Dear Dan, You Are My Sunshine was my Mom's song--her name was Sunny and that was our family's song for her. She passed away about a year ago at 95 and Dad passed a week before at 100. He was a bomber pilot in WWII, stationed in England with the Mighty Eighth. They were married for just short of 75 years and were the most romantic couple I knew. Thanks for the memories and the extraordinary singing from the Great British Home Chorus.
Once heard, I couldn't stop listening to it, over and over again. Until I was actually sitting straight up. singing it out loud myself, there in my own bed.
Healing, grateful tears were streaming down my face, at 2:00 in the morning.
There were times when my wife and I tried to boost the other's mood. Or, to simply show our love and affection for each other. We did this by singing this song. Sometimes I would take her in my arms and dance a slow dance while softly singing the song. I almost always felt melancholic or a deep sense of love or both when this happened. First dementia and then cancer took my sunshine away from me. Then, as now, I tear up when I hear or sing it. But, do I still like the song? Hell yes.
I had a black cat who passed away in 2014. He was very cuddly and during one of our cuddle sessions I had the inspiration to sing You Are My Sunshine as a lullaby to him. It was our love song. Whenever I hear it, I think fondly of him.
Thank goodness I only know the chorus. Crying! I sing this to my dog every day and sung it to all the dogs I have loved. But never to my kids or grandkids for some reason.
I sang in a world renown college choir (Centenary College
Choir) and after every concert, as we were changing out of gowns/tuxes and packing up, the men would sing You Are My Sunshine in 4-part harmony. Still one of my favorite memories. It made no difference what country or venue, we girls were serenaded.
On another note, I remember ten or more years ago when Gareth Malone leading his choruses was on television. My sister and I both immediately fell in love with him and the people in his choruses. We cried when learning of the death of one of the oldest members. The older people's chorus was particularly .moving when singing "Fix You.". I kept hopefully awaiting another season of the choruses, but alas it never came.
My sister passed away and I found myself 80 years old and I hadn't thought of this in years. Thank you for a reminder of a joyful time in my life.
She would sing it back to me with her own interesting variation. In her version, " you make me happy, when skies are gravy.". Whenever I hear this song, skies are always gravy.
This is the song that my beloved Daddee sings to himself, and I just love it so much (even though, yes the subsequent verses are dark). Will always remind of him, no matter what. My sister says the same.
As Willie Nelson is my dad's most favorite performer, I had hoped to be able to dance the father-daughter dance to his version with Leon Russell, but it proved a little too jaunty for our purposes :) so we went with another song. But in my mind, it was Willie's version of "You Are My Sunshine".
Thank you for the memories. It was my my sister’s wedding song decades ago. She wore a yellow tee over her wedding dress with “I am ‘HIS’ sunshine” and my BIL had one with ‘HER’ instead. Happy memory. I cried at Gareth Malone’s beautiful version, remembering our virtual choir at church continued providing music during the worst of the pandemic.
Jimmie Davis was my grandmother’s cousin. She said he wrote and recorded this song. Guess she got it half right. As an adult I came to see how vile his racist views really were.
It's a really fun song to sing!
Dear Dan, You Are My Sunshine was my Mom's song--her name was Sunny and that was our family's song for her. She passed away about a year ago at 95 and Dad passed a week before at 100. He was a bomber pilot in WWII, stationed in England with the Mighty Eighth. They were married for just short of 75 years and were the most romantic couple I knew. Thanks for the memories and the extraordinary singing from the Great British Home Chorus.
Music has a very unique power in human beings to lift one up and even in some other creatures as well.
The song reference in your article reminded me of another such experience, right after the passing of my late husband.
This event quite suddenly lifted me up as the words and sounds burrowed into my very core.
Brightstar The Musical (Steve Martin's production) the words: " ..something tells me, the sun is gonna shine again, the sun is gonna shine again.."
https://youtube.com/watch?v=V41A-li1rLM&feature=shared
Once heard, I couldn't stop listening to it, over and over again. Until I was actually sitting straight up. singing it out loud myself, there in my own bed.
Healing, grateful tears were streaming down my face, at 2:00 in the morning.
I thank you so much for this wonderful reminder!!
This is one of my favorite songs it can either make you smile, laugh or cry…
Once again Dan thanks for sharing and l have always loved Ray Charles…
There were times when my wife and I tried to boost the other's mood. Or, to simply show our love and affection for each other. We did this by singing this song. Sometimes I would take her in my arms and dance a slow dance while softly singing the song. I almost always felt melancholic or a deep sense of love or both when this happened. First dementia and then cancer took my sunshine away from me. Then, as now, I tear up when I hear or sing it. But, do I still like the song? Hell yes.
I had a black cat who passed away in 2014. He was very cuddly and during one of our cuddle sessions I had the inspiration to sing You Are My Sunshine as a lullaby to him. It was our love song. Whenever I hear it, I think fondly of him.
You are on target always! I have always had great respect for you.
Thank you for everything that you do💕💕
Thank goodness I only know the chorus. Crying! I sing this to my dog every day and sung it to all the dogs I have loved. But never to my kids or grandkids for some reason.
That recording of 10,000 voices is a beautiful, beautiful thing. A true blessing.
I sang in a world renown college choir (Centenary College
Choir) and after every concert, as we were changing out of gowns/tuxes and packing up, the men would sing You Are My Sunshine in 4-part harmony. Still one of my favorite memories. It made no difference what country or venue, we girls were serenaded.
On another note, I remember ten or more years ago when Gareth Malone leading his choruses was on television. My sister and I both immediately fell in love with him and the people in his choruses. We cried when learning of the death of one of the oldest members. The older people's chorus was particularly .moving when singing "Fix You.". I kept hopefully awaiting another season of the choruses, but alas it never came.
My sister passed away and I found myself 80 years old and I hadn't thought of this in years. Thank you for a reminder of a joyful time in my life.
She would sing it back to me with her own interesting variation. In her version, " you make me happy, when skies are gravy.". Whenever I hear this song, skies are always gravy.
I sang this song to my youngest daughter when she was three or four. Sh
This is the song that my beloved Daddee sings to himself, and I just love it so much (even though, yes the subsequent verses are dark). Will always remind of him, no matter what. My sister says the same.
As Willie Nelson is my dad's most favorite performer, I had hoped to be able to dance the father-daughter dance to his version with Leon Russell, but it proved a little too jaunty for our purposes :) so we went with another song. But in my mind, it was Willie's version of "You Are My Sunshine".
Thank you for the memories. It was my my sister’s wedding song decades ago. She wore a yellow tee over her wedding dress with “I am ‘HIS’ sunshine” and my BIL had one with ‘HER’ instead. Happy memory. I cried at Gareth Malone’s beautiful version, remembering our virtual choir at church continued providing music during the worst of the pandemic.
Jimmie Davis was my grandmother’s cousin. She said he wrote and recorded this song. Guess she got it half right. As an adult I came to see how vile his racist views really were.