Morning Sun (song)
Encyclopedia
"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. Written around the time of pop star Michael Jackson
's death, the song was originally meant to be a tribute to the late star. However, Williams' later commented that it was about himself. "Morning Sun" was Williams' first single to fail to enter the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
.
. It shows Williams as an astronaut
on a mission in the International Space Station
.
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 not 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."
where he also received two awards for "International Male Artist of the Year" and the "NRJ Award of Honour". "Morning Sun" was performed on February 13, 2010 (Williams' 36th birthday) on the UK TV show So You Think You Can Dance
. 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 February 16. "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". He performed the single yet again on appeal night for Sport Relief 2010.
Digital EP
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
singer-songwriter Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
' eighth studio album, Reality Killed the Video Star
Reality Killed the Video Star
Reality Killed the Video Star is the eighth solo studio album by the British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released in November 2009. The album was produced by Trevor Horn and recorded between September 2008 and August 2009 in London and Los Angeles. It debuted in the top ten of 22 national...
. It was released on 8 March 2010, and it is the official charity single
Charity record
A charity record is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. Some of the earliest charity records came from the Music for UNICEF Concert, with ABBA's Chiquitita and the Bee Gees' Too Much Heaven among them released as singles, with all the royalties going to UNICEF...
for Sport Relief 2010. Written around the time of pop star Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's death, the song was originally meant to be a tribute to the late star. However, Williams' later commented that it was about himself. "Morning Sun" was Williams' first single to fail to enter the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Music video
The music video for the single was directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed at Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
. It shows Williams as an astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
on a mission in the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
Critical reception
UK website Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
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
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
' for George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
to consider giving his lawyer a bell. Sure, it's not 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
Strong (song)
"Strong" is a song by Robbie Williams, released as the third single from his 1998 album, I've Been Expecting You in early 1999. The song managed to break into the top five in the United Kingdom. The b-side is the live version of Let Me Entertain You recorded at the 1999 BRIT Awards, the performance...
' and 'Come Undone' in the past."
Promotion
Williams performed the song on January 23, 2010 at the NRJ Music AwardsNRJ Music Awards
The NRJ Music Awards, created in 2000 by the radio station NRJ in partnership with the television network TF1 takes place every year in mid-January at Cannes as the opening of MIDEM...
where he also received two awards for "International Male Artist of the Year" and the "NRJ Award of Honour". "Morning Sun" was performed on February 13, 2010 (Williams' 36th birthday) on the UK TV show So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (UK)
So You Think You Can Dance is a televised dance competition and reality show that launched in the United Kingdom in January 2010 and similar to the version of the program that has began airing in the USA in 2005. The show is broadcast on BBC One. The content of the show is similar premise to the...
. The song was also performed as part of a greatest hits medley at the 2010 BRIT Awards
2010 BRIT Awards
The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne...
where Williams won the prestigious "Outstanding Contribution to Music Award" on February 16. "Morning Sun" was performed by Williams at the 2010 Echo Awards in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 4 March, where he won the award for "Best International Male Artist". He performed the single yet again on appeal night for Sport Relief 2010.
Track listing
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 PromsBBC Electric PromsThe BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006-2010...
) — 3:57 - "Elastik" — 4:37
Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
57 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
12 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 27 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
19 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
32 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
45 |
External links
- RobbieWilliams.com — Robbie Williams official website