Sunshine (Jonathan Edwards song)
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| “Sunshine” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Jonathan Edwards from the album Jonathan Edwards |
||
| Released | November, 1971 | |
| Format | Single | |
| Recorded | 1971 | |
| Genre | Country folk, Pop | |
| Length | 2:16 | |
| Label | Capricorn Records | |
| Producer | Peter Casperson | |
| Certification | Gold | |
"Sunshine" is a country folk war protest song from 1971 by Jonathan Edwards, released as the first single from his debut album Jonathan Edwards. The single reached Billboard #4[1] and earned a gold record.[2]
Like many catchy hits, Sunshine was not even 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 Jonathan Edwards, Sunshine was used to fill the hole.[2]
It was released as a single and the positive energy and message of the song seemed just what the nation needed at that moment. Sunshine caught fire first on Boston radio, then nationwide, hitting #4 on the Billboard pop chart on January 15, 1972[1] and earning a gold record.[2] Here's Edwards' take on its success: "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]
A cover of Sunshine was released by 18-year-old pop-folk artist Josh Thompson on April 22, 2007.[3] The new version, featuring vocals by Jonathan Edwards, reached #29 on the Radio & Records' Hot A/C Indicator chart.[4] Jonathan Edwards recorded and released a bluegrass version of "Sunshine" (along with an entire album) with the band "The Seldom Scene."
Susanna Hoff of the Bangles recorded a version of the song for her first solo album "When You're A Boy" in 1991, but the cut did not get chosen for the final pressing.
In July 2007, the original Jonathan Edwards recording joined the list of 60s 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.[5]
