"Morning Sun" is the third and final official single from British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams' eighth studio album, Reality Killed the Video Star. It was released on 8 March 2010, and it is the official charity single for Sport Relief 2010.[3] Written around the time of pop star Michael Jackson's death, the song was originally meant to be a tribute to the late star, co-written by Don Black who wrote Jackson's 1972 song "Ben". However, Williams' later commented that it was more about himself. The phrase "morning sun" has a connection to Jackson; used as a lyric both in The Jackson 5 1970 song, "Can I See You in the Morning?" and "Baby Be Mine" from the album Thriller (1982).
| "Morning Sun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Robbie Williams | ||||
| from the album Reality Killed the Video Star | ||||
| B-side | "Elastik"[2] | |||
| Released | 8 March 2010[1] | |||
| Recorded | June 2009 London, United Kingdom | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:06 (Album Version) 3:50 (Radio Edit) 3:55 (Music Video) | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Robbie Williams, Don Black, Kelvin Andrews, Daniel Spencer, Richard Scott, Scott Ralph | |||
| Producer(s) | Trevor Horn | |||
| Robbie Williams singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Morning Sun" on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition
edit"Morning Sun" was initially penned for Williams by Richard Scott and Scott Ralph, Williams tried to re-write some of the lyrics to fit towards a perspective of his own interpretation. The Death of Michael Jackson helped Williams overcome writer's block.[4] According to Chris Heath's 2017 Williams biography, Reveal: Robbie Williams, the song was inspired by an affinity Williams had with Jackson and prescription drugs: "[That] hit me", Williams stated: "And how close I must have come to being in the same place. And that scared me".[5]
Music video
editThe music video for the single was directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed at Universal Studios Hollywood.[6] It shows Williams as an astronaut on a mission in the International Space Station.
Critical reception
editUK website Digital Spy gave the song three stars out of five and commented that: "[Morning Sun] is a bit like something from mid-'90s Britpoppers Electrasy – a straightforward trad-rock song complete with metronomic piano chords, swooning strings and the rest. Two minutes in, it gets close enough to 'I Am the Walrus' for George Martin to consider giving his lawyer a bell. Sure, it's the most adventurous release of Williams's career, but it's pleasant to its bones and the lyrics have just enough about them to avoid the trap of self-regarding introspection that marred the likes of 'Strong' and 'Come Undone' in the past."[7]
Promotion
editWilliams performed the song on 23 January 2010 at the NRJ Music Awards where he also received two awards for International Male Artist of the Year and the NRJ Award of Honour.[8] "Morning Sun" was performed on 13 February 2010 (Williams' 36th birthday) on the UK TV show So You Think You Can Dance.[9] The song was also performed as part of a greatest hits medley at the 2010 Brit Awards where Williams won the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Music Award on 16 February.[10] "Morning Sun" was performed by Williams at the 2010 Echo Awards in Berlin on 4 March, where he won the award for Best International Male Artist.[11] He performed the single yet again on appeal night for Sport Relief 2010.
Track listing
edit- International CD single
- "Morning Sun" (radio edit) – 3:50
- "Elastik" – 4:37
- Digital EP
- "Morning Sun" (album version) – 4:03
- "Morning Sun" (Live from BBC Electric Proms) – 3:57
- "Elastik" – 4:37
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart[12] | 57 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[13] | 12 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[13] | 27 |
| CIS (TopHit)[14] | 117 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[15] | 19 |
| German Singles Chart[16] | 32 |
| UK Singles Chart[16] | 45 |
References
edit- ^ "Robbie Performs Live on BBC Dance Show". RobbieWilliams.com. 15 February 2010. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "New Single Morning Sun Released Today". RobbieWilliams.com. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^ "Robbie's Morning Sun Aids Sport Relief". RobbieWilliams.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "Robbie Williams 4Music Favourites Parte 1". YouTube.
- ^ Heath, Chris. (2017). Reveal: Robbie Williams. Blink Publishing.
- ^ "Morning Sun Video: First Look". RobbieWilliams.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "Music – Singles Reviews – Robbie Williams: 'Morning Sun'". Digital Spy. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
- ^ "Robbie Wins Two NRJ Music Awards". RobbieWilliams.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Robbie Performs Live on BBC Dance Show". RobbieWilliams.com. 9 October 2005. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Robbie At The Brit Awards 2010: Tune In Tonight". RobbieWilliams.com. 9 October 2005. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Die Preistraeger :: Echo 2010". Echopop.de. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ^ Austrian Singles Chart
- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "Robbie Williams – Morning Sun". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ Robbie Williams — Morning Sun. TopHit. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Megacharts. "Dutch Top 40". Megacharts.
- ^ a b "Robbie Williams – Morning Sun – Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
External links
edit- RobbieWilliams.com – Robbie Williams official website