John Denver was known for his heartfelt country-folk ballads, but one of his most famous songs failed twice before a 1973 tearjerker film turned it into a smash hit.
According to American Songwriter, Denver released "Sunshine on My Shoulders" three times before the song took off. The tune was first included on Denver's 1971 fourth studio album, Poems, Prayers & Promises, but was not released as a single.
In 1973, Denver gave the song a second chance with a rerelease. According to Billboard, a third release followed in January 1974, and by March, the tune reached number one.
However, the song seemed to gain its biggest momentum after being featured on the soundtrack of the 1973 television movie Sunshine. The CBS Friday Night film starred Cristina Rains and Cliff DeYoung and told the true story of a young mother, Jacquelyn M. Helton, documenting her cancer battle, reported Cinema Retro.
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Cinema Retro writes, "Sunshine stars former model turned actress Cristina Raines as Kate, a pregnant divorcee who meets Sam (Cliff De Young), a photographer/musician who has no real means of supporting her but manages to assuage her tantrums by singing John Denver songs to her."
Television movies were hugely popular in the 1970s because they offered audiences fresh, emotionally resonant stories that reflected the social issues of the time. Sunshine became so successful that it inspired an NBC series in 1975 and a follow-up Christmas movie in 1977.
'Sunshine on My Shoulders' became a signature John Denver hit
John Denver reached the pinnacle of success with the song "Sunshine on My Shoulders." However, the tune wasn't intended to be the uplifting hit it eventually became.
History cites a 1974 interview Denver did with Seventeen Magazine, where he explained the story behind the lyrics. “I was so down I wanted to write a feeling-blue song. [But] this is what came out.”
"Sunshine on My Shoulders" would become one of Denver's signature songs, in collaboration with Dick Kniss and Mike Taylor. Ironically, the song had a much longer version that was included on Poems, Prayers, & Promises. The original runs five minutes and ten seconds and contains a second verse that was cut out for the radio version.
John Denver released 26 albums before his death in October 1977. His final LP was called All Aboard! and released two months before his passing in August of that same year.
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