After graduating from high school in 1967, she worked as a secretary and performed part-time as a singer for a local folk band called Sweet Rain. Her singing caught the attention of Russ Regan (then head of 20th Century Records) in 1972 when he heard a demo she had recorded. At the time, Regan was searching for a singer to record "The Morning After" (the theme from The Poseidon Adventure) for release as a record. He hired McGovern sight unseen to record the song, which led to her signing with 20th Century Records. After it won an Oscar for Best Original Song, "The Morning After" quickly climbed the pop charts, reaching #1 in 1973.
In 1974, she recorded two movie themes: "We May Never Love Like This Again" (from the disaster film The Towering Inferno, in which she made a short appearance when she is seen singing the song as the evening's entertainment) and "Wherever Love Takes Me" (from the British disaster film Gold). The former won an Oscar (though it was only a minor pop hit), and the latter received an Oscar nomination. These two songs (along with "The Morning After") led the media to call McGovern "the Disaster Theme Queen."
McGovern's contract with 20th Century ended in 1976. By this time, her career went downhill and she ended up broke, due to being cheated out of her earnings by her managers and producers. To begin her life over again, she moved to Marina del Rey and took a secretarial job under an assumed name. However, she was still in demand occasionally for international live concerts. Her career made a turn for the better when she was asked to record a version of "Can You Read My Mind," the love theme from 1978's Superman, which was not recorded for the film. The single achieved minor success on the Pop charts. Toward the end of the decade, she recorded "Different Worlds," the theme from a short-lived TV sitcom entitled Angie. The song was her only other Top 40 single aside from "The Morning After," reaching #18 on the Pop charts in 1979 and also spending two weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 1980, she made a cameo appearance as the singing nun, Sister Angelina, in the comedy-disaster movie Airplane!.
At the beginning of the 1980s, McGovern gave up movie themes to begin a career on Broadway, despite having no acting experience. In 1981, she made her Broadway debut as Mabel in a revival of Gilbert & Sullivan's musical The Pirates of Penzance. She then performed in two productions with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera: The Sound of Music (1981; as Maria) and South Pacific (1982; as Nellie Forbush). She continued her theatrical career throughout the eighties and originated the role of Mary in the Off-Broadway production of Brownstone in 1985.
In 2005, McGovern returned to the Broadway stage as Marmee opposite Sutton Foster's Jo in the musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Plagued by negative reviews, it quickly closed, but McGovern reprised her role for the successful subsequent national tour.
She slowly returned to music in the mid-eighties, contributing songs to musical soundtracks and recording for various-artist compilations. She also returned to touring and performing in concerts and began establishing herself as a classy, jazzy nightclub and cabaret performer. Starting in 1987, she released three albums for CBS in three years - Another Woman in Love (a voice/piano album), State of the Heart (a fully orchestrated album), and Naughty Baby (a live album).
In 1989, she performed her debut concert in Carnegie Hall, singing a collection of songs by George Gershwin. The concert was recorded live and released that year as an album entitled Naughty Baby; it features a very first recording of a lost Gershwin song "A Corner of Heaven With You" (written ca. 1917).
From the nineties into the 21st century, McGovern continued her careers in musical theatre, performing in concerts, and recording albums, and she occasionally made guest appearances on television. Other recordings include Baby I'm Yours (1992), a collection of her favorite songs from 1955 to 1970, and Out of This World (1996), a collection of songs by Harold Arlen. She was twice nominated for a Grammy, for her albums The Music Never Ends (1997), a collection of songs by Alan & Marilyn Bergman, and The Pleasure of His Company (1998), another voice/piano album.
In 2003, Out of This World and The Music Never Ends were rereleased by Fynsworth Alley Records; both albums included bonus tracks, the former two, and the latter three.
The Island
Maureen McGovern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a desert Island
Bathe me in the waters,
Warm me in the moonlight,
Taste me with your kisses
Find my secret places,
Touch me 'till I tremble,
And catch me while I'm falling.
Keep your arms around me
Like there's no tomorrow.
Let me know you love me.
On our little Island
Not a soul can see us.
Show me how to love you.
Teach me how to please you.
Lay your dreams beside me.
Only stars will listen
To our cries and whispers.
You were made to love me
And I was made to love you.
Keep your arms around me
Lose yourself inside me.
Make it last forever.
I can see the Island
Shining in the distance.
Now we're getting closer.
Keep your arms around me.
Oh now we're almost there.
Ooh
On our little Island
Not a soul can hear us.
Silently exchanging
Fantasies and feelings.
Endlessly exploring
Learning one another
'Til the morning finds us.
