Originally written in 1962 by Canadian folk musician Bonnie Dobson, Morning Dew has taken a remarkable journey over the past six decades. Dobson was inspired after seeing the film On the Beach, which imagines the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. Her song unfolds as a conversation between two survivors facing an uncertain future, giving it an emotional weight that still resonates today.
Morning Dew had a rocky history. It was recorded numerous times throughout the 1960s, often without giving Dobson proper songwriting credit. In 1967, singer Tim Rose released his own version and claimed authorship—a claim made even more curious by the fact that he also asserted he had written the folk standard Hey Joe. It wasn't until legal action in 1998 that Dobson finally received full recognition as the song's sole writer.
In 1968, the Jeff Beck Group recorded a version that features Rod Stewart on vocals. It trades the strings and early '60s folk groove for more of a funky rock beat. The call and response of Stewart's vocals and Beck's guitar embellishments give it real emotional tension.
If you Google Morning Dew, it first comes up as a Grateful Dead song. The Dead recorded a version on their debut album in 1966 and it quickly became a staple of their live shows and a fan favorite. They are said to have played it 274 times in the following 30 years. Their live take was the perfect platform to showcase Jerry Garcia's guitar prowess. I never had a chance to hear the Grateful Dead play it live, but I did catch a brilliant version performed by Dead & Company in 2018, where John Mayer delivered some jaw-dropping guitar work.
In 2002, on his album Dreamland, Robert Plant added electric piano, a subtle Middle Eastern flavor, and percussion to make it his own.
About 10 years ago, The National recorded it for a various artists collection they produced to honor the Grateful Dead. Their version sounds like a psychedelic '60s rock song, sharing more with Jeff Beck than the Grateful Dead.
More recently, Dave Alvin's band, The Third Mind, recorded an exceptional version featuring Jesse Sykes on vocals. It begins closer to Dobson's original than almost any other recording, before opening into an extended jam. The instrumental fireworks and dramatic shifts in intensity make it one of my favorite interpretations of the song.
Morning Dew is one of those rare songs that can survive almost any reinterpretation. Like a beautifully built house with a solid foundation, it holds up remodel after remodel without ever losing its character. Bonnie Dobson could hardly have imagined that, when she wrote it more than sixty years ago, she was creating a modern classic that would stand the test of time.
