Music Blog

July Morning

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

This week at Glyn Wilton’s Mixed Music Bag,
he’s asking us to write about a song in which
the title or a line mentions the current month. 
Here’s my featured July artist and their song.

© YouTube

Yes, I know it’s been written about before but everyone has their own version. I was there and experienced the whole thing up close and personal. This is my story.

It was 1973 and the four of us scored tickets to a concert in Allentown, PA. It was the dog days of August … the kind of sun that blisters your skin in minutes … and the concert was outdoors. The drive was 3 hours each way in scorching temperatures but we were going to that concert come hell or high water. Allentown became our Mecca and the road trip our personal hard rock pilgrimage. The details of that day are a little sketchy but the concert was freakin’ awesome.

© MyPhoto, Allentown, PA 1973
Front near stage in light pink shirt is my mister, I’m to his right, blonde hair, black shirt

In 1967, 19-year-old guitarist Mick Box formed a band in Brentwood, Essex called Hogwash; they began playing in local clubs and pubs. When the band’s singer left, drummer Roger Penlington suggested his cousin David Garrick as a replacement. Box and Garrick formed a songwriting partnership and, having higher musical aspirations than their colleagues, decided to give up their day jobs and go pro. They set up a new band called Spice. David Garrick changed his surname to Byron, drummer Alex Napier joined, having answered a music magazine ad and bassist Paul Newton completed the line-up. Spice avoided doing covers and always strove to do something original. The band climbed their way up, performing in small clubs in and around London. Keyboardist Ken Hensley joined in 1970 and the name of the group was changed to Uriah Heep. As part of the early ‘70s rock scene, they created their own original version of hard rock, saturating it with elements of prog, art, jazz rock and heavy metal. The trademarks of their style were spectacular backing vocals with complex multi-part harmonies and dramatic lead vocals by David Byron.

“July Morning” was written by Ken Hensley and David Byron; it is a track on Uriah Heep’s third studio album, 1971’s Look At Yourself. The song is said to be about a man waking up resolved to find his own road and an unnamed love. It’s natural to assume that the love is a romantic interest, but the song is kept ambiguous enough that the love may be a grand purpose, a passion, or perhaps the love of life itself.

Every July 1st, the young people of Bulgaria practice a unique custom of gathering at coastal locations, mountains, or other scenic spots to witness the sunrise, symbolizing a new beginning, freedom and hope. They camp out and play music into the early hours. Started in the 1980s, the tradition was influenced by the hippie movement in the U.S. and was a subtle protest against the communist regime at the time. It was a spiritual rebellion of sorts against the joyless Soviet state, as well as a great excuse to party. One of the songs that’s always sung is Uriah Heep’s “July Morning”.

Online music database, AllMusic , describes the song as the best produced by Uriah Heep, with a “magnificent arrangement and performance”. In 1995, Finnish radio station Radiomafia added “July Morning” to its list of “Top 500 Songs“.

The video I chose today is a montage of various concerts while the audio is from the Look At Yourself studio album. It’s not the greatest-looking video but I went with it so you could see the band while enjoying the best sound quality available. FYI Manfred Mann is playing the Moog synthesizer.

This is “July Morning” by Uriah Heep.


Lyrics

There I was on a July morning
Looking for love
With the strength of a new day dawning
And the beautiful sun

And at the sound of the first bird singing
I was leaving for home
With the storm and the night behind me
And the road of my own

With the day, came the resolution
I’ll be looking for you
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la

I was looking for love in the strangest places
Wasn’t a stone that I left unturned
And I must have tried more than a thousand faces
But not one was aware of the fire that burned

In my heart, in my mind
And in my soul
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la

In my heart, in my mind
And in my soul
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la

La-la-la, la-la-la
La-la-la, ah
Ah, ah, ah-ah

There I was on a July morning
I was looking for love
And with the strength of a new day dawning
And the beautiful sun

At the sound of the first bird singing
I was leaving for home
With the storm and the night behind me, yeah
And the road of my own

With the day, came the resolution
I’ll be looking for you
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la

London
Thank you very, very much indeed
Fantastic
Thank you and goodnight

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: David John Byron/Ken Hensley
July Morning lyrics © Emi Music Publishing Ltd., Emi Music Publishing Ltd

Mixed Music Bag 2025 – The Cuckoo

Big thanks to Glyn Wilton for hosting Mixed Music Bag each week. Please be sure to follow the link and check out Glyn’s site.

Thanks for joining me today and spinning some tunes.

See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section, et. al., and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

48 thoughts on “July Morning”

  2. Although not a follower of the band, I do remember this tune. Right on the cusp of the sixties and the seventies, they were somewhat overlooked by the likes of Rolling Stone and others, such as the early Fleetwood Mac. Momo, my wife, was born in Allentown but was carried down to Dallas at the age of one year to be raised as a Texan. To this day, she is a Texan with Pennsylvania roots. You were fortunate to see many musical acts in your younger years; good for you. I was a wee lad and saw Louie Prima and Keely Smith in Fort Worth in the mid-50s at the Stock Show. I had no idea I was witnessing a piece of history.

