# What is this really ubiquitous "springtime/morning" song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293 "2009-11-12T07:05:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/1 "2009-11-12T07:05:06Z")
Should be an easy one but I had more trouble trying to Google it than I expected. It’s the song you always hear in TV (especially cartoons) when it’s a fresh spring or someone is waking up etc. I assume it’s something classical I just have no idea what. [Here’s me trying to whistle it](http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ijmjmnjxuzz). (Link goes to a site that lets you download a short .wav file. You might be able to guess what I’m talking about without even downloading it though) ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/2 "2009-11-12T07:10:36Z")
Well, for whatever reason, I can’t listen to your .wav file. But, I’m gonna take a wild-ass guess and say it’s William Tell Overture: Call to the Cows I couldn’t remember the name but I searched for cartoon music, sunrise - found in less than a minute. I hope it’s the right one. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/3 "2009-11-12T07:22:26Z")
Yeah that’s it, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/4 "2009-11-12T07:22:42Z")
Going back to the same site where I found that last one, it mentions that Greig’s Morning is also used for the same purpose. Here’s the page [http://www.kickassclassical.com/classical-music-popular-famous-best-composers-a-z.html#Grieg](http://www.kickassclassical.com/classical-music-popular-famous-best-composers-a-z.html#Grieg) Oh…you’re welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/5 "2009-11-12T07:43:13Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Going back to the same site where I found that last one, it mentions that Greig’s Morning is also used for the same purpose. > > Here’s the page > > [http://www.kickassclassical.com/classical-music-popular-famous-best-composers-a-z.html#Grieg](http://www.kickassclassical.com/classical-music-popular-famous-best-composers-a-z.html#Grieg) > > Oh…you’re welcome! Actually that’s even closer to what I was thinking. They both seem very similar. The text on that page even says it is used “almost interchangeably” with the William Tell Overture. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/6 "2009-11-12T07:46:11Z")
That was my opinion too. I spent most of my first 18 years listening to large amounts of classical music (it’s all my mom listens to) and I still can’t tell the two apart (or remember the names). ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/7 "2009-11-12T08:28:33Z")
You’re definitely whistling Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood. I agree that there are some similarities with part three of the William Tell Overture (and knew before opening this thread that the answer would be one of the two), but they’re not _that_ indistinguishable. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/8 "2009-11-12T15:02:20Z")
Before I even opened this thread I was pretty sure the OP meant “Morning Mood” from Grieg’s incidental music for _Peer Gynt_. Other recognizable pieces from the same score are “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and to a lesser extent “Anitra’s Dance”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/9 "2009-11-12T18:42:30Z")
[Recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536348) for identifying ubiquitous pieces of classical music. The William Tell excerpt and Grieg’s piece are both mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/10 "2009-11-13T02:11:42Z")
The other commonly heard spring/morning song is Mendelssohn’s “Song Without Words” op. 62 no.2, aka “Spring Song” [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwZJrpNPAhU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwZJrpNPAhU) A much older thread for ubiquitous classical music: [Classical music for Popsters - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=51453) You should be able to find most of that stuff on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/11 "2009-11-13T02:19:30Z")
_Morning Mood_ plays over the title screen of _Peggle_ as the sun comes up. That’s how I know it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-really-ubiquitous-springtime-morning-song/517293/12 "2009-11-13T03:04:26Z")
I think I’ve heard Beethoven’s 6th (Pastoral) symphony used in similar circumstances. Probably one of the first two movements. Could be.