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Bring Me Sunshine
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Wikipedia article
"'Bring Me Sunshine'" is a song written in 1966 by the composer Arthur Kent, with lyrics by Sylvia Dee.Derek B. Scott, 'Sounds of the metropolis: the nineteenth-century popular music revolution in London, New York, Paris, and Vienna', Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2008, , , 304 pages ([https://books.google.com/books?id=mV47XZvVOrAC&lpg=PA7&dq=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20%22Arthur%20Kent%22%20%22Sylvia%20Dee%22&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20%22Arthur%20Kent%22%20%22Sylvia%20Dee%22&f=false page 7]) It was first recorded by The Mills Brothers in 1968, on their album 'My Shy Violet'.[https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/397271/versions "Bring Me Sunshine", 'SecondhandSongs.com']. Retrieved 29 April 2019 In the UK, the song is associated with the popular comedy duo Morecambe & Wise, after it was adopted as their signature tune in their second series for the BBC in 1969.Gary Morecambe, 'Youll Miss Me When Im Gone: The Life and Work of Eric Morecambe', Publisher HarperCollins UK, 2009, , , 256 pages ([https://books.google.com/books?id=wERoYObxx-4C&lpg=PT105&dq=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20%20Morecambe%20%26%20Wise.&pg=PT115#v=onepage&q=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22&f=falsee page])
Musical influences
Professor of Critical Musicology at the University of Leeds, Prof Derek B Scott,"[http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/staff/ds/ Prof Derek B Scott]", Professor of Critical Musicology, Leeds University, home page. argues that the song is influenced by the Viennese popular style. He writes:
Morecambe & Wise version
in their classic "skip dance" pose, performed to "Bring Me Sunshine"
Skip-dance
Although the second verse was often performed by an orchestra conducted by Peter Knight over the duo's closing credits, they only ever sang the first verse, the second one being purely instrumental, with Eric and Ernie performing a "skip dance" to exit the stage. The dance has been attributed to BBC producer, John Ammonds,"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21606463 Been and gone: The man behind Eric and Ernie, and the First Dog]", BBC News website, retrieved 2 March 2013 and Eric's son Gary recalls that the inspiration for the skip-dance came from a Groucho Marx film sequence.Gary Morecambe, 'Youll Miss Me When Im Gone: The Life and Work of Eric Morecambe', Publisher HarperCollins UK, 2009, , , 256 pages ([https://books.google.com/books?id=wERoYObxx-4C&lpg=PT105&dq=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20%20Morecambe%20%26%20Wise.&pg=PT105#v=onepage&q=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22&f=false page])Morecambe & Wise tributes
When Eric Morecambe died in 1984 so closely associated were the pair with the song that it was the title of the Bring Me Sunshine tribute show at the London Palladium held in his memory. Ten years later, the BBC ran another 3-part tribute, also titled Bring Me Sunshine.Lyrics to the song were also read at Morecambe's funeral by Ernie Wise.Ernie Wise , Robert Sellers, James Hogg, 'Little Ern!', Publisher Pan Macmillan, 2011, , , 352 pages ([https://books.google.com/books?id=YD_Gvc5aAGYC&lpg=PT223&dq=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20%20Morecambe%20%26%20Wise.&pg=PT223#v=onepage&q=Bring%20Me%20Sunshine&f=false page]) Wise went on to declare it his favourite song during his appearance on the BBC radio programme, Desert Island Discs in Oct 1990."[https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/7dc10881#p0093zvy Ernie Wise]", Desert Island Discs, Sun 21 October 1990 On the same programme three months later, the song was also a choice of jazz singer Adelaide Hall,"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/24a1c73a#p0093zlq Adelaide Hall]", Desert Island Discs, Sun 13 January 1991 and has since been the choice of several other guests including Dawn French"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pf6dx"], Desert Island Discs, Sun 23 Dec 2012 and Rankin."[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r09sy]", Desert Island Discs, Sun 3 March 2013 It has also been used for the title of several books about the pair.
When Morecambe & Wise defected from the BBC to Thames Television in 1978, directly after their record-breaking Christmas Special the previous year, the signature tune was dropped. It was however used in later instalments of these shows.
BBC promotional clip
In 2011, the BBC used the song in a promotional clip for the 75th anniversary of its main channel, beginning with the familiar opening shot of Morecambe & Wise before leading into a montage of other famous moments from the channel's history, most of which were edited so as to lip-sync with the song."[https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00gsk2m/comedy_clips_bring_me_sunshine/ Bring Me Sunshine] ", BBC comedy clip, at the BBC website, retrieved 11 December 2011.Morecambe FC
Morecambe Football Club often plays the song both prior to and after their games, whilst the club's fans have adopted the song as the "official anthem".Willie Nelson version
The 30 November 1968 edition of Billboard magazine predicted that Willie Nelson's version of "Bring Me Sunshine" (produced by Chet Atkins and Felton Jarvis), would reach the Top 20 in the Country Single Charts,'Billboard', 30 November 1968, ([https://books.google.com/books?id=G0UEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=RA1-PA92&dq=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20kent&pg=RA1-PA92#v=onepage&q=%22Bring%20Me%20Sunshine%22%20kent&f=false page 92]) eventually reaching #13 in 1969. It was included in 1974 on the budget compilation album, 'Spotlight on Willie Nelson'. A different mix appears on Nelson's 2009 album 'Naked Willie'; this version is featured in the closing credits of the 2010 film 'The Crazies'. In 2013, Willie Nelson's version was used as the theme to ITV sitcom 'The Job Lot'.
Other recordings
The song has also been recorded by:
*1969 Brenda Lee, on her album, 'Johnny One Time'."[http://www.brendalee.co.uk/albumdetails/johnnyonetimedetails.htm Johnny One Time]" album details at Brenda Lee website, retrieved 11 December 2011"[http://www.allmusic.com/album/johnny-one-time-r62482 Johnny One Time - Brenda Lee]" at AllMusic.com
*1969 Jack Greene, on his album, 'Statue of a Fool'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/statue-of-a-fool-r498733 Jack Greene - Statue of a Fool]" at AllMusic.com
*1970 Chet Atkins, on his album, 'Yestergroovin'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/yestergroovin-r105354 Yestergroovin' - Chet Aktins]" at AllMusic.com
*1971 Liz Damon's Orient Express, on their eponymous album."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/liz-damons-orient-express-white-whale-r569497 Liz Damon's Orient Express]" at AllMusic.com
*1974 Willie Nelson, on his album, 'Spotlight on Willie Nelson'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/spotlight-on-willie-nelson-r107918 Spotlight on Willie Nelson]" at AllMusic.com
*1978 Mickey Gilley, on his album, 'Mickey at Gilleys'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/mickey-at-gilleys-r106571 Mickey Gilley - Mickey at Gilleys]" at AllMusic.com
*1999 Cliff Adams Singers, on their album, 'Sing Something Simple Collection: Sentimental Journey'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/sing-something-simple-collection-sentimental-journey-r879453 Sentimental Journey - Cliff Adams Singers]" at AllMusic.com
*2003 Mrs Mills (Gladys Mills), on her album, 'The Very Best of Mrs. Mills'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/very-best-of-mrs-mills-r904021 The Very Best of Mrs. Mills]" at AllMusic.com
*2006 Richard Shelton, on his album, 'Top Cat'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/top-cat-r866525 Top Cat - Richard Shelton]" at AllMusic.com
*2010 Foster & Allen, on their album of the same name, which peaked at number 14 in March 2011 in the New Zealand charts."[http://acharts.us/album/62224 Bring Me Sunshine]", Foster & Allen, at aChart.us
*2011 Oleg Frish with Patrick Williams & His Big Band, on the album, 'Bring Me Sunshine'."[http://www.allmusic.com/album/bring-me-sunshine-r2168879 Bring Me Sunshine - Patrick Williams & His Big Band]" at AllMusic.com
*2012 The Jive Aces on their album 'King of the Swingers: A Salute to Louis Prima'
*2014 Violetta Zironi for the TV commercial of the popular Italian brand of cookies Pavesini.
*2017 Michael Ball & Alfie Boe with the Rays of Sunshine Children's Choir & Friends to raise money for the Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity
*Ken Bruce and his then travel reporter Lynn Bowles recorded a version for charity.
*Local singer Ashleigh Wood recorded a version for her album My Journey as homage to the town of Morecambe.
References
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