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    1. At this time in our lives, Bill and I, along with his twin brother Jim and SIL Lynne, were very deeply into the British scene, mostly groups you had to dig a little deeper to find. In 1970, we had never heard of Uriah Heep; it was quite by accident that we found them while leafing through the boxes of a store in Amagansett NY called the Inner Sleeve which, appropriately enough, sold only vinyl. The album we found was called …Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble and we took turns sharing headphones in the listening booth. We fell in love with the song Gypsy”, bought the album, and that was that.
      I must say I don’t know anyone who has seen Louis Prima and Keely Smith perform live. That must have been quite an experience for a wee lad such as yourself. I could be mistaken but I think we saw them at Freedomland, a short lived amusement park in the Bronx, NY. For a place that was around for only 4 years, a legion of great artists performed there in the legendary Moon Bowl. Everyone from Count Basie to Fabian entertained thousands and thousands of people passing through the gates of Freedomland. That was a 4 year period of my very young life which I will never forget.

      Thanks, Phil. Hope your shoulder is 100% now.

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    1. I’m pleased to know you enjoyed it, Michele. I originally wasn’t going to feature this song; someone already did that last week but since I saw them in person I knew I’d put a different spin on things. I think I did. Thanks much, Michele. 🎶🌞♡

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  4. When I saw the title of your post, I immediately knew you were talking about the Uriah Heep song. While I’m generally not a huge fan of super high male vocals, strangely, David Byron’s voice never bothered me. My intro to Uriah Heep was “Lady in Black,” which prompted me to buy their 1971 studio album “Salisbury.” I liked Heep right away and ended up also getting their fantastic 1973 “Uriah Heep Live” double-LP. Essentially, it’s a compilation of their early greatest hits including the epic “July Morning.” If you dig Heep and haven’t checked out that album, I can highly recommend it. Unfortunately, I never saw them live!

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    1. Thank you, Christian. We do indeed “dig” Heep and have all their albums. We played our great albums while our boys were growing up; every time we were involved in a family activity, our music would be on in the background. Our sons grew up loving Heep as much as we do and now our teen grandkids are into our music from back then, including UH. We’ve given them some of our vinyl and they’re really enjoying the sounds. Can’t beat it!

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  9. This is a getting back to my roots kind of song for me. I was not yet “allowed” to listen to rock music at this point in time- and when I was finally paroled from my parents’ house- it was already older- and I knew everyone I knew had already moved on- it the kind of music my soul has listened to, that I built on- but never really listened to if that makes sense to you.

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    1. The passage of time changes everything around us. I’m glad I was able to bring you back to your roots. It always surprises me when someone my age says they never heard of Uriah Heep. These guys were legend and are still banging out songs …. all new lineup except for Mick Box.

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    1. No, we were in bleachers. This was the Allentown Fair Grounds. We just made our way to the stage for a closer look, which was awesome. This is a very strange photo; it looks like we’re inside a large tent but we were outside in the open. The venue was large and crowded; here, everything looks small. I remember there being some type of awning over Heep which extended about 20 feet beyond the stage. The warm up acts were Earth, Wind & Fire and ZZ Top.

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  11. I think everybody said it all, Nancy what’s left for me to say?, …. I loved listening to this beautiful song., … I’ve heard of Uriah Heep, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you any of their songs,… now this one, when it started, my word… David Byron‘s voice just carries you along with him, magic, ,… thank you for the background info too, … it always helps, that extra detail,… bands go through so much, and of course the lyrics reflect this, ….💙

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    1. Thanks so much, Penn. You’re right about David Byron’s voice; it was beautiful, almost operatic. We were really into them for a few years. I remember a year or so after the concert …. we were home in our apartment. We had some friends over and I called the radio station that was on, requesting they play Uriah Heep. The DJ was so nasty! All he said before hanging up was “Uriah Heep!? What prehistoric era are YOU from?” I felt so stupid, embarrassed and angry. Funny, the things we remember.

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      1. he sounds like a right idiot Nancy, … and it is funny the things we remember, … well you’ve listened to me, ,.. going on and on and on and on, … my memory is coming up with all sorts of things, … sorry, can we find out this DJ’s name and go and have a word with him, ,.. we’ll put him straight,….us two, …💙

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  12. A super, superb article about the super, superb Uriah Heep (I have a heap of their vinyl’s) … how many vinyls makes up a ‘heap’?? … whoops, but I’m listening to Bob Dylan at the moment … Oh well, Bob Dylan recorded “Blowin’ In The Wind” on July 9, 1962 …

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  13. A real reminder of my teenage years, and I love the photo!

    They were the loudest band that ever played the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone during my time there. The building physically shook!

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    1. That photo was taken by my late brother-in-law; he and his wife were the other two people with us.

      Deep Purple was the loudest indoor concert I ever went to. Heep was the loudest outdoor concert; I can’t imagine how loud they’d be indoors. Likely would blow Purple out the water!

      Thanks very much, Clive.

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