DC’s Vinyl Countdown: 5 Great Sunshine Songs

Wouldn’t it be fun to spotlight 5 great songs each week, connected by a particular theme?  Looking out the window on this sunny weekend, how about some quick stories about 5 fabulous sunshine songs:

5.  “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves (1986):   First recorded in 1983, this British-American band brought it to the US in the summer of 1985…and it was everywhere!  First the radio, then commercials, and a very memorable scene in the 1989 John Travolta movie “Look Who’s Talking.”  It was supposed to be sung as a ballad, but Katrina decided to “belt it out,” and boy, did she!  Dolly Parton even recorded a bluegrass version in 1996.  But it’s this original version that I still want to crank up every summer, windows down, of course. “I’m walkin’ on sunshine…and don’t it feel good!”

4. “Here Comes the Sun” by George Harrison (1969):  Call it poetic justice. This is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify.  The classic song from “Abbey Road” was never even released as a single, but someone must like it: it is considered one of the five most popular Beatles songs ever. (The others are “Yesterday,” “Come Together,” “Let it Be,” and “I want to Hold Your Hand.”)

Not bad for “the quiet Beatle,” who I’m often reminded, is my wife’s favorite.  I chose this particular live performance for one reason.  Look at the smile on George’s face when the audience recognizes the first few notes of his sunshine song.  Priceless!

3.  “Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow (2002):  The lyrics aren’t really that cheerful if you listen closely, but who cares?  From the moment this song hit the airwaves in the summer of ’02, it’s been accompanied by short shorts, burgers on the grill, and ironically, lots of sunscreen.  So just like Sheryl, I think I’ll soak up the sun, and tell everyone to lighten up.

2.  “Sunshine On My Shoulders” by John Denver (1973):  This is one of those “accidental” hit songs that wasn’t even supposed to be released as a single.  John wrote it in the spring of 1971 in Minnesota.  John said, “It was a dreary day, gray and slushy. The snow was melting and it was too cold to go outside and have fun. 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.” If you’re like me, you probably thought Colorado sunshine inspired this song, right? He recorded it, and nothing happened for almost three years, until it was issued as a B-side of a record, and everyone agreed it was better than the A-side (“I’d Rather Be A Cowboy”). So, oddly enough, it hit #1 on the charts in chilly February 1974.  I guess by then, in the heart of Watergate and gas shortages, we all yearned for sunshine on our shoulders.  As John sings, it makes us happy.

1.  “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash (1972)  This is the original version, sung by the guy who wrote it.  As you’ll see in the video below, he sings it beautifully too, with a hint of reggae.  Just listen at 1:35 in the song, as he holds that highest note for about fifteen seconds, with none of the digital trickery employed today.  I actually prefer Jimmy Cliff’s sound-alike 1994 video from the movie “Cool Runnings,” but some corporate entity has taken it down, thus taking away my sunshine.  No worries, though.  Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies…

Thanks for reading, and watching and listening to the songs.  I love sharing great songs from the past few decades.  If you’d like to read more of these posts, or if you have some ideas on some fun categories, let me know.  We’ll call it DC’s Vinyl Countdown.