| "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 |
| Writer(s) | Jonathan Edwards |
| 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]
"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]
"Sunshine" was released as a single and caught fire first on Boston radio, then nationwide, hitting #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 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]
In 1980, Grammy-winning singer Juice Newton scored a Top-40 hit on the Billboard Country chart with her version of "Sunshine".
Susanna Hoffs (of the Bangles) recorded a version of the song for her first solo album in 1991, but the cut did not get chosen for the final pressing and remains unreleased.
A remake 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."
In July 2007, the original Jonathan Edwards recording joined the list of 1960s 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]
The Isley Brothers also cut a version of this song; it may be found on their 3 + 3 album.