Angel of the Morning

"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 Shaggy, 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."

"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.

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; however, this version failed to make an impact. 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.

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.

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, 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.)