You were made to love me
And I was made to love you.
Keep your arms around me,
Lose yourself completely,
Make it last forever.
I can see the Island
Shining there before us.
Now we're getting closer
Just keep your arms around me.
Come my love...
We're there.
The song "The Island" by Maureen McGovern paints a picture of two individuals who have landed on an island, where no one can see or hear them. The first few lines of the song ask the listener to imagine that they have landed on a deserted island, with the singer asking her partner to bathe her in the waters and warm her in the moonlight. The lines that follow reflect the intimacy and passion between the two individuals. The singer asks her partner to taste her with his kisses and find her secret places, touching her until she trembles and setting her free to fly. She asks him to catch her while she falls, promising to keep her arms around her partner like there's no tomorrow, while implying that she wants her partner to show her how to love him and teach her how to please him.
The second verse continues the themes from the first one, emphasizing that on this island, there is no one to see or hear them. The singer tells her partner that they can lay their dreams beside each other and only the stars will listen to their cries and whispers. The couple endlessly explores and learns about each other, until the morning finds them lost in each other's embrace. The song expresses a deep sense of longing and passion, calling to mind images of paradise and freedom.
Overall, "The Island" is a beautiful love song that speaks to the power of intimacy, passion, and escape. The song celebrates the freedom of two lovers who have found a place where they can be themselves without fear of judgment or interruption.
Line by Line Meaning
Make believe we've landed
Let's pretend that we are on an island
On a desert Island
An isolated, uninhabited and desolate land
Bathe me in the waters,
Cleanse me in the purest of water
Warm me in the moonlight,
Envelop me in a comfortable, comforting atmosphere and feeling
Taste me with your kisses
Kiss me with your passion, your energy and your love
Find my secret places,
Discover the parts of me that nobody else knows or sees
Touch me 'till I tremble,
Caress me till I tremble with anticipation and excitement
Free my wings for flying
Help me release my inhibitions and explore new heights
And catch me while I'm falling.
Be there for me whenever I need you
Keep your arms around me
Hold me close, never let me go
Like there's no tomorrow.
Love like there is no end
Let me know you love me.
Give me the reassurance that your feelings for me are genuine
Not a soul can see us.
In this secluded place, no one can witness our intimacy
Show me how to love you.
Teach me the ways to give you the love and affection you deserve
Teach me how to please you.
Educate me on how to satisfy you and make you happy
Only stars will listen
The universe itself is the only audience to us
To our cries and whispers.
Our most private thoughts will only be heard by the night
Shining in the distance.
The future is bright, the hope is strong
Silently exchanging
Communicating without words
Fantasies and feelings.
Sharing dreams, hopes and emotions
Endlessly exploring
Delving deeper and discovering more
Learning one another
Understanding each other to the fullest
Til the morning finds us.
Until the sun rises and brings a new day
Lose yourself completely,
Give yourself wholly to me
Just keep your arms around me.
Never let go, hold me tight
Come my love...
Join me, embrace me, let us not fight any longer
We're there.
We have reached our destination and fulfilled our desires
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES STANLEY MC CARTY, KEITH RELF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chemgamer1419
This song reminds me of our family struggles in the 70's. We were basically poor but we loved each other so much. The music back then was a big part of our lives. Those were the best times. Material things will never replace family love.
@aidankwok1962116
Me too
@kevinc4756
It’s so true. As kids in the 70s, top 40 records became so important, at least to me. I would play them a lot and try to match the singers.
@HeidiMondon
I woke up today, 2/22/24 with this song in my head and felt compelled to share it on many channels. Coming through the STORM. A song of hope and expectation. With Yeshua, ALL things are possible. WWG1WGA!!! The Best Is Yet To Come!!! Let it be so! ❤
@JonBoltinghouse
Who is Yeshua?
@HeidiMondon
Jesus Christ
@yourewelcome192
It reminds me of how Jesus guides us through the storm, into His marvelous Light, where we won't be searching anymore, once we find Him. Love You Jesus. ❤
@michaelbarlow6610
"The Morning After" is not only arguably the greatest movie theme song of all-time, but indisputably one of the greatest ever songs! No one could ever sing that song better than Maureen McGovern. Only Karen Carpenter, Judy Garland and Marilyn McCoo could sing it equally well, and sadly Karen and Marilyn never recorded that song and Garland sadly died in 1969 before the song came out three years later. Maureen McGovern was so beautiful back in 1972.
@themoviesongchannel
Great as she is, she didn't sing it for the movie but she made it known, worldwide!
@gigantor62
The production on this is second to none. It's really a blueprint for the perfect pop song.