Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
John Gogo Brings Robert Service to Life With New Single “The Morning After”

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • John Gogo Brings Robert Service to Life With New Single “The Morning After”
John Gogo Photo Credit Christophe Roberge

Photo Credit Christophe Roberge

Fri Apr 11, 2025
Cashbox Canada

A forgotten poem, a legendary folk voice, and a story 120 years in the making

 Acclaimed Western Canadian balladeer John Gogo is bringing history to life with his new single “The Morning After”, a rollicking folk tune based on a virtually unknown Robert Service poem. Originally written in 1900, the poem was passed down through generations before landing in Gogo’s hands in 2020. Now, after setting it to music, enlisting Canadian folk legend Valdy, and recording with an all-star lineup, he is unveiling a song over a century in the making.

"Western Canada is filled with stories just waiting to be told," says Gogo. "When I was given this poem, I knew I had to bring it to life in the best way I could—through song."

Best known for “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, Robert Service, the “Bard of the Yukon,” wrote “The Morning After” on the back of a bank draft in 1900. He later gifted it to a Canadian Bank of Commerce colleague, Arthur Baker. The poem changed hands multiple times, eventually landing with Tom Varty, who held onto it for 70 years. Upon Varty’s passing, his daughter Pam presented the poem to Gogo hoping he would turn it into a song.

Listen on Spotify here:
open.spotify.com/album/0sJShgk4HmR5qIKnDtNUHD

The result is a boozy, barroom folk anthem that captures Service’s wit and humor with Gogo’s signature West Coast charm.

Set to a lively, swinging melody, “The Morning After” tells the all-too-relatable tale of a man suffering the consequences of a hard night out:

"Oh the sport awakes as morning breaks with a head like a load of bricks
The eyes are red in that aching head poor old stomach’s sick"

With a chorus written by Gogo that drives home the song’s timeless message:

"Try as he may he remembers nae the ladies nor the laughter
In turn he’ll forget the great regret the morning after"

To bring the song to life, Gogo assembled a stellar lineup. His brother Paul Gogo (of classic rock band Trooper) provided a barroom-style piano track, while Canadian folk icon Valdy joined in for a powerful duet. The track also features cousin Brent Gubbels on bass, rounding out a family affair steeped in folk tradition.

The music video, shot by Shawn Viens at the historic pavilion on Saysutshun (Snuneymuxw Nation), adds another layer of storytelling. Featuring Paul Gogo, Dawn Meisner, and Bill Miner, the video captures the late-night debauchery and regret that Service so humorously described.

"It’s wild to think this song started as a scrap of paper in 1900," says Gogo. "And now, over a hundred years later, we’re all singing along."

Gogo has spent over 40 years chronicling the legends, characters, and tall tales of Canada’s West Coast. With six albums to his name and a career that has seen him share stages with Willie P. Bennett, Blue Shadows, Valdy, and Fred Eaglesmith, he has long been a custodian of Canadian folk history.

johngogo.com/
facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063478153245&mibextid=LQQJ4d
instagram.com/johngogomusic

Reviews
Album
John Gogo
Month: Apr 2025
L-R JP LeBlanc, producer Colin Linden, engineer Mike Stankiewic,  Larry LeBlanc, bass player educator producer David Santos, and  drummer Bryan Owings. JP LeBlanc Releases New Album “All In My Blood”
Marie Minet Photo Credit Daryan Dornelles Marie Minet New Single Release "Je Serais Tout Ce Que Tu Veux"
Month: May 2025
Four Chords and The Truth Four Chords and The Truth Celebrates 10 Years with All-Star…
Jake Clemons Singer//Songwriter/Sax Virtuoso And Multi-Instrumentalist JAKE…
Nige B Nige B's "Morning Drive" Now Top 10 On Indigenous Music…
Sarah Pearson Cape Town’s Sarah Pearson Turns Heartbreak Into Art With “Tainted…
Fiona Ross Photo Credit Steven Tiller Fiona Ross Marks 100-Song Milestone With 'Moments in My…
Katie Ditschun Pop/Folk Artist Katie Ditschun Blooms With Emotion on New Single “In…
Legacy Of Lovers Legacy Of Lovers Rides The Wave With New Single "Calm Cool Connection"
Rachel Cousins Rachel Cousins Releases Tender Anthem "Nora" For The Friends Who Save Us…
Steinruck & Annette Ducharme Steinruck & Annette Ducharme Unveil “Atmosphere” — A Powerful,…
Photo Credit Aqqalunnguaq Heilmann “Katajjaq Will Never Be Silenced”: Silla’s Dual Singles Reclaim…
Glowing Hearts Project “This Is Not America”:  Halifax’s The Glowing Hearts Project…
Neena Rose NEENA ROSE RELEASES HEARTFELT TRIBUTE FOR MOTHER’S DAY: "I Love…
Capital Music Week Ottawa Launches New Nationally Focused Music Event: Capital Music Week…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 139
  • Page 140
  • Page 141
  • Page 142
  • Page 143
  • Page 144
  • Page 145
  • Current page 146
  • Page 147
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers