These days, we’re kind of used to our pop and rock stars being a bit angsty and tortured. But there was once a time when you could be a successful act by spreading a positive aura into the atmosphere.
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The Rascals stood out in the 60s as just such a feel-good band. And it doesn’t get much better, in terms of taking listeners to a blissful place, than their 1968 single “A Beautiful Morning”.
Not That “Young” Anymore
Don’t get too confused if you’ve heard of a band from the 60s called The Young Rascals. It’s just The Rascals by another name. Their record company originally added the “Young” because there was another band with a similar name. After a few years of success, the extra word fell by the wayside.
The Rascals mostly originated from a band called The Starliters that backed up Joey Dee, who had a novelty hit with a song called “The Peppermint Twist”. A few of the members decided they’d like to try it on their own. They believed that an American band could enjoy the kind of success that all the British Invasion acts were achieving.
The band first hit it big with their energetic cover of the song “Good Lovin’”, which gave them a No. 1 single on just their second-ever single in 1966. They quickly decided to try and match that success with original material. Four Top 20 hits in 1967, including another No. 1 in “Groovin’”, proved how adept they were at that task.
“Morning” Glory
The Rascals utilized an interesting collaborative process when it came to their songwriting. Felix Cavaliere, their keyboardist and chief vocalist, came up with titles and themes for each song. He’d then pass those off to Eddie Brigati, who played percussion and also sang lead occasionally so that Brigati could fill in the lyrics.
In the case of “A Beautiful Morning,” The Rascals dreamt it up when they were in Hawaii for some live performances. Cavaliere noted how wonderful it felt to be there in the pristine conditions. He thought that his listeners should know that feeling as well.
“A Beautiful Morning” was actually the first single that The Rascals were able to release under their chosen name. And it continued their string of success, making it to No. 3 on the pop charts. That would lead right into “People Got To Be Free”, another feel-good anthem that gave them their third and final chart-topper.
Behind the Lyrics of “A Beautiful Morning”
The music for “A Beautiful Morning”, which includes sweet-sounding horns and some swaying wind chimes, plays into the effect. This is a song that sounds exactly like what it espouses: “It’s a beautiful morning / I think I’ll go outside for a while and just smile.”
Even the birds get into the act with the happy tunes that they chirp. But this guy knows that a day like this can’t be wasted. “Ain’t no fun just hanging around/I got to cover ground, you couldn’t keep me down.” Later, he gets downright poetic in honor of the gorgeous day: “There will be children with robins and flowers / Sunshine caresses each new waking hour.”
Later in “A Beautiful Morning”, call-and-response vocals practically burst with good vibes: “Gotta say lead the way / It’s okay brand-new day.” In many ways, those lines sum up the entire ethos of The Rascals, who brought the benevolence like no other band of their era.
Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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