- Hello Sunshine
Infobox Single
Name = Hello Sunshine
Artist =Super Furry Animals
from Album = Phantom Power
Released =20 October ,2003
Format = Digipack CD, DVD, 7"
Recorded =
Genre =Alternative rock
Length = 3:35 (Album version)
2:54 (Radio edit)
Label =Epic Records
Writer = Super Furry Animals
Producer = Super Furry Animals; Mixed byMario Caldato Jr. and Super Furry Animals
[ Certification = ]
Chart position =
*# 31 (UK)
Last single = Golden Retriever
(2003)
This single = Hello Sunshine
(2003)
Next single = The Man Don't Give a Fuck
(2003)"Hello Sunshine" is the seventeenth single by
Super Furry Animals . It reached #31 on theUK Singles Chart on its release in October 2003.cite web|last=|first=|title=Search Results -- Singles|work=everyHit.com|date=2008-07-25 |url=http://www.everyhit.com|accessdate=2008-07-25]The track contains a sample of the song "By the Sea" by the teenage sibling duo Wendy and Bonnie,cite album-notes |title=Phantom Power |albumlink=Phantom Power (Super Furry Animals album) |bandname=
Super Furry Animals |year=2003 |notestitle= |url= |first= |last= |pages= [p.10] |format=CD booklet |publisher=Epic Records |publisherid= |location=New York |mbid=2a9bd1b0-5be4-47a1-8bf5-c06ad7a3b1c6] from their 1969 album Genesis. The edit version, issued as a single, does not contain the sample.Origins and recording
The decision to begin the track with a snippet of the Wendy and Bonnie track "By the Sea" came about because all the band like the duos debut album which Rhys has described as "amazing songs, amazing lyrics and amazing voices".cite web|last=Hodgkinson|first=Will|title=Into the valleys|work=
The Guardian |date=2003-07-11 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2003/jul/11/homeentertainment.features|accessdate=2008-08-07]Musical structure
Listen
filename=Super_Furry_Animals_-_Hello_Sunshine.ogg
title=Super Furry Animals "Hello Sunshine" (2003)
description=Short sample from "Hello Sunshine" illustrating the track's first chorus, bridge and second verse.
format=Ogg The album version of "Hello Sunshine" is 3 minutes 35 seconds long and is in the key of
D major .cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=Phantom Power|work=Allmusic |date=2003?|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fxfyxqqaldhe|accessdate=2008-08-06]The track begins with 43 seconds of the track "By the Sea" from Wendy & Bonnie's 1969 album "Genesis" featuring sparse
fingerstyle guitar and female harmony vocals. The lastsyllable of the line "...so hard to say goodbye" is held and pans from left to right until "Hello Sunshine" itself begins withGruff Rhys singing the title phrase, joined by the band on the second word. The first verse follows with simplepiano andbass guitar backing Rhys'sacoustic guitar to a basic 4/4 beat provided by drummerDafydd Ieuan . The first chorus enters at 1 minute 13 seconds with Rhys being joined byfalsetto harmony backing vocals on the lines "In honesty it's been a while, since we had reason left to smile".cite album-notes |title=Phantom Power|albumlink=Phantom Power (Super Furry Animals album)|bandname=Super Furry Animals |year=2003|notestitle=|url=|first=|last=|pages= [p.1] |format=CD booklet|publisher=Epic Records |publisherid=|location=New York|mbid=2a9bd1b0-5be4-47a1-8bf5-c06ad7a3b1c6] The song breaks down for the bridge with justarpeggio guitar, simple bass and occasional drum rolls playing as the lines "Hello sunshine, come into my life" are sung.Another verse follows featuring the lyrics "I'm a minger, you're a minger too, so come on minger, I want to ming with you" (quoted in many reviews of "Phantom Power") before the second chorus.cite web|last=Danson|first=Mark|title=hello sunshine - Single Review|work=Contact Music|date=2003?|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/superfurryanimalsx17x10x03|accessdate=2008-08-06] cite web|last=Hogwood|first=Ben|title=Super Furry Animals - Hello Sunshine (Epic)|work=musicOMH|date=2003?|url=http://www.musicomh.com/singles/super-furry-animals-2.htm|accessdate=2008-07-15] This time the bridge leads not into another verse but the song's
middle 8 which again sees Rhys backed by multiple falsetto harmony backing vocals. The outro follows during which the title phrase is sung five times before alead guitar line heralds the end of the song with Rhys singing "Come into my life".Alternative versions
Listen
filename=Super_Furry_Animals_-_Hello_Sunshine_Freiband_Remix.ogg
title=Super Furry Animals "Hello Sunshine (Freiband remix)" (2003)
description=Short sample from the Freiband remix of "Hello Sunshine" illustrating the tracks "utterly minimal" style.
format=Ogg A radio edit of "Hello Sunshine" was issued to radio stations and was also used in the music video. This version of the track is 2 minutes and 54 seconds long and omits the opening extract from "By the Sea". The rest of song is identical to the album version.
