Morrison's influence can readily be seen in the music of many major artists, including U2 (much of The Unforgettable Fire), Bruce Springsteen ("Spirit in the Night", "4th of July (Sandy)", "New York City Serenade," both lyrically and vocally, "Backstreets"), John Mellencamp ("A Little Night Dancin'", a cover of Morrison's "Wild Night"), Jim Morrison, Joan Armatrading, Rickie Lee Jones, Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Patti Smith (her poetic-proto-punk "Gloria" most explicitly), Elvis Costello (who later toured with Morrison), Graham Parker, Daryl Hall, Thin Lizzy, Bob Seger ("I know Springsteen was very much affected by Van Morrison, and so was I." - interview in Creem), Dexys Midnight Runners, Jimi Hendrix ("Gloria"), Jeff Buckley ("The Way Young Lovers Do", "Sweet Thing"), and numerous others, including Counting Crows (their "sha-la-la" sequence in Mr Jones, is a tribute to Morrison).
Morrison's influence on the younger generation of singer-songwriters is pervasive, including Irish singer Damien Rice who has been described as on his way to becoming the "natural heir to Van Morrison."Ray Lamontagne, James Morrison, Paolo Nutini Eric Lindell and David Gray are also several of the younger artists influenced by Morrison. Glen Hansard of Irish rock band The Frames, who lists Van Morrison as being part of his holy trinity with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, commonly covers his songs in concert. The Wallflowers have covered "Into The Mystic"and Canadian blues-rock singer Colin James also covers "Into The Mystic" frequently at his concerts.
