| Angel of the Morning | |
| Cover: | Evie Sands - Angel of the Morning.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Evie Sands |
| B-Side: | "Dear John" |
| Released: | 1967 |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Label: | Cameo |
| Producer: |
|
| Chronology: | Evie Sands |
| Prev Title: | The Love of a Boy |
| Prev Year: | 1966 |
| Next Title: | Billy Sunshine |
| Next Year: | 1967 |
"Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands but which first charted with a version by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including Chrissie Hynde, Dusty Springfield, P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' Dolls, Melba Montgomery, Olivia Newton-John and most recognizably by Juice Newton.
The song was composed in 1967 by Chip Taylor, who said of it: "I wrote 'Angel of the Morning' after hearing the Rolling Stones song 'Ruby Tuesday' on the car radio when I was driving into New York City. I wanted to capture that kind of passion."[1]
"Angel of the Morning" was originally offered to Connie Francis, but she turned it down because she thought that the lyrical message was too risqué for her image.[2]
Taylor produced the first recording of the song with Evie Sands, but the financial straits of Cameo-Parkway Records, which had Sands on their roster, led to a highly limited single release and no promotion.
The second recording was by UK vocalist Billie Davis, made in 1967 by Danny Michaels for Lee Hazlewood's LHI label. P. P. Arnold provided backup vocals for that version and later released a version herself.
| Angel of the Morning | |
| Cover: | Merrilee-rush-and-the-turnabouts-angel-of-the-morning-1968.jpg |
| Caption: | A-side label of U.S. single |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts |
| Album: | Angel of the Morning |
| B-Side: | "Reap What You Sow" |
| Released: | February 7, 1968 |
| Recorded: | January 1968 |
| Studio: | American Sound Studios, Memphis |
| Genre: | Pop, country |
| Label: | Bell |
| Producer: | |
| Chronology: | Merrilee Rush |
| Prev Title: | How's the Weather on Your Street |
| Prev Year: | 1967 |
| Next Title: | That Kind of Woman |
| Next Year: | 1968 |
The song became a hit in 1968 through a recording by Merrilee Rush, made that January at American Sound Studios in Memphis, with Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill producing. Rush had come to Memphis through the group she fronted, the Turnabouts, being the opening act for a Paul Revere and the Raiders tour. While in Memphis, the Raiders recorded the album Goin' to Memphis at American Sound Studios, an association which led to Rush's discovery by Tommy Cogbill, who had been hoping to find the right voice for "Angel of the Morning" — he had kept a tape of the demo of that song constantly in his pocket for several months.
Rush recorded the song, and the tracks which would fill out her Angel of the Morning album, with the American Sound house band, even though the single and the album were credited to the group Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts.[3]
The single version was released in February 1968, and reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that June, peaking at No. 7, also reaching No. 1 in Canada,[4] Australia, and New Zealand, and No. 4 in the Netherlands. The song earned Rush a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Rush recorded a new version of the song for her 1977 eponymous album release. (Rush's version of "Angel of the Morning" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted, set in 1967 and 1968, in which author-composer Chip Taylor's niece Angelina Jolie had a starring role.)
| Chart (1968) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[5] | 1 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100[6] | 3 |
| Chart (1968) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada[7] | 70 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 28 |
| US Cash Box[9] | 45 |
| Angel of the Morning | |
| Cover: | Angel of the Morning Juice Newton.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Juice Newton |
| Album: | Juice |
| B-Side: | Headin' for a Heartache |
| Released: | 1981 |
| Recorded: | 1980 |
| Genre: | Country, soft rock[10] [11] |
| Length: | 4:10 3:57 (7-inch) |
| Label: | Capitol 4976 |
| Producer: | Richard Landis |
| Chronology: | Juice Newton |
| Prev Title: | You Fill My Life |
| Prev Year: | 1980 |
| Next Title: | Queen of Hearts |
| Next Year: | 1981 |
The highest-charting and best-selling version in the United States was recorded and released in 1981 by country-rock singer Juice Newton for her album Juice. Newton re-interpreted the song at the suggestion of Steve Meyer, who promoted Capitol Records singles and albums to radio stations and felt a version of "Angel of the Morning" by Newton would be a strong candidate for airplay.[12] Newton would state that she would never have thought of recording "Angel of the Morning," and even though she immediately recognized the song when Meyer played it for her: "I [hadn't been] really aware of that song because...when [it] was popular I was listening to folk music and R&B and not pop, and that was a very pop song."[13]
Newton's version reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 22 on the Billboard country music chart, and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart in April of that year.[14] [15] The recording also earned Newton a Grammy nomination, in the same category as Rush's 1968 hit. More than 1 million units of Newton's single were sold in the United States, and it reached the Top 5 in a number of other countries, including Canada (number 1), Australia (number 2), South Africa (number 3), Switzerland (number 4) and New Zealand (number 5). Notably, Newton's video for "Angel of the Morning" was the first country music video aired on MTV, debuting the day the network launched, in 1981. In the UK, the recording reached No. 43 on the UK Singles Chart, marking the song's third appearance on that chart without becoming a major hit.[16] Newton recorded the song again in 1998 for her album The Trouble with Angels.
| Chart (1981) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] | 2 | |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[18] | 1 | |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[19] | 3 | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[20] | ||
| US Cash Box Top 100[21] | 2 |
| Chart (1981) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[22] [23] | 26 |
| Canada[24] | 8 |
| New Zealand[25] | 50 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 25 |
| US Cash Box[26] | 21 |
In 1968, a rendition by P. P. Arnold,[27] who had sung background vocals on the 1967 Billie Davis version, reached No. 29 in the UK in August 1968.
In 1969, soul artist Bettye Swann included a version of the song on her album The Soul View Now; released as a single, it reached No. 109 on the US charts.
In 1970, a rendition by Connie Eaton reached No. 34 on the Billboard C&W charts. In 1971 Nina Simone recorded the song for her album of cover versions Here Comes the Sun. In 1977, Mary Mason also had a UK Top 30 hit with her version, which was actually a medley of two Chip Taylor songs, "Angel of the Morning" and "Any Way That You Want Me", reaching No. 27.[28]
Also in 1977, the British act Guys 'n' Dolls had a hit in the Netherlands with the song, their version reaching No. 11 on the Dutch charts.
In 1978, a release by Melba Montgomery reached No. 22 on the Billboard C&W chart.
In 1994, a rendition of the song was released as a single by the Pretenders.
The 2001 song "Angel", released by American reggae artist Shaggy featuring Barbadian singer Rayvon, heavily interpolates the melody of "Angel of the Morning".[29] It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 31, 2001.[30]
