Sunday Mornin' (Spanky and Our Gang song)

"Sunday Mornin'" is a song written by Margo Guryan, made famous by Spanky and Our Gang and Oliver, and recorded by many others. Spanky and Our Gang's version became a hit single, reaching #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, #39 on the easy listening chart in early 1968,^[1] and #23 in the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. Oliver's 1969 version was also released as a single, which reached #35 and #14 on the same charts^[2] (#20 in Canada).

In the Spanky and the Our Gang version, the song also appears on an album in a long unedited version, including the group warming up their harmonies in the beginning (for a different song, as it happens), as well as an extended ending, where the sounds of a tape machine rolling back, plus the sounds of the group's joking until the fade is completed, causing one of the members to state that they need to get a new producer, resulting in laughter. This version lasted over 6 minutes in length.

The song was also recorded by Guryan as "Sunday Morning" and it appeared on her critically acclaimed 1968 album Take a Picture, as well as on the B-side to her single "Spanky and Our Gang." Other contemporary recordings include those by Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell (on the album Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell, 1968), Baja Marimba Band (on the album Do You Know the Way to San Jose? 1968), Julie London (on Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, 1969), Richard "Groove" Holmes (on Welcome Home, 1969), and Sue Raney (on With A Little Help From My Friends, 1969).

"Sunday Mornin'" was listed as one of the "102 most performed songs in the BMI repertoire during 1968".^[3]

In 1968, Marie Laforêt released "Et Si Je T'Aime", a French version of "Sunday Mornin'" with lyrics by Michel Jourdan. She also recorded "E se ti amo", a version with Italian lyrics by Daniele Pace. A Hebrew version, "'Bo Habayta" (Come Home), with lyrics by Avinoam Koren was released in 1969 by Israeli singer Shula Chen, on her album Yours, Shula Chen. Chen's version became synonymous with Tnuva cottage cheese after being used in a commercial for the product.^[4]

Recordings

• 1967: Spanky and Our Gang, released on a single, and on the album Like to Get to Know You^[5]
• 1968: Margo Guryan, on the album Take a Picture
• 1968: Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell, on the album Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell
• 1968: Baja Marimba Band, on the album Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
• 1968: Marie Laforêt (as "Et Si Je T'Aime", with French lyrics by Michel Jourdan), on Album : 4
• 1969: Julie London, on Yummy, Yummy, Yummy.
• 1969: Richard "Groove" Holmes, on Welcome Home
• 1969: Oliver released as a single
• 1969: Shula Chen (as "Bo Habayta" (Come Home), with Hebrew lyrics by Avinoam Koren), on the album Yours, Shula Chen.
• 1969: Sue Raney, on With A Little Help From My Friends
• 2000: Linus of Hollywood, on Your Favorite Record
• 2001: Jim Galloway, on Music is my Life

Chart positions

Spanky and Our Gang single

Oliver single

References