly (L'Edera)" (1964) "On the Beach" (1964) "The Twelfth of Never" (1964) "I Could Easily Fall (In Love with You)" (1964) "The Minute You're Gone" (1965) "Angel" (1965) "On My Word" (1965) "The Time in Between" (1965) "Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)" (1965) "Blue Turns to Grey" (1966) "Visions" (1966) "Time Drags By" (1966) "In the Country" (1966) "It's All Over" (1967) "I'll Come Runnin'" (1967) "The Day I Met Marie" (1967)" "All My Love" (1967) "Congratulations" (1968) "I'll Love You Forever Today" (1968) "Wonderful World" (1968) "Marianne" (1968) "Don't Forget to Catch Me" (1968) "Good Times (Better Times)" (1969) "Big Ship" (1969) "Early in the Morning" (1969) "Throw Down a Line" (1969) "With the Eyes of a Child" (1969)
1970s	"The Joy of Living" (1970) "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha" (1970) "I Ain't Got Time Anymore" (1970) "Sunny Honey Girl" (1971) "Silvery Rain" (1971) "Flying Machine" (1971) "Sing a Song of Freedom" (1971) "Jesus" (1972) "Living in Harmony" (1972) "Power to All Our Friends" (1973) "Help It Along" (1973) "Take Me High" (1973) "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" (1974) "Honky Tonk Angel" (1975) "Miss You Nights" (1976) "Devil Woman" (1976) "I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You" (1976) "Hey Mr. Dream Maker" (1976) "My Kinda Life" (1977) "When Two Worlds Drift Apart" (1977) "Green Light" (1979) "We Don't Talk Anymore" (1979)
1980s	"Carrie" (1980) "Dreamin'" (1980) "Suddenly" (1980) "A Little in Love" (1980) "Give a Little Bit More" (1981) "Wired for Sound" (1981) "Daddy's Home" (live) (1981) "The Only Way Out" (1982) "Little Town" (1982) "She Means Nothing to Me" (1983) "True Love Ways" (live) (1983) "Never Say Die (Give a Little Bit More)" (1983) "Please Don't Fall in Love" (1983) "Baby You're Dynamite" / "Ocean Deep" (1984) "Donna" (1984 US) "Two to the Power of Love" (1984) "Living Doll" (1986) "All I Ask of You" (1986) "Slow Rivers" (1986) "My Pretty One" (1987) "Some People" (1987) "Remember Me" (1987) "Two Hearts" (1988) "Mistletoe and Wine" (1988) "The Best of Me" (1989) "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (1989) "Lean on You" (1989) "Whenever God Shines His Light" (1989)
1990s	"Stronger Than That" (1990) "Silhouettes" (live) (1990) "From a Distance" (live) (1990) "Saviour's Day" (1990) "More to Life" (1991) "Scarlet Ribbons" (1991) "We Should Be Together" (1991) "This New Year" (1991) "I Still Believe in You" (1992) "Peace in Our Time" (1993) "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (live) / "Miss You Nights" (1994) "Can't Keep this Feeling In" (1998) "The Millennium Prayer" (1999)
2000s	"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" (medley) (2001) "21st Century Christmas" / "Move It" (2006) "When I Need You" (2007) "Thank You for a Lifetime" (2008) "Singing the Blues" (2009)
2010s	"Rip It Up" (2013) "Since I Lost My Baby" (2014) "Roll Over Beethoven" (2016) "Blue Suede Shoes" (2017)