"Angel of the Morning" | ||||
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Single by Evie Sands | ||||
B-side | "Dear John" | |||
Released | 1967 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:19 | |||
Label | Cameo | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chip Taylor | |||
Producer(s) |
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Evie Sands singles chronology | ||||
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"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 Juice Newton, who reached the Billboard Hot 100 top ten with her version in 1981.
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. Davis' version was later included on her 1970 debut album Billie Davis. P. P. Arnold provided backup vocals for that version and later released a version herself on her 1968 album Kafunta.
"Angel of the Morning" | ||||
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Single by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts | ||||
from the album Angel of the Morning | ||||
B-side | "Reap What You Sow" | |||
Released | February 7, 1968 | |||
Recorded | January 1968 | |||
Studio | American (Memphis, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | Pop, country | |||
Length | 2:58 | |||
Label | Bell | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chip Taylor | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Merrilee Rush singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Angel of the Morning" on YouTube |
The song became a hit in 1968 through a recording by Merrilee Rush, made that January at the American Sound Studio 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 at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards. 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 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [6] | 5 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] | 7 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [8] | 32 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [9] | 3 |
Chart (1968) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada [10] | 70 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] | 28 |
US Cash Box [12] | 45 |
"Angel of the Morning" | ||||
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Single by Juice Newton | ||||
from the album Juice | ||||
B-side | "Headin' for a Heartache" | |||
Released | 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | Country, soft rock [13] [14] | |||
Length | 4:10 3:57 (7-inch) | |||
Label | Capitol 4976 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chip Taylor | |||
Producer(s) | Richard Landis | |||
Juice Newton singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Angel of the Morning" on YouTube |
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 that a version of the song by Newton would be a strong candidate for airplay. [15] Newton stated that she would never have thought of recording "Angel of the Morning", even though she immediately recognized the song when Meyer played it for her: "I [had not 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." [16]
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. [17] [18] The recording also earned Newton a Grammy nomination, in the same category as Rush's 1968 hit, at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards. More than one million copies 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. [19] Newton recorded the song again in 1998 for her album The Trouble with Angels .
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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Argentina (CAPIF) [20] | 5 |
Australia (Kent Music Report) [21] | 2 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [22] | 7 |
Canada RPM Top Singles [23] | 1 |
Germany (GfK) [24] | 23 |
Israel (IBA) [25] | 37 |
Portugal (AFP) [26] | 4 |
South Africa (Springbok Radio) [27] | 3 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] | 4 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [29] | 5 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [30] | 43 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [31] | 4 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [32] | 1 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [33] | 22 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [34] | 2 |
Chart (1981) | Rank |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [35] [36] | 26 |
Canada [37] | 8 |
New Zealand [38] | 50 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] | 25 |
US Cash Box [39] | 21 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [40] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
In 1968, a rendition by P. P. Arnold, [42] 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.[ citation needed ]
In 1970, a rendition by Connie Eaton from her album Something Special 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 from her album Angel in the Morning, which was actually a medley of two Chip Taylor songs, "Angel of the Morning" and "Any Way That You Want Me", reaching No. 27. [43]
Also in 1977, the British act Guys 'n' Dolls had a hit in the Netherlands with the song from their album Together, their version reaching No. 11 on the Dutch charts.[ citation needed ]
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 for the TV series Friends soundtrack.[ citation needed ]
The 2001 song "Angel", released by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy featuring Barbadian singer Rayvon from his album Hot Shot , heavily interpolates the melody of "Angel of the Morning". [44] It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 31, 2001. [45]
Juice Newton is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories – winning once in 1983 – as well as an ACM Award for Top New Female Artist and two consecutive Billboard Female Album Artist of the Year awards. Newton's other awards include a People's Choice Award for "Best Female Vocalist" and the Australian Music Media's "Number One International Country Artist".
"I Honestly Love You" is a song recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in 1974 on the album Long Live Love in the United Kingdom and If You Love Me, Let Me Know in the United States. The song became a worldwide pop hit, her first number-one single in the United States and Canada. The single was first released in Australia as "I Love You, I Honestly Love You", as per its chorus. The song was written by Jeff Barry and Australian singer and composer Peter Allen. The latter recorded it around the same time for his album Continental American.
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a 1968 single released by American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, on the Tamla label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's United LP. The first release off the duo's second album: You're All I Need, the song—written and produced by regular Gaye/Terrell collaborators Ashford & Simpson—became a hit within weeks of release eventually peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, the first of the duo's two number-one R&B hits. In the UK "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number 34.
