I'll Be a Sunbeam
Encyclopedia
"I'll Be a Sunbeam" is a popular children's Christian
hymn
composed by Nellie Talbot; it is sung to music composed in 1900 by Edwin O. Excell.
Due to its age, the hymn has entered the public domain
in the United States
. Published in Chicago
by Excell as hymn number 137 in his Praises in 1905, the words and music were anthologized at least three more times in other hymnals before 1923. Virtually nothing is known about lyricist Nellie Talbot; attempts to search census
records suggest that she may have been born in Missouri
in 1874 and was living in Chicago
in 1910, but these identifications are speculative.
" by The Vaselines
; shortly thereafter they renamed it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam". The latter version was covered by Nirvana
.
The hymn was also referenced in the lyrics of the song "Alibi
" by Elvis Costello
("Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam?").
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
composed by Nellie Talbot; it is sung to music composed in 1900 by Edwin O. Excell.
Due to its age, the hymn has entered the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Published in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
by Excell as hymn number 137 in his Praises in 1905, the words and music were anthologized at least three more times in other hymnals before 1923. Virtually nothing is known about lyricist Nellie Talbot; attempts to search census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
records suggest that she may have been born in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1874 and was living in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1910, but these identifications are speculative.
Parodies
This song was parodied in 1987 as "Jesus Wants Me for a SunbeamJesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is a song originally recorded by Scottish alternative band The Vaselines for their EP Dying for it. It is a parody on the Christian children's hymn, "I'll Be a Sunbeam", which has the opening line "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam".The song was a hit only in indie-pop and...
" by The Vaselines
The Vaselines
The Vaselines are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively from the band Secession. McKee had...
; shortly thereafter they renamed it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam". The latter version was covered by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
.
The hymn was also referenced in the lyrics of the song "Alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
" by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
("Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam?").
External links
- "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" : free MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
download - "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam", Children's SongbookChildren's SongbookThe Children's Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official songbook for children in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was first published in English in 1989...
of the LDS Church : words and music to first two verses