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Uriah Heep - July Morning


Uriah Heep - July Morning - Meaning of the song


The majority of the ideas for this ten-minute tune came from Ken Hensley and David Byron. The band tried combining three unique compositional sections they had that were all in C minor while they were recording Look at Yourself, and it resulted in the intro, verse, and chorus building of "July Morning."


The song gained notoriety and made its mark in a variety of ways. A Bulgarian ritual bearing the song's name was inspired by the song, and the organ music from the intro has occasionally been used as a wedding march. Every year on June 30, Bulgarians from all around the country travel to the Black Sea coast to see the sun rise on July 1. Frequently, they do it as the celebration is going on.

Ken Hensley explained how he came to write the song.

"Uriah Heep was on tour in the UK with an American band named Sha Na Na and we were sharing a bus, which meant we had to wait for them to finish before we could go home," Hensley said. "This was boring!" To entertain himself, Hensley started noodling around with his acoustic guitar. "It began with a true statement," he said. "'There I was, on a July morning,' and then my imagination took over." Hensley worked the song out over the next few days and played it for the rest of the band in their rehearsal room. "I played it to the band on my acoustic guitar and, by the end of the day, it had become the song that so many people grew to love," Hensley said. "That was magic!"


July Morning - Lyrics


There I was on a July morning

Looking for love,

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

And a road of my own

With the day came the resolution

I'll be looking for you

La la la la...


I was looking for love in the strangest places

There wasn't a stone that I left unturned

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, In my soul

La la la la...


In my heart, In my mind, In my soul

La la la la... La la la la...


There I was on a July morning

Looking for love,

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

And a road of my own

With the day came the resolution

I'll be looking for you

La la la la...

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