"Sunny"
(Bobby Hebb)
Intro:
(drum roll)
Verse 1 [bass only on first line]:
Em7 G9
Cmaj7
F#m7 B7
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Em7 G9
Cmaj7 F#m7
B7
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Em7
G9
Now the dark days are done and the bright days are near
Cmaj7
F9
My sunny one shines so sincere
F#m7 B7
Sunny, one so true
Em Em+5 Em6
Em7 (chord variants implied by vibes)
I love you
Verse 2:
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
Sunny, thank you for the love you brought my way
You gave to me your all and all
And now I feel ten feet tall
Sunny, one so true
Em C7
I love you
Verse 3:
Fm Ab7
Dbmaj7 Gm7 C7
Sunny, thank you for the truth you let me see
Fm Ab7
Dbmaj7 Gm7 C7
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z
Fm
Ab7
My life was torn like-a windblown sand, then
Dbmaj7
Gb9
A rock was formed when we held hands
Gm7 C7
Sunny, one so true
Fm C#7
I love you
Verse 4:
F#m A7
Dmaj7 G#m7
C#7
Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face
F#m A7
Dmaj7
G#m7 C#7
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows from
grace
F#m
A7
You're my spark of nature's fire
Dmaj7
G7
You're my sweet complete desire
G#m7 C#7
Sunny, one so true
F#m D7
I love you
[repeat verse 1, in Gm]:
Gm Bb7
Ebmaj7
Am7 D7
Sunny, yesterday all my life was filled with rain
Gm Bb7
Ebmaj7
Am7 D7
Sunny, you smiled at me and really really eased the
pain
Gm
Bb7
Now the dark days are done and the bright days are near
Ebmaj7
Ab9
My sunny one shines so sincere
Am7 D7
Sunny, one so true
Gm Cm D7
I love you
Coda [repeat to fade]:
AMG EXPERT REVIEW:
In 1990, the performing rights organization of composers BMI released a list of
the Top 50 most performed songs from their catalog.
Coming in at number 18 was Bobby Hebb's "Sunny." The song is such a staple on
oldies radio around the world, so ubiquitous that it slipped in before "The Girl
From Ipanema" and "(Sitting On) The Dock of the Bay." And yet, it is one of
those rare, infectious numbers that one rarely tires of hearing.
A number two hit from 1966, "Sunny" tiptoes in as a cool piece of soul, with
just bass and brushed drums accompanying the honey-voiced Hebb for the first
line: "Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain."
The restraint continues with vibes and muted staccato guitar chords join in for
the second verse: "Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain," remaining
in for the rest of the verse-refrain: "Oh, the dark days are done, and the
bright days are here/My sunny one shines so sincere/Oh, Sunny one so true, I
love you."
At this point, a drum fill propels the arrangement upward, abandoning the
brushes for a straight and punchy 4/4 backbeat, with horns entering the fray,
weaving harmonies under the vocals; the horn chart is a hook in and of itself.
The verse and refrain ends with an up-and-down four-note motif lifted from the
"James Bond Theme (Dr. No)."
And from there, the arrangement continues to build, with the drummer pounding
the snare on each quarter note and female backing vocals popping up during the
third verse. And the arrangement begins modulating up in key for the third and
each subsequent verse. About a minute and a half into the song, the bassist
seems to get thrown by the modulation, and stumbles again just after the
two-minute mark — a warts-and-all philosophy perhaps meant to preserve the
spirit of the overall ensemble performance. There are no other changes in the
song, just the increasing tension of the stacking arrangement.
Hebb has a classic soul singer's voice, somewhere in between those of Lou Rawls
and Rawls' former mentor, Sam Cooke.
With each rising verse, Hebb plays off the suspenseful arrangement. He plays it
cool for the first two or so verses, heating up a little more each modulation,
really letting go Otis Redding-style for the repeated first verse.
And then, the drummer nails a stop, and the song simmers down on a repeated call
and response between the backing vocals and Hebb: "(Sunny) I love you."
It is a perfect pop song, a two-minute-and-47-second, head-bopping slice of
gospel-inspired ebullience taken, like most '60s soul, almost straight from the
church.
By the end of the song, Hebb is clearly carried by the same spirit of joy that
runs through Sunday morning Baptist services, only he has transferred his
happiness to Sunny, who we assume is a woman.
But take a look at the lyrics: "Sunny, thank you for the truth you've let me
see/Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z/My life was torn like wind-blown
sand/Then a rock was formed when we held hands/Sunny, thank you for that smile
upon your face/Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace/You're my
spark of nature's fire."
One could easily substitute Jesus or God in for Sunny and "Sunny" becomes a
gospel song of praise sung by a man who "was lost but now is found." Perhaps the
meaning of the song would not change for a true believer, one whose religious
spirit is so complete that it courses through his or her entire existence; their
earthly relationships just extensions of the heavenly source of their joy.
Hebb; who at age 12 was invited to be one of the first African-American artists
to appear on The Grand Ole Opry; released the song on the 1966 LP of the same
name and experienced only a couple of more hits, but more or less vanished from
the charts. He is said to have written many more unheard gems.
On the success of "Sunny," though, Hebb scored an opening spot on tour with the
Beatles, and the song has long become a pop standard, with versions by Frank
Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, and jazz musicians like Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith.
Bill Janovitz