Sunny Came Home

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"Sunny Came Home"
Sunny Came Home.jpg
Single by Shawn Colvin
from the album A Few Small Repairs
ReleasedJune 24, 1997 (1997-06-24)
Recorded1996
StudioShelter 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" is a folk-rock song by American musician Shawn Colvin. It is the opening track on her 1996 concept album, A Few Small Repairs, and was released as a CD and cassette single on June 24, 1997. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on the same formats in May 1998.

"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, returning to her hometown from (presumably) imprisonment or institutionalization, who burns down the homes of her enemies ("Sunny came home with a list of names") to avenge past offenses, real or imagined ("Sunny came home with a vengeance.")[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. Colvin has referred to the song as a "murder ballad," indicating that at least one arson attack had a fatal outcome.

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 (with its chorus in D major) 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]

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.[citation needed] "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]

Track listings[]

Charts[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States June 24, 1997 (1997-06-24)
  • CD
  • cassette
 Columbia [28][29]
United Kingdom May 18, 1998 (1998-05-18) [30]

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 August 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Leventhal, John. "Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home" Sheet Music in B Minor (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3259." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3303." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Australian-charts.com – Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "Grammy Gold - The Bastard Interrupts the Show". Time. February 28, 2009. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  14. ^ Sunny Came Home (US CD single liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1996. 38K 78528.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Sunny Came Home (UK CD1 liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 664802 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Sunny Came Home (UK CD2 liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 664802 5.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Sunny Came Home (UK cassette single sleeve). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 664802 4.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Sunny Came Home (European CD single liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1996. COL 664778 1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Sunny Came Home (Australian CD single liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1996. 664699 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.6. '97 – 11.6. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 6, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  22. ^ "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  24. ^ "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  25. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Retrieved June 4, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  26. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Retrieved June 4, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  27. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1997". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  28. ^ "Sunny Came Home / What I Get Paid for". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  29. ^ "Sunny Came Home". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  30. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 16, 1998. p. 35. Retrieved July 1, 2021.

External links[]

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