Fan reviews/comments:

TREAT ME GENTLY IN THE MORNING    
(words and music by Rick Springfield)          

She remembers the night they first were alone 
When he took her home and he said, 
"I need you, won't you stay?" 

And all through that night his eyes had a light 
That burned very bright and she hoped 
His words weren't well read lines 
A little ill at ease she whispered "Baby, please"
Treat me gently in the morning 
Take my heart but stay with me 
Treat me gently in the morning, please

Her mamma said, "Silly girl, you should marry him or leave
He'll only make you grieve when he decides it's over 
Wake up child" 
But the years fell away, they grew closer they found 
Though they had their ups and downs just like lovers do 
Still she'd say, "It's okay to fight, when were alone late at night 
I'll always say

Treat me gently in the morning 
Take my heart but stay with me 
Treat me gently in the morning, please

It all went so fast one day he went away 
He said St. Tropez but he died that winter in a plane 
The last thing he sent was a postcard from Rome 
It read, "I'm coming home, lady, I love you" 
And under his name was a P.S. that read 
Very simply it said

Treat me gently in the morning 
I can't live another night 
Treat me gently in the morning 
I'll be on that plane tonight

Treat me gently in the morning 
I can't live another night 
Treat me gently in the morning 
I'll be on that plane tonight

Treat me gently in the morning 
I can't live another night 
Treat me gently in the morning...

(total playing time: 4:31 )

Song Facts: This can be found on Wait for Night.

More Reviews:

This is my envy song. She envies what could have been and the life he leads away from her when he goes home to his life without her, and he (afraid of commitment?) is maybe envying bachelorhood, another woman, island paradises?...whatever keeps him from staying with her.

We have another O. Henry ending from Rick on this one, eh? And the thing is, I can’t beat him up about it because I wrote so many poems along these lines when I was younger. This is so typical of young writers, it makes me think this was written during the Beginnings sessions…it has the same lyrical feel as some of those songs.

This song is different for me in that I really like the music, but I am not as crazy about the words. I think the melody is beautiful, but I just cringe at lyrics such as “P.S. that read Very simply it said.” Hate me, beat me, mash me over the head, but that is just trite and not very good writing for a man with Rick’s talents. There is a line in a song I like that goes “If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor.” That is what this song reminds me of. If I had not heard so much better from Rick, I’d probably like this song a lot more. But feeling it is somehow beneath his normal standards makes me not able to give it too much credit.

However, I do believe there is something good in anything Rick touches, so highlights on this on for me are, the lovely music and the line “but the years fell away.” That IS good writing – not slipped, not drifted, but FELL – it went by dramatically fast, rather than a slow fade – they (the years) just dropped off. I like how the use of one word changed the entire feel of it for me. 

Also, having been so critical, I will admit, when I first heard the song as a young girl, I loved it, got goose bumps, and thought it was amazing and beautiful. Perhaps I am now just too old and jaded to appreciate it for the great romantic ballad I once thought it to be.

I just am not emotionally involved in this song. I know it's supposed to be a tragedy, but when the death occurs at the end of the song, I kind of don't care. It's like he's submitting this song for a song writing 101 course. It has structure, it has a story, it has a nice rhyme, but it just doesn't have any feeling. And once again he writes it from the woman's point of view. I just wonder if up to this point, Rick hadn't gotten comfortable enough to really get personal with his songs, to really expose himself to where he could draw the listener in. Another reoccurring theme is the "fighting". He's always said that fighting it out is good for a relationship, and apparently he's thought that for a long time. I too, must give him props for not only including St. Tropez, but also rhyming it. That truly is a gift, and one he's had for a long time. 

This review has been haunting me for the last few days. I listened to this song for the first time last weekend, and I just can't get into it. It just doesn't do anything for me, which I find odd because being a Lifetime junkie I usually go for the sad ending. LOL
By reading the lyrics of this song it just shows how much he has grown over the last thirty years as a songwriter. I wish I did hear this record back when it came out so I could judge this song on it's own merit and not judge it against his writing skills of today.

