Sunny

"Sunny"
Single by Cher
from the album Cher
B-side	"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
Released	1966
Format	7" single
Genre	Pop, folk
Length	3:12
Label	Imperial Records
Writer(s)	Bobby Hebb
Producer	Sonny Bono
Cher singles chronology

"Sunny"
Single by Public Enemies
from the album Sunny
Released	August 25, 1966
Format	7" single
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	3.30
Label	Sonet Records
Writer(s)	Bobby Hebb
Public Enemies singles chronology

"Sunny"
Single by Boney M.
from the album Take The Heat Off Me
Released	November 22, 1976
Format	7" single
Genre	Pop, Europop, Euro disco
Length	4.01
Label	Hansa Records Atlantic Records Atco Records
Writer(s)	Bobby Hebb
Producer	Frank Farian
Boney M. singles chronology

"Sunny (Remix)"
Single by Boney M.
from the album 20th Century Hits
Released	February 7, 2000
Format	CD single, 12" single
Genre	Pop/Europop/Euro disco
Label	BMG Records (FRG)
Writer(s)	Bobby Hebb
Producer	Frank Farian
Boney M. singles chronology

"Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)"
Single by Boney M.
from the album The Magic of Boney M.
Released	November 2006
Format	Digital download
Genre	Pop/Europop/Euro disco
Producer	Frank Farian
Boney M. singles chronology

"Sunny" is 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."[1]

Hebb's parents, William and Ovalla Hebb, were both blind musicians. Hebb and his older brother Harold performed as a song-and-dance duo in Nashville, beginning when Bobby was three and Harold was nine. Hebb performed on a TV show hosted by country music record producer Owen Bradley.

Hebb wrote the song in the 48 hours following a double tragedy on November 22, 1963, the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Hebb's older brother Harold was stabbed to death outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and many critics say that those events & critically the loss of his older brother inspired the lyrics & tune. According to Hebb, he merely wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a "sunny" disposition over a "lousy" disposition following the murder of his brother.[2] 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 to think of happier times & pay tribute to my brother – basically looking for a brighter day – because times were at a low. 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".

Boney M. version

"Sunny" is a disco 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 a 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."

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.

Mousse T. remix

A download-only single from the group's 2006 compilation The Magic of Boney M.

• "Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)" (digital download, Sony BMG)

1. "Sunny" (Mousse T. Radio Mix) - 3:21
2. "Sunny" (Mousse T. Sexy Disco Radio Mix) - 3:27
3. "Sunny" (Mousse T. Extended Radio Mix) - 4:17
4. "Sunny" (Mousse T. Sexy Disco Club Mix) - 5:48

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, Los york's, 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.
• Chilean singer Buddy Richard recorded the song in Spanish in 1964 with the title "Cielo" (a way to say "darling" or "honey" in that country).
• Luis Miguel recorded the song in Spanish for his 1987 album Soy Como Quiero Ser.
• 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).
• Yambu recorded a 12" inch extended play disco version of Sunny released in 1975. That version of the song is used in the Stephen Chow movie, CJ7.
• 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).[3]
• 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 rock group Los Yaki covered this song and renamed it "Sonia", it was later performed by the ska band Panteon Rococo
• 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.
• A previously unreleased version by the 1970s British vocal group Design was included on their 2012 CD One Sunny Day: Singles and Rarities 1968-1978.

Charts

Cher version

1976 Boney M. version

References

1. ^ [1] Rerieved 04-22-13
2. ^ Nashville Scene article, "One So True" Retrieved 09-21-11
3. ^ "Sunny", by C.Willem, in French, Belgian (Wallonia) and Swiss Singles Charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 29, 2008)
4. ^ Norvegian Singles Chart [2]. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
5. ^ "Sunny" in UK Singles Chart [3] . Retrieved October 31, 2010.

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics