The song was the theme to the 1969 film adaptation ofDameMuriel Spark'sThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which starred notedBritish actressMaggie Smith. Smith won anAcademy Award forBest Actress for her portrayal of the titular (and lead) character in the film,Jean Brodie. The song was performed by songwriter McKuen, who was nominated for an Academy Award in the categoryBest Original Song. Although released as asingle in the summer of 1969, McKuen's version of the song failed to reach the American music charts.
"Jean" was also recorded by the American singerOliver. Earlier in 1969, Oliver had reached #3 on theBillboardpop andeasy listening charts with his version of "Good Morning Starshine," a song from themusicalHair. While working on an album with producerBob Crewe (which would also be calledGood Morning Starshine), "Jean" was selected as a song for the record and subsequently chosen as the follow-up single. It became another hit for the singer, reaching #2 on the US pop charts, where "Sugar, Sugar" byThe Archies kept it from #1.[1] In Canada, the song reached #1, both Pop and AC.[2] "Jean" spent four weeks at #1 on the US adult contemporary chart. Oliver later said of hiscover version of the song: "We had no idea it would be a single. It was a 3/4 ballad in the psychedelic era ... it was a beautiful arrangement."[3]
