Significant Songs (182)

~ beetleypete

Sunny

With more and more companies using songs on TV advertisements, it feels as if it is reaching some sort of commercial epidemic. On the plus side, it often reminds me of a song I loved, or a time and place when I heard it.

One recent example has seen a UK loan company using an old favourite of mine for their advertising. I hate those sort of companies; the ones that prey on people who need small amounts of money for an emergency, and don’t have a decent enough credit rating to get a reasonable interest rate. This company has a current interest rate of 1,291%, which is just disgusting, and should be against the law. Here is an example of how some poor sap pays back almost twice as much, in just six months.
Borrow £200 for 6 months
Interest rate 292% pa (fixed)
6 repayments of £63.65
Total amount repayable £381.89
Representative 1291% APR

Anger makes me digress, so back to the music. In 1966, Bobby Hebb wrote and recorded his song, ‘Sunny’. This soulful ballad was easy on the ear, and almost everyone liked it. I was a teenager at the time, enjoying a summer of relative freedom, as I was now considered to be old enough to do my own thing, and to be left in the house when my parents went away. I bought the record, and played it over and over. It seemed to sum up just how I felt at the time, in under three minutes.

Since then, it has been covered hundreds of times, and achieved the status of being voted one of the top 100 Songs of The Century. Bobby Hebb continued to perform and record, but had limited success, never regaining the height of popularity he reached with this song. I never heard another song by him, and ‘Sunny’ remained a one-hit wonder, as far as I was concerned. He died in 2010, at the age of 72.

41 thoughts on “Significant Songs (182)”

  2. Hi Pete, I also remember Georgie Fame covering Sunny around the same time in 66.
    He did however have another minor ‘hit’ in 72 with Love Love Love! It peaked at 32 in August 72
    So just outside the ‘Top 30’ It did enjoy some success as a ‘Northern Soul’ track.too.
    The reason for all this knowledge, I bought it for my girlfriend at that time.
    The line “Love is the sound of laughter, a boy and girl make” Happy times 🙂
    Worth a listen Pete.
    Oh, on the flipside of Love love love……..Sunny!

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    1. Thanks for that extra info, Gordon. I recall Georgie Fame’s version. I had seen him with The Blue Flames a few times in London, including once at the Marquee, in Soho. I will track down the song you mention. I have quite a few Northern Soul compilations on CD, but don’t remember that one.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Hi Pete, it was not a Northern Soul ‘classic’ for sure. I was informed that it had been played!
        I was a late arrival to the NS party. It was in the early to mid 80’s and a guy I was working with opened my eyes, more importantly, my ears to the magic of NS.
        I had been, (still am) a huge fan of Motown/Soul from the early 60’s.
        Even when my (hippy) hair was down my back, frequently placing my hearing in grave danger at rock concerts and my flared ‘loons’ managed to sweep the pavements clean wherever I walked. (man!)
        Northern Soul was/is unique.
        Keep the Faith 🙂

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        3. They are all in the ‘Music’ category on the right hand menu. Unfortunately, you will have to scroll all the way down to ‘previous posts’, and keep going all the way to number one!
          It’s a mixed bag indeed!
          Sorry about that, Gordon. 🙂

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  3. gosh! I remember my older cousins listening to this-what is it about this song, that makes it “stick” with you always? Thank you Pete, I will sing it all day as I go about my chores, I am sure. Kind regards always, Michele

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