"Morningtown Ride" is a

lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...

, written and performed by American singer

Malvina Reynolds Malvina Reynolds (née Milder; August 23, 1900 – March 17, 1978) was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her songwriting, particularly the songs " Little Boxes", " What Have They Done to the Rain" a ...

. It was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by the Australian pop group

the Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop group originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Unit ...

and their recording reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song tells the comforting story of the journey through nighttime made by all the "little travellers" (children), on board a train, with the

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

The Seekers version

The song was performed by

with Bobby Richards and his Orchestra on the 1964 album '' Hide & Seekers'' ( W&G Records WG-B-2362). It was subsequently re-recorded and released as a single in 1966 ( Columbia DB 8060), produced by Tom Springfield. The song spent 15 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 2 on 28 December 1966. In the United States, the song spent seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 44, while reaching No. 13 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart.

Charts

Other versions

The Irish Rovers The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians that formed in Toronto, Canada in 1963'Irish Rovers are Digging out those old Folk songs', By Ballymena Weekly Editor, Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, N. Ireland – 20 August 1964 and named after the ...

recorded versions of the song, which were released on the 1972 album ''

The Irish Rovers Live ''The Irish Rovers Live'' is a 1972 album by The Irish Rovers. Track listing Side One: #"What Wid Ye Do" #"The Moonshiner, I'm a Rambler" #"Step It Out Mary" #"The Ryans and the Pittmans, We'll Rant and We'll Roar" #"Sweet Thames Flow Softly" ...

'' and the 1976 album '' Children of the Unicorn''. In 1973, the Irish Rovers' version reached No. 83 on Canada's ''RPM'' 100 and No. 39 on ''RPM''s Adult Contemporary Playlist.Adult Contemporary Playlist
, ''

RPM Weekly ''RPM'' ( and later ) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. ''R ...

'', Volume 19, No. 11, April 28, 1973. Accessed October 8, 2016. * Brendan Grace recorded a version of the song, which reached No. 25 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

on 6 January 1985.Song Title Search Results for "Morningtown Ride"
''The Irish Charts''. Accessed September 29, 2016.

References

{{authority control 1957 songs 1966 singles British folk songs British pop songs Children's songs Lullabies Songs about Australia Songs about trains Songs written by Malvina Reynolds The Seekers songs The Wiggles songs Sandman Loretta Lynn songs The Statler Brothers songs

The Seekers version

Charts

Other versions

See also

References