Angel of the Morning – Merrilee Rush (1968) / Juice Newton (1981)

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.

– Chip Taylor

Angel of the Morning starts as a conventional love ballad, but the moment the chorus soars, it transforms into an unmistakable power ballad – one that never fails to send shivers down my spine. This was one of the first power ballads I remember hearing, and while the awe I felt in my impressionable youth may have softened over time, my admiration remains intact. The lyrics are both sensual and daring, as the singer surrenders to the night, embracing the intimacy and staying to witness the dawn with her lover.

I see no need to take me home
I’m old enough to face the dawn

There are more versions of this song than you can poke a stick at. Younger generations may be most familiar with rapper Shaggy’s version – Angel (2001), which upon first-listen made me want to throw a brick through a glass pane window. My two favourite versions (presented below) are by Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts (1968) which incorporated a country sound and of course the most commercially successful version by Juice Newton.

Angel of the Morning was written by Chip Taylor in 1967 and first charted with the version by Merrilee Rush. The song was originally offered to Connie Francis, but she turned it down because she thought that the lyrical message was too lewd for her image. 

If morning’s echoes say we’ve sinned
Well, it was what I wanted now

By golly, what I would give to have heard a version by Connie!
Rush’s 1968 version version was released in February 1968, and reached No. 7 on the Billboard, also No. 1 in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Newton’s version from 1981 reached No. 4 on the Billboard and more than one million copies were sold in the United States. It reached the Top 5 in a number of other countries, including Canada (No 1) and Australia (No 2).  

[Verse 1]
There’ll be no strings to bind your hands
Not if my love can’t bind your heart
There’s no need to take a stand
For it was I who chose to start

[Pre-Chorus 1]
I see no need to take me home
I’m old enough to face the dawn

[Chorus]
Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Then slowly turn away from me

[Verse 2]
Maybe the sun’s light will be dim
And it won’t matter anyhow
If morning’s echoes say we’ve sinned
Well, it was what I wanted now

[Pre-Chorus 2]
And if we’re victims of the night
I won’t be blinded by the light

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Through the tears
Of the day
Of the years
Baby!

References:
1. Angel of the Morning – Wikipedia