1972 Classic Ballad Won an Oscar for ‘Best Original Song' 53 Years Ago
Who knew a song performed during a New Year's Eve party in a movie would have such an impact, more than 50 years later?
In the 1972 filmThe Poseidon Adventure, "The Morning After" emerged as a standout, performed by lounge singer Nonnie (Carol Lynley), early in the film. Directed by Ronald Neame, produced by Irwin Allen and based on the 1969 novel with the same title, the disaster film follows the fictional SS Poseidon, an old luxury cruise ship on its final voyage from New York City to Athens. After it was overturned by a wave on New Year's Day, passengers and crew were trapped inside. The ensemble cast also includes Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Pamela Sue Martin, Arthur O'Connell and Leslie Nielsen.
The classic pop ballad went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, cementing its status as the era's most enduring movie songs.
Written by 20th Century Fox songwriters Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, they were asked to write a love theme for the film in one night. The original song was actually called "Why Must There Be A Morning After?" but the record label changed it to make it sound more optimistic.
Though the tune is performed by Lynley, the song was sung by vocal double Renee Armand, and appears twice in The Poseidon Adventure: a warm-up rehearsal and then the actual performance of the song during a New Year's Eve party.
Following the success of the song and film, American singer and Broadway actress Maureen McGovern recorded her own cover, which became a No. 1 hit in the United States for two weeks in August 1973. In addition, Billboard ranked it at 28th for the best songs of 1973.
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Two and a half years ago, McGovern went to Facebook to reflect on the success of "The Morning After" and how it "opened the door to [her] career." In addition, she also told the story of how she found out the ballad won an Oscar.
McGovern was 23 years old at the time the 45th Academy Awards were taking place in Los Angeles. She was performing a show on the East Coast that evening, and the venue owners ran in and interrupted the show to announce that "The Morning After" won the Oscar.
"The entire crowd erupted in grand applause. Their recognition and applause at that moment was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me," she wrote. "It was breathtaking."
After graduating from high school in 1967, McGovern started working part-time as a singer and secretary for the folk band Sweet Rain. After catching the attention of 20th Century Records, she was hired to record demos - including "The Morning After." After the song won an Oscar, her cover charted and she received a Grammy Award nomination in 1974 for Best New Artist.
"Since recording that song, I have received letters, spoken with folks at my concerts, and even had folks stop me on the street to share how the song helped them get through something in their life that they were not sure they could survive," she concluded her post. "It has been a part of almost every one of my live performances over the past five decades...The song's message is [a] gift to us all."
McGovern's version of "The Morning After" can be listened to on all streaming platforms. Meanwhile, The Poseidon Adventure can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies and Fandango at Home for $3.99.
Related: 1971 Classic Named No. 1 Hit Song Became an Anthem of Unconditional Love
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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 11:43 AM.