Two
remix es were included on the album "Phantom Phorce ". The first, by Weevil, is 4 minutes 22 seconds in length and is largely based around samples of lead guitar from the track along with occasional snippets of Rhys's vocal. Samples of Ieuan's drums are also used in the second half of the song. The track ends with a brief clip of the band's road manager, in the guise of 'Kurt Stern', giving a fictionalised account of "Phantom Power's" production.cite web|last=Foster|first=Richard|title=Incendiary interview Super Furry Animals|work=Incendiary Magazine|date=2005-10-10 |url=http://www.incendiarymag.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=701|accessdate=2008-07-08] The second remix, by Freiband, is 10 minutes 31 seconds long, is "utterly minimal" and barely resembles the original with no recognisable vocal or musical samples from the album or radio versions.cite web|last=Welsh|first=David|title=Super Furry Animals - Phantom Phorce (Placid Casual)|work=musicOMH|date=2003?|url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/super-furry-animals-2.htm|accessdate=2008-08-07]Critical response
"Hello Sunshine" recevied generally positive reviews with musicOMH calling it "one of the best tracks from ... "Phantom Power", and "
Rolling Stone " describing it as a "gorgeous opening track".cite web|last=Sisario|first=Ben|title=Hello Sunshine|work=Rolling Stone |date=2003-08-07 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/superfurryanimals/albums/album/293203/review/5940483/phantom_power|accessdate=2008-07-21]The 'summery' nature of the track was commented on by several journalists with "
The Observer " calling "Hello Sunshine" a "gloriously hazy opener" and Music Critic describing it as "passionately mellow summerdoo-wop ".cite web|last=Empire|first=Kitty|title=They'll give you merry hell|work=The Observer |date=2003-07-13 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2003/jul/13/featuresreview.review|accessdate=2008-07-15] cite web|last=Cibula|first=Matt|title=Super Fury Animals - Phantom Power|work=The Observer |date=2003-07-13 |url=http://www.music-critic.com/rock/superfurryanimals_phantom.htm|accessdate=2008-08-07]However
BBC Wales , although describing the track as "an excellent song and a near perfect album opener", called the decision to release "Hello Sunshine" as a single "rather mystifying" stating that it is "a world away from the SFA we've grown to love over the years".cite web|last=Goodden|first=Joe|title=Hello Sunshine|work=BBC Wales |date=2003-10-13 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/superfurryanimals/pages/hello_sunshine.shtml|accessdate=2008-07-15]The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2006 film "
Snow Cake " and also appeared in "The Heartbreak ", an episode of "The O.C. "cite web|last=|first=|title=Super Furry Animals|work=Internet Movie Database |date=|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2083150/|accessdate=2008-08-07]Coca-Cola controversy
According to a
Gruff Rhys interview with "Red Pepper" magazine, the band turned down "a seven-figure offer by an advertising agency" for the use of "Hello Sunshine" in aCoca-Cola commercial due to alleged mispractice:cite web|last=Rhys|first=Gruff|title=Fizzy pop and music|work=Red Pepper|date=2006?|url=http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article376.html?var_recherche=gruff%20rhys|accessdate=2008-07-15]Rhys reiterated this point in late 2005 although he did leave open the possibility of the band allowing one of their songs to be used in an advertisement:
Music video
The video for "Hello Sunshine" was directed by
Pete Fowler , Neil McFarland and Passion Pictures and features Fowler's cartoon drawings of the band and a small winged horse.Tracklisting
All songs by Super Furry Animals.
*CD (674360 2)cite web|last=|first=|title=Super Furry Animals - Hello Sunshine|work=
MusicBrainz |date=|url=http://musicbrainz.org/release/9e5e085a-97b7-4b46-8c44-377b93f19639.html|accessdate=2008-08-07]
#"Hello Sunshine (Radio Edit)" – 2:54
#"Cowbird" – 5:41
#"Sanitizzzed" – 2:45*7" (674360 7)cite web|last=|first=|title=Super Furry Animals - Hello Sunshine|work=
MusicBrainz |date=|url=http://musicbrainz.org/release/99d59d6b-109e-410d-89a7-6a237d79ea5e.html|accessdate=2008-08-07]
#"Hello Sunshine (Radio Edit)" – 2:54
#"Cowbird" – 5:41*DVD (674360 9)
#"Hello Sunshine (Video)"* – 3:34
#"Cowbird" – 5:41
#"Sanitizzzed" – 2:45* The "Hello Sunshine" video features the radio edit of the track. A brief preliminary video featuring animal noises means that the run time matches that of the album version.Credits
*
Gruff Rhys : Vocals
*Huw Bunford :Guitar
*Guto Pryce :Bass guitar
*Cian Ciaran : Keyboards
*Dafydd Ieuan : Drums
*Kris Jenkins: Percussioningles chart positions
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
