The Way Young Lovers Do

"The Way Young Lovers Do" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded in 1968 in New York City second solo album Astral Weeks later that year. The song is in triple metre. The distinctive feel of the original recording emerges from the non-rock style of double-bass phrasing by veteran jazzman Richard Davis and additional jazz musician session players, which combined with Morrison's soulful vocals, creates a relatively unusual combination of stylistic elements.

Brian Hinton believes that "The song is about growing up, an adolescent first kiss, and still conveys the same sweet mystery as 'Astral Weeks' but more upfront."[1]

In Ritchie Yorke's biography on Van Morrison he comments that Van Morrison told him, "On the second side 'Young Lovers Do' is just basically a song about young love" and that Morrison then laughed mysteriously.[2]

In a 1969 issue of Rolling Stone about Astral Weeks Greil Marcus remarks: "It is pointless to discuss this album in terms of each particular track; with the exception of 'Young Lovers Do', a poor jazz-flavored cut that is uncomfortably out of place on this record, it's all one song, very much 'A Day in the Life.'"[3]

In his review, Scott Thomas writes:

"The Way Young Lovers Do" is an interesting one. On its surface, with its images of tranquil lovers walking through fields and kissing on front stoops, it seems to deliver the romantic bliss anticipated so fervently in "Sweet Thing". The music, however, betrays some disturbing undercurrents.