| "Sunshine on My Shoulders" | ||||
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| Single by John Denver | ||||
| from the album Poems, Prayers & Promises | ||||
| Released | 1973 | |||
| Format | vinyl record | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 5:10 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Writer(s) | John Denver/Dick Kniss/Mike Taylor | |||
| Producer | Milt Okun | |||
| John Denver singles chronology | ||||
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"Sunshine on My Shoulders" is the title of a song recorded and co-written by American singer/songwriter John Denver. It was released as a single in 1973 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. in early 1974.
A television movie titled "Sunshine", shown on NBC in 1973, used the song as a theme. The movie starred Cliff DeYoung and Cristina Raines. It told the story of a young mother in love and dying. High ratings prompted a TV series (dubbed just Sunshine) which ran for three months during the summer of 1974. The short-lived series began where the movie left off with the young widowed father (Cliff DeYoung) raising his stepdaughter (Elizabeth Cheshire).
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Song history
Denver described how he wrote "Sunshine on My Shoulders": "I wrote the song in Minnesota at the time I call 'late winter, early spring'. It was a dreary day, gray and slushy. The snow was melting and it was too cold to go outside and have fun, but God, you're ready for spring. 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. And in that very melancholy frame of mind I wrote "Sunshine On My Shoulders."
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 90 on January 26, 1974 and moved into the number one spot nine weeks later, remaining at #1 for one week. The song also topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks in 1974.
In popular culture
The song inspired an illustrated children's book by Christopher Canyon.
The song was covered by Canadian singer/songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen on her debut album.when?
The song is briefly heard in a Raisin Bran commercial.
Chart performance
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 42 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 2 |
References
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996
| Preceded by "Dark Lady" by Cher |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single March 30, 1974 |
Succeeded by "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede |