Sunshine - Jonathan Edwards (1972) 11/21/21

Today's "Great Song of 1972" didn't "sound" like a protest song--it was rather bright and cheery--at least at first listen--but "Sunshine" by Jonathan Edwards was the real deal.

Of course, the message in the lyrics was a little more covert than most protest songs, but if you listen closely, you can hear what Jonathan was trying to say.

Or can you?

Some people believe it was an anti-war song; others thought it was anti-religion. Hmmm.

Jonathan himself refuses to pin it down. In a 2013 interview, he said,"I used to get letters from English classes and different science classes telling me about the deeper interpretations that they had come up with--the meaning of life, you name it. That was always entertaining. But what it has left me with is the wisdom to not answer the question, because everyone's interpretation is way more creative and interesting than my original impetus for the song."

TRIVIA: Jonathan had already finished another song for an album he was working on, but a studio engineer accidentally erased it! Jonathan decided not to re-record it, and recorded "Sunshine" instead!

The song was originally released as a single on Atco Records in 1971--and failed to make the charts.

But then a station in Boston stated playing it...and it became a hit in parts of New England. At that point, the song was re-released on a different label (Chrysalis)...and before long, it was a national hit in the US and Canada!

Chartwise, the numbers were #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #7 on the Easy Listening Chart. In the Great White North, the matching numbers were #3 and #11.

"Sunshine" by Jonathan Edwards: whatever it was protesting, it was a "Great Song of 1972!"