"Angel" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy featuring additional vocals from Barbadian singer Rayvon. Sampling the 1973 song "The Joker" by American rock band Steve Miller Band and interpolating the 1967 song "Angel of the Morning" written by Chip Taylor, it was released to radio on 9 January 2001 as the follow-up to Shaggy's international number-one hit, "It Wasn't Me". "Angel" also proved to be successful, reaching number one in 12 countries, including Australia, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Queen of Hearts is a country-pop song written by Hank DeVito, the pedal steel guitarist in Emmylou Harris's backing group The Hot Band. It was first recorded by Dave Edmunds on his 1979 album Repeat When Necessary. Edmunds' version was released as a single and reached number 11 in the UK and number 12 in Ireland that year, but failed to chart substantially elsewhere in the world. The most successful version of the song was recorded by Juice Newton in 1981 – her version reached number two in the United States and South Africa. Newton's version also reached the top 10 in Canada, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland and New Zealand.
Merrilee Rush is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song "Angel of the Morning", a top-10 hit which earned her a Grammy nomination for female vocalist of the year in 1968.
"The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" is a country-pop song written by Otha Young for Juice Newton in the mid-1970s. Newton was known for charting hits on the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Hot Country charts - and this song has the distinction of being the only single of hers to reach the top 10 on all three of those charts, peaking at #1 on two of them.
Juice is the sixth studio album and third solo album by American country rock singer Juice Newton. The album was released in February 1981 and was her first major international success.
"Break It to Me Gently" is a pop song written by blues musician Joe Seneca with lyrics by Diane Lampert. Both Brenda Lee and Juice Newton were met with considerable success with their versions of the song.
"Right Down the Line" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. Released as a single in the US in July 1978, it was the follow-up to his first major hit as a solo artist, "Baker Street", and reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on Cash Box and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
The Pozo-Seco Singers was an American folk music group that had success during the 1960s. They recorded the hit "Time" and launched the music career of Don Williams.
"Husbands and Wives" is a song written and first recorded by American country music singer Roger Miller. Miller's original, from his album Words and Music, was released in February 1966 and was a crossover hit for him, reaching Top Ten on the U.S. country and Adult Contemporary charts, as well as Top 40 on the pop charts. Since the release of Miller's original, the song has been covered by several other artists, including The Everly Brothers, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond, a duet between David Frizzell and Shelly West, Jules Shear, and Brooks & Dunn, whose version was a number-one country hit in 1998.
"Hurt" is a 1954 song by Jimmie Crane and Al Jacobs. "Hurt" was originally performed by Roy Hamilton, whose version peaked at number eight on the R&B Best Seller chart and spent a total of seven weeks on the chart. A version by Ricky Denell also received considerable radio airplay in 1954 on pop radio stations. The song is considered to be the signature hit of Timi Yuro, whose version went to number four on the Billboard pop chart in 1961. Elvis Presley’s 1976 version reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. Juice Newton's 1985 version scored number one on Billboard's Country chart.
"Angel on My Shoulder" is a song written and recorded by Shelby Flint that was released on a Valiant Records 45 rpm single in 1960 and on her self-titled debut album in 1961. The single reached No. 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1961. It was Flint's only Top 40 hit.
"With Pen in Hand" is a song written by Bobby Goldsboro and first released on his March 1968 album, Honey. The song's lyrics address the subjects of divorce and losing custody of one's child, and are sung from the perspective of the parent who expects to be losing custody of their child, as they make a final plea to their spouse to reconcile before the divorce is finalized. "With Pen in Hand" has been a hit for multiple artists in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Greatest Hits is the ninth album and first greatest hits collection by country pop singer Juice Newton. It was originally released by Capitol Records in 1984 with ten tracks taken from her albums Juice, Quiet Lies, and Dirty Looks. It was reissued in 1986 in an expanded 15-track edition titled Juice Newton's Greatest Hits . The album became a best seller and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Emotion is the eighth solo studio album by American country pop singer Juice Newton. It was released by RCA Records in 1987 and was the last of Newton's albums to appear on the Billboard charts.
Emotions is a compilation album by country pop singer Juice Newton. It was compiled by Pair Records in 1994 and consists of 20 tracks taken from five of the six albums Newton recorded for RCA Records.
Anthology is a compilation album by country pop singer Juice Newton. It was originally released by Renaissance Records on October 13, 1998. The album covers her career from 1975 to 1989 and features 19 songs taken from her albums Juice Newton & Silver Spur, Juice, Quiet Lies, Can't Wait All Night, Old Flame, Emotion, and Ain't Gonna Cry. However, it includes the 1975 take of "The Sweetest Thing " from the first RCA album, not the 1981 hit version from Juice.
"Any Way That You Want Me" is a song written by Chip Taylor that was first released in September 1966 by Tina Mason as the B-side to her single "Finders Keepers". It has been covered by a number of artists, with the most successful version being by English rock band the Troggs.