“Morning Girl” (1970) – Jim Pike * Written by Tupper Saussy * 45: “Morning Girl” / “Here, There and Everywhere” * LP: The Lettermen – Everything Is Good About You * Produced by Jim Pike and Tony Butala * Label: Capitol
Although the label on the Capitol 45 label and the chart listings all credited “Morning Girl” to the Lettermen’s Jim Pike, this version of the Neon Philharmonic’s #17 hit from 1969 eventually showed up on the 1971 Lettermen album Everything Is Good About You. Pike and fellow group member Tony Batula get credit for the production, which might imply that they also did the shimmering, Percy Faith-conscious string arrangement. This was the last chart entry for anything written by the Neon Philharmonic’s Tupper Saussy, although future teen idol Shaun Cassidy would release a version of “Morning Girl” as his very first single in 1975. The B-side featured a Pike rendition of the Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere” with more of the A-side’s alluring strings.