Sunshine on My Shoulders
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| "Sunshine on My Shoulders" | ||
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| Single by John Denver | ||
| from the album Poems, Prayers & Promises | ||
| Released | 1973 | |
| Format | vinyl record | |
| Genre | singer/songwriter | |
| Length | 5:10 | |
| Label | RCA | |
| Writer(s) | John Denver/Dick Kniss/Mike Taylor | |
| Producer(s) | Milt Okun | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| John Denver singles chronology | ||
| "Rocky Mountain High" (1973) |
"Sunshine On My Shoulders" (1973) |
"Annie's Song" (1974) |
"Sunshine on My Shoulders" is a song recorded and mostly written by singer/songwriter John Denver. It was released as a single in 1973 and went to number one in the U.S.
A television movie using the song as a theme was shown on NBC during the 1974-75 season. Starring Cliff DeYoung and Elizabeth Cheshire, it told the story of a widower raising his daughter. The mother, who died from cancer loved the song. High ratings prompted a TV series dubbed just Sunshine which ran for three months.
The song inspired an illustrated children's book by Christopher Canyon.
[edit] Song History
Denver described how he wrote "Sunshine on My Shoulders" for Seventeen Magazine: "I was so down and wanted to write a feeling-blue song. This is what came out. That's how I feel. It's a reflection of my own lifestyle."
It was originally the B-side of one of his earlier songs, "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy." As the Vietnam War came to an end, the song took on a new significance and began to receive airplay on adult contemporary radio stations. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety on January 26, 1974 and moved into the number one spot nine weeks later.
| Preceded by "Dark Lady" by Cher |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single March 30, 1974 |
Succeeded by "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede |
