Sunny Came Home

"Sunny Came Home" is a folk-rock song by American musician Shawn Colvin. It is the theme song to her 1996 concept album A Few Small Repairs, and it was released as a CD single on June 24, 1997.

"Sunny Came Home"
Single by Shawn Colvin
from the album A Few Small Repairs
ReleasedJune 24, 1997 (1997-06-24)
FormatCD
Recorded1996 Shelter Island
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length4:24
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Leventhal
Shawn Colvin singles chronology
"Get Out of This House"
(1996)		 "Sunny Came Home"
(1997)		 "You and The Mona Lisa"
(1997)

"Sunny Came Home" was a commercial success, reaching number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three in Canada. The song was also a critical smash, winning both Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year and was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Background and composition

The song tells the story of a woman named Sunny who burns down her house to escape her past.[2] It is one of several "story songs" on A Few Small Repairs, a method of songwriting Colvin began experimenting with while writing for the album. The title of the song comes from the opening lyrics.

The song's bright, calm and warming music, fronted by a distinctive mandolin strum, contrasts very sharply with the destructive lyrics, particularly the haunting bridge: "Get the kids and bring a sweater; dry is good, and wind is better. Count the years; you always knew it / Strike a match; go on and do it".[3] The title of the album, A Few Small Repairs, also appears in the third line of the second verse of the song, "'It's time for a few small repairs,' she said."

"Sunny Came Home" is written in the key of B minor in common time with a tempo of 84 beats per minute.[4] Colvin's vocals span from F♯3 to B4 in the song.[5]

Track listing
  1. "Sunny Came Home" (Colvin, John Leventhal) (4:24)
  2. "What I Get Paid For" (Colvin, Neil Finn) (3:23)

Chart performance

"Sunny Came Home" is Colvin's biggest hit. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks.[6][7] Colvin's record label did not plan to release the track as a retail single until it became an airplay favorite on contemporary hit radio as well as adult contemporary and adult alternative radio stations. "Sunny Came Home" also became a major hit in Canada, reaching number three on the RPM Top Singles chart for two weeks and peaking atop the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks.[8][9] Outside North America, the song became a moderate hit, peaking at number 29 in the United Kingdom, number 44 in Australia and number 90 in Germany.[10][11][12]

Awards

At the 1998 Grammy Awards, it was named Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The Grammy Awards presentation was the occasion for an interruption by rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard protesting Puff Daddy beating his group, Wu-Tang Clan, for Best Rap Album that year, saying "Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. You know what I mean?", while Colvin was about to receive her award.[13]

Charts

See also

References
  1. "Here is a List of Every GRAMMYs Song of the Year Winner Ever". CBS Interactive. February 9, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  2. "Bio." Shawn Colvin. Accessed April 17, 2010.
  3. Colvin, Shawn, and Leventhal, John. Lyrics. "Sunny Came Home". A Few Small Repairs. CD. Columbia. 1996.
  4. BPMDatabase.com. "BPM Database - Search". www.bpmdatabase.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  5. Leventhal, John. "Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home" Sheet Music in B Minor (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  6. "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  7. "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3259." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  9. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3303." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  11. "Australian-charts.com – Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  13. "Grammy Gold - The Bastard Interrupts the Show". Time. February 28, 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  14. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.6. '97 – 11.6. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 6, 1997. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  16. "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  17. "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  18. "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  19. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  20. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  21. "Billboard Top 100 – 1997". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
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