Sunshine (Jonathan Edwards song)

"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 #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"
ReleasedNovember 1971
Recorded1971
GenreCountry folk, country rock, pop
Length2:16
LabelCapricorn
Songwriter(s)Jonathan Edwards
Producer(s)Peter Casperson
Jonathan Edwards singles chronology
"Sunshine"
(1971)		 "Train of Glory"
(1972)

"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 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", popularized in the 1960s by folk singers Len Chandler and Dave van Ronk.

Charts
  • Jonathan Edwards recorded and released a bluegrass version of "Sunshine" (along with an entire album) with the band "The Seldom Scene."

Covers

In 1980, Juice Newton scored a Top-40 hit, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Country chart, with her version of "Sunshine".[11]

Paul Westerberg's cover is featured on the Friends soundtrack.

The Isley Brothers also cut a version of this song for 3 + 3.

The song is featured in the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and is also included on the film's soundtrack.

"Sunshine" was featured in the seventh episode of Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom, "5/1" where Will MacAvoy and Jim Harper perform it together at Will's party for the staff.

In July 2007, the original Jonathan Edwards recording joined the list of Vietnam Era protest songs used to sell high-end consumer products when it was used as the only audio in a Jeep television spot, part of the Heritage campaign developed by the Cutwater agency.[12]

The song was featured in the 2010 Tim Allen romantic comedy movie Crazy on the Outside.

Izzy Stradlin, formerly of Guns N' Roses, recorded an acoustic version in the summer of 2016.

See also

References
  1. "Billboard Jan 15, 1972". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  2. "Jonathan Edwards bio". Archived from the original on 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  3. 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.
  4. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1972-02-12. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  5. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1972-02-26. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sunshine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  7. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 85.
  9. Musicoutfitters.com
  10. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972
  11. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 248.
  12. "Cutwater". Retrieved 2007-09-04.
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