Good Morning Starshine

Album: Good Morning Starshine (1969)
Charted: 6 3
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Songfacts®:

  • This was the theme song to the popular, controversial play Hair, and it single-handedly propelled the singer, whose legal name was William Oliver Swofford, into superstardom that year. Unfortunately, he was a flash in the pan, although he received enthusiastic audiences for his live performances throughout the 1970s. He ultimately left show business in the 1980s. He got a job in the pharmaceutical industry and also became a husband and father. Tragically, he died of cancer in 2000, at the age of 54. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Santa Barbara, CA

Comments: 17

  • Santa Ron Highfill from Shelton, WaWho sang the female backup?
  • Elaine from Trumbull, Ct UsaI just love n the music and the lyrics!!!!
  • Rusty Russell from NcJust a little bit of information. Oliver Swafford's Brother was the Former Athletic Director at UNC-Chapel before he became the Commissioner of the ACC. They both grew up in North Wilkesboro NC. A young women from my college days that I briefly dated lived next door to them for years. It was tragic that Oliver only lived to be in his mid 50's
  • Annonymoose from HereThe background singer with Oliver in Good Morning Starshine was Lynn Kellog from the original Broadway production of Hair 1968. You can listen to her on YouTube Easy to be Hard.
  • Misterkeith from Memphis, TnI would bet dollars to doughnuts that the background singer is Spanky McFarlane, though I haven’t found any confirmation of that.
  • AnonymousI too would like to know who is the backup singer. How well conceived and produced this song is. Listen to all the detail.
  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenI was 8 when this came out and my father wrote the chorus lyrics down, then read them out loud to my brother, sister and me. We laughed at and repeated them for weeks afterward.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 7th 1969, Oliver performed "Good Morning Starshine" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time it was at position #30 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart...
    Three other songs from the musical 'Hair' were also on the Top 100 that week; "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (at #7), "Hair" by the Cowsills (at #13), and "Easy To Be Hard" by Cheryl Barnes (at #64)...
    (See next two posts below).
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 18th 1969, "Good Morning Sunshine" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart for a two week stay, for both those weeks it was at position at #87...
    Oliver's version also entered the Top 100 that same week at position #83.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 4th 1970, Oliver performed "Good Morning Sunshine" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
    Eight months earlier on May 18th, 1969 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and on July 13th, 1969 it peaked at #3 (for 2 weeks) and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
    The two weeks it was at #3, the #2 record was "Spinning Wheel" by BS&T and at #1 was "In The Year 2525" by Zager & Evans...
    On the same Sullivan show he performed two other songs; "Jean" (peaked #2) and "Sunday Morning" (reached #35)...
    R.I.P. Mr. Sullivan (1901 - 1974) and Oliver, born William Oliver Swofford, (1945 - 2000).
  • Ed from Rocklin, CaDoes anyone know who the female vocalist doing the background singing is??? I could listen to her all day! Great voice!!
  • Esskayess from Dallas, TxAlas, 'free' often didn't equate 'intelligent.'
  • Camille from Toronto, OhLove the song. Certainly, it captures the free-spirited sentiment of the late 60's.
  • Esskayess from Dallas, TxGliddy gloop gloopy/Nibby nobby nooby/La la la lo lo/Sabba sibby sabba/Nooby abba dabba/Le le lo lo/dooby ooby walla/dooby abba dabba/Early morning singing song!!
  • Jeffrey from Rosemead, CaThough I really like this song, for years I thought it was sung by John Denver.
  • Robert from Fox River Grove, IlC'mon, Ricky, you really love this song.

    There're plenty of songs I don't like, not much chance I will dredge them up from memory so I can go spend the time looking for a place to complain about them.
  • Ricky from Ohsweken, -This may be a "hit", but I HATE this song & am in TOTAL denial of its succuess.
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