"You Are My Sunshine" by The Civil Wars, Friday, March 15, 2024

"You Are My Sunshine" is a popular folk song copyrighted and recorded by American singer-songwriter Jimmie Davis in 1939, though its authorship is disputed. Davis later became the governor of Louisiana, and "You Are My Sunshine" became the state's official song. Davis's recorded versions are not the definitive version of the song, though. Many artists have covered the song, such as Johnny Cash, Christina Perri, and  Zach Bryan. Each time the song is covered, the artist brings an emotional layer to the beautiful song. Cash anthologizes the song in the American songbook and Perri emphasizes the lullaby-like qualities of the song. 


THE OTHER NIGHT DEAR, AS I LAY SLEEPING. “You Are My Sunshine” is a 

 cradle song many mothers sing to their children. It’s a bright love song with a twinge of melancholy that grows upon examination. It’s a song full of longing and desire with the full knowledge that the sun may be covered by the clouds. The speaker hopes that, just like the sun, the speaker’s love will appear every day. Even when the rain keeps the sun away, there is hope that soon the sun will reappear, just as the speaker’s love. The song is a phantom that haunts one of my favorite albums, Copeland’s You Are My Sunshine. Though the track doesn’t appear on the album, the pensive mood and the quiet moments of happiness saturate Aaron Marsh’s lyrics. Copeland did, however, record the song for their Grey Man EP, released after their fourth album. It’s an eerie-sounding version, reminiscent of the art song “Kite” from In Motion with almost creepy instrumentation but with just enough warmth to chase the residual icyness of winter. 


YOU MAKE ME HAPPY WHEN SKIES ARE GRAY. Today’s version of “You Are My Sunshine” comes from folk-country band The Civil Wars. The duo comprises singer-songwriter John Paul White and former Dove Award-nominated CCM singer Joy Williams.  The Civil Wars version is the moodiest of the versions mentioned, which is indicative of the duo’s catalog. The group formed in 2009 and broke up in 2014, due to creative differences between White and Williams. The break-up of the duo caused a lot of fan speculation, which Williams has talked about vaguely. The duo was known for their intense chemistry, despite both members remaining married to other people throughout the duo’s tenure. Were the duo’s professional and personal relationships mutually exclusive? When Williams talked to Relevant Magazine’s podcast, she said that she had been “called every name in the book” both when she left Christian music and when The Civil Wars broke up. Some Christian and Country listeners assumed the worst about Willaims’ character. After releasing two critically acclaimed albums and an abrupt tour cancellation, the duo released a free download of “You Are My Sunshine,” which had appeared as a European-edition bonus track on their first album, Barton Hollow. The sadness of the version and the longing mirrored the fans who wanted just a little more from The Civil Wars.


 



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