"
Sunny" is the name of a song written by
Bobby Hebb. It is one of the most
covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released.
BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century."
Hebb wrote the song after November 22, 1963, the day U.S. President
John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Hebb's older brother Harold was murdered after a stabbing outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and many critics say that those events inspired the tune. According to Hebb, he wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a
"sunny" disposition over a
"lousy" disposition.
[1] Events influenced Hebb's songwriting, but his melody, crossing over into R&B (#3 on
U.S. R&B chart) Country and Pop (#2 on
U.S. Pop chart), together with the optimistic lyrics, came from the artist's desire to express that one should always "look at the bright side" - a direct quote from the author. Hebb has said about "Sunny":
"All my intentions were just to think of happier times – basically looking for a brighter day – because times were at a low tide. After I wrote it, I thought "Sunny" just might be a different approach to what
Johnny Bragg was talking about in 'Just Walkin' in the Rain.'"
"Sunny" was originally part of an 18-song demo recorded by producer Jerry Ross, also famous for
Spanky and Our Gang,
Keith's "98.6" and
Jay and the Techniques (Hebb was the first artist to cover "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie", but didn't want to be considered a novelty act and let the song go to Jay Proctor). "Sunny" was first recorded in Japan by
Mieko "Miko" Hirota – the "Connie Francis of Japan", where it was said
[by whom?] to have done well on the charts. In America it was released by marimbaphonist
Dave Pike on Atlantic Records in 1966 on the
Jazz for the Jet Set album, well before Philips released Hebb's 45 version produced by Ross and arranged by
Joe Renzetti. This information was made public – as well as sounds from the first two versions of "Sunny" – on the BBC's
Songlines program in early 2006.
"Sunny" was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City and released as a single in
1966. It met an immediate success, which resulted in Hebb touring in 1966 with
The Beatles.
Hebb also had a minor hit on Billboard's R&B chart with a 1975 updated disco reworking of the song, entitled "
Sunny '76".
[edit] Boney M. version
"
Sunny" is a cover version of Bobby Hebb's 1966 hit, recorded by German euro disco group
Boney M., produced by Frank Farian and arranged by Stefan Klinkhammer in an euro disco arrangement. It was taken from their 1976 debut album
Take the Heat Off Me, following their breakthrough single "
Daddy Cool" and was another major hit single that topped the German charts. It has been remixed in 1988 and 1999 (it was a minor hit single early 2000) and was sampled by
Boogie Pimps for their 2004 version. While
Liz Mitchell sang the original lead vocals on Boney M.'s version, original member
Maizie Williams recorded a solo version in 2006.
The song is featured in the film "
Boogie Nights" (1997).
The single was backed by a non-album track "New York City," a reworked version of Farian artist
Gilla's 1976 hit single "Tu es!" / "Why Don't You Do It" with an intro borrowed from the album track "Help Help," issued only in some territories instead of "Baby Do You Wanna Bump."
[edit] 2000 remix
The final single from Boney M.'s remix album
20th Century Hits which peaked at #80 in the Swiss charts. The CD single was released with 8 mixes. A "London Mix" was released on the promotional double-12" single.
[edit] Mousse T. remix
A download-only single from the group's 2006 compilation
The Magic of Boney M.
- "Sunny" (Mousse T. Radio Mix) - 3:21
- "Sunny" (Mousse T. Sexy Disco Radio Mix) - 3:27
- "Sunny" (Mousse T. Extended Radio Mix) - 4:17
- "Sunny" (Mousse T. Sexy Disco Club Mix) - 5:48
[edit] Other cover versions
- Many other artists have recorded versions of the song. Georgie Fame's and Cher's issues both charted in the UK Top 75 in 1966. Other covering artists include Public Enemies, Richard Anthony, James Brown and Marva Whitney, Wes Montgomery, Robert Mitchum, the Classics IV, the Electric Flag, Jose Feliciano, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Earl Grant, Mary Wells, Paul Carrack,David Clayton-Thomas, Jamiroquai, Stanley Jordan, Marion Rung, Mina, Jimmy Smith, Johnny Mathis, Les McCann, Chris Montez, The Head Shop, Leonard Nimoy, Wilson Pickett, Buddy Richard, Del Shannon, Nick Cave, Oscar Peterson with Joe Pass and Ray Brown, Dusty Springfield, Helge Schneider, War, Ajico, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Twinset featuring Barnaby Weir, Terrorgruppe and The Walker Brothers.
- Frank Sinatra covered "Sunny" with Duke Ellington on their collaborative album, Francis A. & Edward K..
- Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass made an instrumental version of "Sunny" on the LP album "The Brass Are Comin'" launched in 1969 (A & M SP 4228).
- Cris Barber recorded a version of the song on her 2008 album This Moment to Be Free.
- Christophe Willem covered the song in 2006 (#3 in France, #9 in Belgium (Wallonia), #17 in Switzerland).[2]
- Mark Ronson did a live cover with Candie Payne at the Electric Proms
- Saxophonist Stanley Turrentine also covered the song on his album "The Spoiler."
- Guitarist Pat Martino covered the song in 1972 on his first live album.
- Arranger Pino Presti covered the song in 1976 on his album 1st Round (Atlantic Records T50274)
- Mexican ska band Panteon Rococo covered this song and renamed it "Sonia"
- Japanese Jazz-Fusion Guitarists Issei Noro of Casiopea, Masahiro Andoh of T-Square and Hirokuni Korekata of KORENOS, covered this song with their Supergroup, Ottottrio, on their 1998 Album, "Triptych".
- Justin Guarini performed this song in the Top 8 round of American Idol Season 1.
- Andreas Weise performed this song on his first audition of Swedish Idol Season 7.
- Popular Japanese band Ulfuls have a Japanese version called "Yonin".
- Duo Diva Fever performed the song during the seventh season of The X Factor.
- The song has also been covered by Sunny, a Korean singer from the popular girl group Girls' Generation in their first Asia Tour.
- The Chopsticks (a Hong Kong female duo, made up of Sandra Lang (仙杜拉) & Amina (亞美娜)), covered this as a medley song with "Chain Of Fools"、"Gimme Little Sign" & "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" on their 1971 LP 《All Of A Sudden》issue.
- An instrumental version of the song has been recorded by Booker T. and the M.G.'s and another by Manfred Mann on their 1966 EP Instrumental Assassination.
- Mexican superstar Luis Miguel recorded the song in spanish for his 1987 album Soy Como Quiero Ser.
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