"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 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 BillboardHot 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 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 BillboardAdult 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.[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.[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]
^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)
^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)
^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)
^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)
^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)
^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)
^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)
