Let The Sunshine In, Rich Paschall
Now that Spring has officially arrived, we are thinking more about enjoying the sun. You may have told someone that “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” or that you wanted to share the “Sunshine Of Your Love,” but you may be looking at this differently than we are. Of course, “There Ain’t No Sunshine When You’re Gone,” but “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying.”
If it remains cloudy where you are, don’t believe “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore.” Just keep telling yourself, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” and you will soon have your “Seasons In The Sun.” Just be sure to stay away from the “House Of The Rising Sun” and you will be fine.
So let me be your “Sunshine Superman” and offer my top 10 Sunshine Songs to brighten up the beginning of Spring:
10. You Are My Sunshine, The Pine Ridge Boys. This 1939 “standard” has been covered by so many artists it is hard to say where I heard it first. Originally performed as a country song, it has received a lot of musical treatments.
9. California Sun, The Rivieras. The 1961 song by Joe Jones became a big hit when The Rivieras covered it in 1964. The 1977 Ramones version also became a hit and showed up on various albums.
8. Walking On Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves. The 1985 hit was a consistent seller for the record company and pure gold for the artists who retained the publishing rights and songwriter royalties.
7. Soak Up The Sun, Sheryl Crow. It’s her only number one hit and you can probably sing along with the chorus. The 2002 release was written by Crow and Jeff Trott.
6. I’ll Follow The Sun, The Beatles. The Paul McCartney, John Lennon composition was written as early as 1960 but the Beatles hit was released in 1964 with lead vocals by McCartney.
5. We’ll Sing In The Sunshine, Gale Garnett. This happy pop tune was released in 1964 and won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1965. Yes, it was the era for Folk Rock.
4. Good Day Sunshine, The Beatles There was no plan to add multiple Beatles songs. I made up a list and then gave them a ranking. This 1966 Lennon, McCartney composition also has McCartney on lead vocals. Paul played piano on the track and later overdubbed his bass part. I could not find a Beatles performance, but Sir Paul can still bring it.
3. Let The Sun Shine In, The 5th Dimension. The recording by the 60’s pop group is actually a medley of two songs from the musical, Hair. It was at the top of the charts for 6 weeks in 1969. Opening with “Aquarius,” the sound was sometimes called “Psychedelic Pop.”
2. Sunshine On My Shoulders, John Denver. Co-written and recorded by Denver for his 1971 album Poems, Prayers & Promises, it was released as a single in 1973. By early 1974 it reached number 1. When the album came out, I recall singing this song over and over with a friend. I think our performance may have been fueled by adult beverages. It will always hold great memories from a youth well spent.
1. Here Comes The Sun, The Beatles This time it is a George Harrison composition that brings The Beatles back to the list. Recorded in 1969 for the Abbey Road album, it was never released as a single. Nevertheless, the track received critical acclaim and has been played and downloaded often.
Click on any title to go to the YouTube video, or let all of these songs shine down on you from the playlist here.
Categories: Music, Rich Paschall, Spring
Reblogged this on rjptalk and commented:
Since Spring has arrived, we knew you needed a little Sunshine music. Here are ten songs to get you going. Be sure to click on “View original post” at the bottom to head over to SERENDIPITY for our countdown.
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I think I really need a nice tropical vacation!
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Yes, me too. Air Canada is not allowed to fly anywhere tropical right now, not with passengers anyway. Of course, I am not allowed to fly the airline at this time so it doesn’t matter much.
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how wonderful loved the videos and music. Sad not to have one for You are the sunshine of my life. Nearly every night as my partner and I lay in bed (we both would read before we went to sleep) I would sing You are the sunshine of my life, thats why we’ll always be together..i couldnt recall all the words so would just sing that line a few times. lol
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I am sure there’s a video online for that one too.
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there is. 🙂 Your post made me feel so sunny and I looked it up and have listened and sung it numerous times since.lol thank You Rich
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I made a You tube playlist so you can sing along to all of them. Enjoy.
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wonderful
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May the sun shine upon you Rich.
Leslie 🙂
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Thanks, I hope it is shining there too.
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It was today but still pretty cold.
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We actually had snow this afternoon.
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There’s snow here today too. It won’t last…
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It is cold here again today, so we are keeping the snow awhile.
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This is the first snow since December and it isn’t a big deal. This has been the non-winter.
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We have a little snow left. The temperature was over freezing today and that got rid of most of it.
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Oh my word, what absolute FUN…Memories of my youth…
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Mine too.
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I have lost my “like” and can’t find it again. But consider yourself “Liked”!
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Rich, wonderful post for this day, this time in our collective lives.
I love “Sunshine on my Shoulders”. Yes, A John Denver fan. Also, Gail Garnett’s “We’ll Sing In The Sunshine”. Could burst into that in the blink of a second – maybe, maybe on key.
In Lutheran Summer Camp — many, many, many summers ago — Silver Bay (Upstate N.Y.), we used to sing, just before twilight, “You Are My Sunshine” — in a circle — the girls and boys — looking all gooey eyed at each other. Wonderful songs and cherished memories. Thanks so much, Rich.
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I am glad you like it. There were plenty of songs to choose from, but hard to rank.
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