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 during sessions for the album Spicks and Specks, and later 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 during the period when Robin Gibb had left the group to pursue a solo career.

They re-recorded the song on September 30, 1970 (by which time Robin had rejoined the group, during sessions for 2 Years On on the same day as "Every Second, Every Minute", "The First Mistake I Made" and the unreleased "Don't Forget Me Ida".^[3] This recording did not make the album but gave the song a whole new audience when used on the soundtrack of the 1971 film Melody along with other Bee Gees songs. ^[4] Its first inclusion on a Bee Gees album was the compilation Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2 in 1973 and it subsequently appeared on the Tales from the Brothers Gibb and Mythology box sets. Throughout their career, the Bee Gees performed the song live on many occasions, most notably at the One Night Only concert in Las Vegas in 1997.

Cover versions

• Esther and Abi Ofarim recorded the song in 1967; this version became a hit single in Germany. The B-side, "Garden of My Home" was written by all three Gibb brothers. It was released on Philips Records in August that year, produced by Robert Stigwood^[5] with orchestral arrangement by Phil Dennys (who also arranged some songs on Bee Gees' 1st). The single was released in mono and the song also appeared on the Ofarims' album 2 in 3.^[6]
• 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, while recording songs for his 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.^[7] 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.
• Vera Lynn released a recording on her 1972 album Unforgettable Songs.
• John Holt covered the song on his 1973 reggae album 1000 Volts of Holt'.
• Sabrina Starke, a Dutch singer, released a single version in 2014.

References