Morning of my Life

"Morning of My Life" (originally known as "In the Morning") is a song written by Barry Gibb in 1965^[1] and later recorded by the Bee Gees and several other artists. It was recorded in 1966 on the sessions of Spicks and Specks, and that version was released as the opening track on the compilation Inception / Nostalgia in 1970. The first recording of the song to be released by any artist was by Ronnie Burns, first as a B-side to his Exit, Stage Right single in June 1967 and a month later on his Ronnie LP.^[2]

In 1969, Barry and Maurice Gibb performed an acoustic version with their sister Lesley, in a BBC Two special, made in a period when Robin Gibb had left the group to pursue a solo career.

They re-recorded the song in September 30, 1970, in the 2 Years On sessions same day as "Every Second, Every Minute", "The First Mistake I Made" and "Don't Forget Me Ida",^[3] as the song later became popular again when recorded by the Bee Gees and used on the soundtrack of the 1971 film Melody.^[4] Throughout their career, the Bee Gees performed the song live on many occasions.

Cover versions

• Esther and Abi Ofarim recorded this song in 1967, who took it into the charts in Germany. The B-side "Garden of My Home" was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb which was not used on the Bee Gees' 1st sessions, as Esther and Abi Ofraim recorded the song. It was released on Philips Records in August that year, according to the label, the song was produced by Robert Stigwood and Phil Dennys was credited on the arrangement (who also did some songs on Bee Gees' 1st suggests that this was recorded as that album. The single was released in mono, the song was appeared on the album 2 in 3.^[5]
• Nina Simone recorded a version of the song for her 1968 album 'Nuff Said!. This version was recorded in the studio but applause was later added to give the effect of a live recording, following the theme of the rest of the album. The album also included a live cover version of the Bee Gees track "Please Read Me".
• Andy Gibb recorded this song in 1980, during the same time as he recorded songs for his first compilation Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits including "Time Is Time", "Me (Without You)", and a cover version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" with P.P. Arnold.^[6] His version of "Morning of my Life" was not released.
• Baptist Generals have included a version of this song on their 2013 album Jackleg Devotional to the Heart.

References