The Story Behind “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles and How It Was Inspired by a Lovin’ Spoonful Hit
For a song to last and survive the test of time, it must be relatable and relevant over generations. As technology evolves at an ever-increasing rate, things we are accustomed to change and become obsolete. Typewriters, newspapers, payphones, and fold-up maps fall into this category. To avoid becoming irrelevant, songs can be about the four basic elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Many songwriters have utilized these in metaphors or similes.
Writing about the sun will, hopefully, be timeless. “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Here Comes the Sun” are just a few of the many popular songs that compare the hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium with the happiness and contentment of a relationship. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles.
The summer of 1966 was one of the hottest on record up to that time. U.S. States east of the Rocky Mountains were hit the hardest. The Beatles toured America in August. They had some famous visitors during their New York City appearance at Shea Stadium. Paul McCartney talked with author Paul Du Noyer in his 2015 book Conversations with McCartney: “Backstage there was a buzz. New York bands like the Young Rascals coming round, The Lovin’ Spoonful, the local guys, who we were fans of. That was the nice thing about the sixties. We all loved each other’s records. We were all starting out on this career, and we admired each other.”
Source: Jay McDowell/americansongwriter.com
