The song was written in July 1970 by the band's keyboardist Ken Hensley and lead singer, David Byron. Approximately the last four minutes of the piece consist of a virtuosic organ solo. The odd sounding calliope riffs are played by Manfred Mann who, according to the album's liner notes, "appears for the first time with his Moog synthesizer". The song also was released as a single from Uriah Heep's first live album Uriah Heep Live.

The song is written in the key of C minor, and is played with eight chords: Cm, Fm, Bb, Eb, G, Ab, F and C. The song has four verses and four choruses, featuring an organ introduction and a guitar solo. There is a guitar bridge between the first and second parts of the song.

AllMusic contributor Dave Thompson described the song as the best produced by Uriah Heep, with a "magnificent arrangement and performance", and in 1995, Radiomafia added "July Morning" to their list of "Top 500 Songs".

"July Morning" was first released on the Look at Yourself album and as a single in Japan and Venezuela. The Venezuelan single split the song across both sides of the 7", while the Japanese single featured an edited version of the song, which was later released on the band's greatest hits album Your Turn to Remember in 2016. . The live version from Uriah Heep Live was also released as a single. In 2009 the band released a new version of the song on the album Celebration.

Uriah Heep's manager Gerry Bron thought Manfred Mann not only played an important part in the original studio recording, but also played a crucial role in its development.

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