Aaaaaaaaaah, I'm a sucker for a good Rick Ballad........and this is a great one!! All the lines leading up to the chorus just give me 
chills:........."she hoped his words weren't well read lines, a little ill at ease, she whispered baby, please"......*shiver*. Hoping against 
hope that the man of her dreams is telling her the truth. That the love she sees is real.

........."it's OK to fight, when we're alone late at night, I'll always say".....*shudder*. Making up is just so good, they don't mind the pre-requisite spat. 

........."and under his name was a P.S. that read, very simply it said".......*tingle*. So sad.....the realization that love is all that matters comes too late. This song is such a tear-jerker...*sniff, sniff*.

And who else but our Rick would think to rhyme "went away" with "St.Tropez"....pure genius. 
The story is classic....Two lovers enjoy great sex, physical and emotional compatibility.......but the man is afraid to commit. And by the time he realizes what he wants.....it's too late, he's gone.
Rick is uncanny at relaying this sort of tale. The angst at the start of a relationship, it's passage into tedium, it's rough patches....the breakup....the dawn of reason.....the end.

The woman is left with only her tears and the dream of what could have been. But she still has her memories and the comfort of his last 
promise to "Treat Me Gently In The Morning"......*sigh*

Typical idea of male saying how he "needs you tonight" and the female so hoping that its not just for "tonight". Another one of Rick's sad endings songs---Wonder if this was based on a true story he had heard maybe from someone he knew or something. Her mother of course telling 
her that if she keeps sleeping with him, he will never marry her, which it sounds like he never did---so as always, Mom was right!lol
But in this case, they did keep up the relationship sounds like and then of course, sad ending--he dies in a plane crash---and even sadder (of course) he had sent the postcard before the plane crash telling her he couldn't "live another night" (without seeing her?) Such a depressing song to me---I don't know the year for this, but i 
guess Rick was suffering from depression then ya think? Course he could have just seen some movie with a similar ending and wrote the song. This appears to be young Mr Springthorpe's writing---simple and not near as deep as later lyrics of course. I haven't listened to this all that much---not a favorite.

The song reads as if it were written by a school child attempting to tell a story by finding as many words that rhyme as possible, they don’t flow well nor do they really fit the story. I don’t think this song fits the imagination or intelligence of Rick Springfield. Is this a song he tinkered with and executives made the decision that it should 
be recorded? 

However, I do think Rick gets points for including the destination of St. Tropez, you don’t hear that in a whole lot of songs!

I haven’t listened to the song in a LONG time, so I can’t even place the melody right now but the song that ran through my head as I read 
these lyrics…Just Call Me Angel, In The Morning Angel…Just Touch My Cheek Before You Leave Me Baby…

When I first heard this song, it quickly became a favorite of mine. What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart, and tales of tragic love always grab at my heart. 

I never thought of the line "It all went so fast, one day he went away" as meaning that he'd left her. The thought never even occurred to me until I saw someone (Stacey?) mention it in her review. I always thought he'd had to go away for a little while, never thought of it as a breakup. Looking at it in that light, however, only makes the song more tragic (and more appealing) to me.

I don't listen to this one as much as I used to, but it's still very high on my list of favorite songs from WFN. It got bumped down a few a couple of places as I listened and grew to love two other songs on the album... but I'll save the rest of this line of thought for those reviews. :)

I love this song. I love a good Rick-ballad and although I agree  that the lyrics could easily have been written by a kid I still find it rather cute. Rick has mentioned before having some child-like innocence and naivety in some ways and it kind of shows through in these lyrics but I like that quality.
I love the music. It is certainly one of my favorites from Wait for Night and I've always thought this album as a whole was a step up in his writing from Beginnings & Comic Book Heroes especially musically.
It is a tearjerker too of course with the guy leaving, then missing her and then dying in a plane crash on his way back to her. It sounds like a story out of one of those romantic books you read when you're about 12!