3 One-Hit Wonders From the 70s That Are Perfect to Pair With Sunshine

Sometimes, you just want to be in a good mood. You’re tired of the doom and gloom of the day’s headlines. You don’t care about sports scores or what movies are playing at the theater down the street. You’re over the leftovers in the fridge. Thankfully, it’s nice outside, the sun is shining, and all you need is some music to enhance that sunny feeling.

Videos by American Songwriter

Well, we wanted to offer you some songs for your burgeoning bright day. Let’s jam out to three one-hit wonders from the 1970s that just so happen to be the thing to kick off the cobwebs and embrace the warmth and glow of the oncoming nice weather. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 70s that are perfect to pair with sunshine!

“In The Summertime” by Mungo Jerry from ‘Electronically Tested’ (1970)

This song from the British-born songwriter and performer Mungo Jerry literally gives you a to-do list to check off one by one when it’s nice outside. Reach up and touch the sky, have a drink, go see what you can find in the world, smile, sing, and enjoy the day. But perhaps first and foremost, put on this song and let the melodic, off-kilter rhythms get your spirit sparkling. How can you not find Mungo Jerry’s energy infectious? It’s like sunshine itself.

“Happy Days” by Pratt & McClain from ‘Pratt & McClain Featuring Happy Days’ (1976)

This song will get you to enjoy the summer days on its own. But it also offers a little bump of extra joy for those of us who used to watch reruns of the 1970s television show that boasted this tune as its theme song. Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to hear this tune and not think of Fonzie and Richie Cunningham. It’s a song about enjoying your time on this earth. Day to day, it’s possible to bask in sunshine and say goodbye to rain. Grab your beau and pull them close. And enjoy the happy days.

“Sunshine” by Jonathan Edwards from ‘Jonathan Edwards’ (1971)

An acoustic-driven folk-rock track, this tune from Jonathan Edwards opens with a lyric from the traditional song “You Are My Sunshine” before Edwards goes into his own storytelling lyrics. Amazingly, the track was almost never released. But when another song was accidentally erased by an engineer, Edwards filled the hole with this tune, and it became his biggest-selling song. It even earned him a gold record. That’s worth smiling in the sunshine for, to be sure.

Featured Image by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns