"Sunshine on My Shoulders" (sometimes titled simply "Sunshine") is a song recorded and co-written by American singer-songwriter
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...
. It was originally released as an album track on 1971's ''
Poems, Prayers & Promises
''Poems, Prayers & Promises'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver, released on April 6, 1971 through RCA Records. The album was recorded in New York City, and produced by Milton Okun and Susan Ruskin.
''Poems, Pra ...
'' and later, as a single in 1973. It went to number one on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the U.S. in early 1974.
Song history
Denver described how he wrote "Sunshine on My Shoulders": "I wrote the song in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
at the time I call 'late winter, early spring'. It was a dreary day, gray and slushy. The snow was melting and it was too cold to go outside and have fun, but God, you're ready for spring. You want to get outdoors again and you're waiting for that sun to shine, and you remember how sometimes just the sun itself can make you feel good. And in that very melancholy frame of mind I wrote 'Sunshine on My Shoulders'."
The song was slightly remixed for single release, with the addition of strings and woodwinds to enhance the background of the song. The album version features an extra verse, not heard on the Singles charts, due to the song's length. In addition to Denver's first verse describing if he had a day and a song, the second verse mentions Denver's describing if he had a tale and a wish. The song ends with the words "Sunshine almost always" (instead of "Sunshine always"), being held on until the song's end. The full length single mix with the second verse has been released on most of Denver's hits compilations.
It was originally the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of one of his earlier songs, "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy". As the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
came to an end, the song took on a new significance and began to receive airplay on
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
radio stations. It entered the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 90 on January 26, 1974, and moved into the number one spot nine weeks later, remaining at No. 1 for one week. The song also topped the
adult contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...
for two weeks in 1974. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the
No. 18 song for 1974. ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said "Soft, tender ballad receives a treatment equal to the task and the pretty lyrics come shining through as a result. A good remedy for relaxation in these troubled times."
Personnel
*John Denver – 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, vocals
*
Mike Taylor – acoustic guitar
*Richard Kniss – double bass
*Frank Owens – piano
The song also features strings and winds, including oboes.
In popular culture
A -hour made-for-television movie titled ''
Sunshine
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
'', which aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in 1973, used the song as a theme. The movie starred
Cliff DeYoung
Clifford Tobin DeYoung (born February 12, 1945)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Ame ...
and
Cristina Raines
Cristina Raines ( née Herazo; born February 28, 1952) is an American former actress and model who appeared in numerous films throughout the 1970s, mainly horror films and period pieces. She went on to have a prolific career as a television actres ...
. It told the story of a young mother dying from cancer.
High ratings prompted a TV series (also ''
Sunshine
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
'') which ran for three months during the summer of 1974. The short-lived series began where the movie left off with the young widowed father (DeYoung) raising his stepdaughter (Elizabeth Cheshire).
In the John Denver biographical film ''Take Me Home: The John Denver Story'' (2000) it is played when Denver (
Chad Lowe
Charles Davis Lowe II (born January 15, 1968) is an American actor. He is the younger brother of actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in '' Life Goes On'' as a young man living with HIV. He has had recurring roles on '' E ...
) takes his new glider out for a test flight. This final scene is based on the real life event that killed Denver in 1997. The 1996 re-recorded version is the one that is played.
Chart performance
Carly Rae Jepsen version
The song was covered by Canadian singer-songwriter
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''
Tug of War
Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport that pits two teams against each other in a test of strength: teams pull on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal being to bring the rope a certa ...
'', released on June 16, 2008.
See also
*
List of RPM number-one singles of 1974
This is a list of the weekly Canadian '' RPM'' magazine number one Top Singles chart of 1974.
See also
* 1974 in music
* List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 1974
* List of ''Cashbox'' Top 100 number-one singles of 1974
References
;N ...
*
List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1974 (U.S.)
These are the ''Billboard magazine'' Hot 100 number one hits of 1974.
That year, 25 acts earn their first number one song, such as Steve Miller Band, Al Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Terry Jacks, John Denver, Blue Swede ...
*
List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1974 (U.S.)
Adult Contemporary is a chart published by ''Billboard'' ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1974, 35 songs topped the chart, then published under the title Easy Listening, base ...
References
Bibliography
*''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', Billboard Books, 9th edition, 2010,
{{Carly Rae Jepsen
1973 singles
Songs written by John Denver
John Denver songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
1971 songs
Song recordings produced by Milt Okun
RCA Records singles