"Sunny Came Home"
US and Australian CD artwork
Single by Shawn Colvin
from the album A Few Small Repairs
B-side"What I Get Paid For"
ReleasedJune 24, 1997 (1997-06-24)
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)
Music video
"Shawn Colvin - Sunny Came Home" on YouTube

"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 originally released in July 1997 but did not chart until a re-release in May 1998.

"Sunny Came Home" was a commercial success, reaching number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 to become Colvin's first entry and first top-10 single on the chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number three, while in Iceland, it reached number 20. The song was also a critical success, 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

It was the last song to be written, or for me to put lyrics to, on that record. I had already chosen the cover of the record, which was a painting by a dear friend of mine, Julie Speed. And there’s a woman, obviously, with a match. A lit match, and what appears to be a huge fire in the background ― in the far, far, background ― and I thought, why don’t you write a story about her?

Shawn Colvin, in an interview about the song[2]

Shawn Colvin was inspired to write the lyrics of "Sunny Came Home" by the painting she had chosen for the album cover, which shows a woman with a lit match in her hand.[2] The song 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.[3] Colvin's vocals span from F♯3 to B4 in the song.[4]

Chart performance

"Sunny Came Home" is Colvin's only hit, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks.[5][6] 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.[7][8] 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.[9][10][11]

Awards

At the 1998 Grammy Awards, it was named Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard interrupted the Grammy Awards presentation by 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.[12]

Track listings

All songs were written by Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal unless otherwise noted.

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States February 4, 1997 Contemporary hit radio Columbia [32]
June 24, 1997
  • CD
  • cassette
 [33][34]
United Kingdom July 28, 1997
  • CD1
  • cassette
 [35]
August 4, 1997 CD2 [36]
United Kingdom (re-release) May 18, 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 [37]

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. 1 2 Crum, Maddie (September 28, 2016). "'Sunny Came Home' Singer Shawn Colvin Explains Her '90s Anthem". HuffPost. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ BPMDatabase.com. "BPM Database – Search". www.bpmdatabase.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ Leventhal, John (January 6, 2014). "Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home" Sheet Music in B Minor (transposable) – Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Shawn Colvin Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3259." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3303." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. 1 2 "Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Grammy Gold – The Bastard Interrupts the Show". Time. February 28, 2009. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  13. ↑ Sunny Came Home (US CD single liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 38K 78528.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ Sunny Came Home (US cassette single sleeve). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 38T 78528.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ↑ Sunny Came Home (UK CD1 liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 664802 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ↑ Sunny Came Home (UK CD2 liner notes). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 664802 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ↑ Sunny Came Home (UK cassette single sleeve). Shawn Colvin. Columbia Records. 1997. 664802 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: 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.{{cite AV media notes}}: 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.{{cite AV media notes}}: 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". Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  28. ↑ "The Year in Music 1997: Hot Adult Contemporary Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-82. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  29. ↑ "The Year in Music 1997: Hot Adult Top 40 Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-83. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Best of '97: Top 40/Mainstream Singles". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 38.
  31. ↑ "Best of '97: Triple A Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 28.
  32. ↑ "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1182. January 31, 1997. p. 38. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Sunny Came Home / What I Get Paid for". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Sunny Came Home". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  35. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 26, 1997. p. 29.
  36. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 2, 1997. p. 27. The source mislabels the second CD (664802 5) as a 12-inch vinyl.
  37. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 16, 1998. p. 35. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
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