"Sunshine" is a country folk song from 1971 by Jonathan Edwards, released as the first single from his debut album Jonathan Edwards. The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 15, 1972,[1] and earned a gold record.[2]
| "Sunshine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jonathan Edwards | ||||
| from the album Jonathan Edwards | ||||
| B-side | "Emma" | |||
| Released | November 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Country folk, country rock, pop | |||
| Length | 2:16 | |||
| Label | Capricorn | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jonathan Edwards | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Casperson | |||
| Jonathan Edwards singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Sunshine" was not originally planned for release, but when an engineer accidentally erased the master of a track called "Please Find Me" near the end of sessions for the album, "Sunshine" was used to fill the hole.[2]
The song was released as a single and first gained popularity[citation needed] on Boston radio, before going nationwide. Regarding its success, Edwards stated, "It was just at the time of the Vietnam War and Nixon. It was looking bad out there. That song meant a lot to a lot of people during that time—especially me."[2]
"Sunshine" bears some melodic resemblance to the traditional country blues song "Green Rocky Road",[citation needed] popularized in the 1960s by folk singers Len Chandler and Dave van Ronk.
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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- Jonathan Edwards recorded and released a bluegrass version of "Sunshine" (along with an entire album) with the band The Seldom Scene.[when?]
Covers
editIn 1980, Juice Newton scored a top-40 hit, peaking at No. 35 on the Billboard country chart with her version of "Sunshine".[12]
Paul Westerberg's cover is featured on the Friends soundtrack.
The Isley Brothers also cut a version of this song for 3 3.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Billboard Jan 15, 1972". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Jonathan Edwards bio". Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 101. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. February 12, 1972. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. February 26, 1972. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sunshine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 85.
- ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of '72". RPM. January 13, 1973. p. 20.
- ^ Musicoutfitters.com
- ^ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 248.
