I feel the same way about this song as I did 54 years ago: it's a bit preachy but it's catchy.
Jonathan Edwards (born 1946) grew up in Virginia and played in bands in Boston before deciding to strike out on his own. "Sunshine" was released by accident: when Edwards was recording his first album, a track titled "Please Find Me" was accidentally wiped by the recording engineer. The engineer was fired and "Sunshine" was inserted in its place.
"Sunshine" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1972 and sold over one million copies. Subsequent singles were less successful. Edwards went on to star in a Broadway musical and release a country music album, among other things; as of at least 2012, he was still touring regularly.
This Jonathan Edwards is not to be confused with the revivalist preacher of the same name, who lived from 1703 to 1758. That Jonathan Edwards wrote a sermon titled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", which I guess is also both preachy and catchy.
Created January 6, 2026.