Madame George

Madame George is a song by Irish musician Van Morrison. It appears on the album Astral Weeks released in 1968. Rumour suggests the song was originally entitled "Madame Joy", and is possibly pronounced this way in the song. http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/glossary/george.html

Related Topics:
Irish - Musician - Van Morrison - Astral Weeks - 1968

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The main theme of the song is about leaving the past behind. The character of Madame George is considered by many to be a drag queen. Though Van Morrison himself denied this in a Rolling Stone interview. He later claimed that the character is based on six or seven different people.

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The rock journalist Lester Bangs wrote in 1979 that the song "is the album's whirlpool. Possibly one of the most compassionate pieces of music ever made, it asks us, no, arranges that we see the plight of what I'll be brutal and call a lovelorn drag queen with such intense empathy that when the singer hurts him, we do too."

Related Topics:
Lester Bangs - 1979

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The song features Morrison performing the vocals and acoustic guitar. The song also features an upright bass, flute and a string quartet.

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An earlier recording with slightly altered lyrics and a much swifter tempo changes the tone considerably from the Astral Weeks recording, which is downbeat and nostalgic; the earlier recording is joyous, and seems to be from the point-of-view of a partygoer who sees the titular character.

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