"Bright Side of the Road" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1979 album Into the Music.

[2] According to biographer Brian Hinton it is "an answer in song to 'The Dark End of the Street' and it is wonderfully light, in spirit and texture.

"[4] "Bright Side of the Road" is featured as the opening tune on the 1990 compilation album The Best of Van Morrison.

"Bright Side of the Road" has been covered by many artists over the years, including: Shakira, Josh Graves, Hothouse Flowers, Raul Malo, Jerry Garcia Band, 001 Ensemble, Brendan Boyer, Antawn Jefferson, and David West.

On 20 January 2009, Shakira performed "Bright Side of the Road" at the Live at the Neighborhood Ball for President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony celebrations.