When music and songs are ranked, the tendency is to focus on those that hit #1 on the charts. The fact is, there are many songs that never hit that top rung, yet were very significant in the history of music. In fact, over time, some of the hits that did not make #1 became classics and some of the #1 hits faded into obscurity. There are many examples of that.
One that comes to mind for me, as I was working in radio at the time, is the song "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb. It never made it beyond #2 on the charts, but it ended up being one of the biggest songs of the year 1966. Actually, it did better than that. BMI lists it as #25 in the top songs of the 20th Century.
Bobby Hebb was born in Nashville, TN and was successful as both a singer and a songwriter. Bobby wrote Sunny when he was looking for some optimism in his life. He was feeling down after the death of his brother, in a fight, and the assassination of JFK. The two events happened in close proximity to one another. Sunny was his effort to boost his spirits and to create a brighter day not only for himself but for others. A few years later, the song was recorded, it charted, and Hebb's hit became a classic.
If you were around in the 1960's, you know that Sunny was a smash. It is high in the music rotation at oldies stations even today. Sunny has been covered by legends of music, from Sinatra to Cher to Duke Ellington. Based on the power of Sunny, Hebb was selected to open for the Beatles on one of their US tours.
This song and voice will be familiar to you, but you probably never saw Bobby Hebb perform before. Although this classic song peaked at #2, it has since gone on to be one of the most popular and important songs of the rock n' roll era.
Enjoy this video of Bobby Hebb. He only had one big hit, but it has stood the test of time and will live on. Forty years passed in the blink of an eye.
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4 Comments on Stories Behind the Music -- Thanks Sunny
NOV
16
2008
Steve, that's another good history and a good song. Why do you think he was sitting down for the whole song? With a complete band behind him, as it appeared, it's unnatural for him to just sit there!
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Steve, that's another good history and a good song. Why do you think he was sitting down for the whole song? With a complete band behind him, as it appeared, it's unnatural for him to just sit there!