Sunshine pop
Encyclopedia
Sunshine pop is a subgenre
of pop music
originating in the United States
, mainly the state of California
, in the mid-1960s. Sunshine pop, by nature, is cheerful and upbeat music which is characterised by warm sounds, prominent vocal harmonies, as well as sophisticated productions. In many ways sunshine pop is similar to Baroque pop
music, through the usage of intricate productions and classical
elements, yet, differs from Baroque pop, which, unlike sunshine pop, is often dramatic and melancholic.
Sunshine pop enjoyed mainstream success in the mid-1960s; popular bands inlude The Beach Boys
, The Buckinghams
, Mamas and the Papas, the Turtles
, the Association
, amongst others. Several sunshine pop groups enjoy cult success
nowadays.
in the mid to late-1960s. The music may be seen as a form of escapism
from the turmoil of the times. While artists such as Bob Dylan
, Country Joe and the Fish
and others used pop music to deliver political or social commentary, acts such as The Beach Boys
, The Mamas & the Papas
, The 5th Dimension, Harpers Bizarre
and The Association
instead popularized a cheerful, sunny sound. Typical are airy themes like color and balloons, as found in the canonical examples "Up, Up and Away
" and "Yellow Balloon
".
As this apolitical music grew in popularity, dozens of groups began recording sunshine pop, with widely varying degrees of success. Some acts were fortunate to score one or two hits, while others failed to achieve commercial success. Notable among the former category is The Association who scored five US Top 10 singles, including two #1 hits, and their 1967 hit "Never My Love" was ranked as the #2 most-played song of the 20th century on American radio (by BMI
).
In the early 1970s, the popularity of sunshine pop quickly started to wane. Its lightweight sound made way for new music styles such as singer-songwriter
music, progressive rock
and hard rock
. Many groups thus faded into obscurity.
singles and LPs. Certain albums would occasionally fetch hefty prices at online auctions or in record stores.
In the early 1990s, a renewed interest began in Japan
, where record companies started publishing compilations of long-forgotten, obscure 1960s music. This revival subsequently spread to Europe
and the United States
. Music that was previously available only on vinyl
was now re-issued on CD.
Notable examples of compilations containing sunshine pop are:
Compilations or even box-sets by groups such as Spanky and Our Gang
, The Association
, The Arbors
and The Love Generation
have also been released on CD. As a result, a wide audience has been able to get acquainted with sunshine pop and many of its key acts. Two record labels in particular have specialized in these sort of sunshine pop re-releases; Revola Records from Britain and the American label Sundazed
. Furthermore, digital remastering has meant that the music can now be heard in unprecedented sound quality
.
A re-appraisal of The Beach Boys
– and Brian Wilson
's work in particular – has also contributed in providing an afterlife for many obscure sunshine pop groups and their songs.
and psychedelic pop
; both usually consist of lightweight, catchy and upbeat songs. However, psychedelic pop adds experimental elements such as studio tricks, sounds effects, and fuzz guitar to pop songs, creating a somewhat trippy whole.
Like sunshine pop, soft rock
also creates a gentle feeling, but soft rock songs are more subdued and less exuberant form of sunshine pop often featuring a slower pace and stronger emphasis on orchestration. Other related genres include easy listening
and surf music
; with prominent use of harmony singing. However topics under surf music are limited to surfing or drag racing, and the production is usually fairly sparse and relatively simple. With orchestral similarities, baroque pop
also shares many characteristics. However baroque pop lyrics and orchestration are a lot darker, more melodramatic and surreal; the genre is considered more sophisticated and in line with forward thinking musical styles such as progressive rock
and art rock
.
The boundaries between these styles are often very blurred with the subtle difference, sunshine pop may thus be considered an umbrella term
, that can include elements of various styles and genres.
(from Rhode Island), The Free Design
(from New York) and Spanky and Our Gang
(from Illinois). Moreover, British acts such as The Flower Pot Men, Harmony Grass
, Design
and Eternal Triangle show that sunshine pop was not a strictly American phenomenon.
and Brian Wilson
, other producers generally regarded as influential for the genre include Gary Usher
, Curt Boettcher
, Bones Howe
and Gary Zekley
. Notable songwriters included Jimmy Webb
, Roger Nichols
and Paul Williams
.
, The Wondermints
, Belle & Sebastian
, Eggstone
, Stereolab
, Mister Soap and the Smiling Tomatoes, Pizzicato Five
, The Heavy Blinkers, The High Llamas
, The Ladybug Transistor
, Afternoon Naps, The Format
, Fun
, Saint Etienne
, Brent Cash
. As with classic sunshine pop, the songs of these newer acts are intended as lightweight fun. Sunshine pop has also attracted the attention of Hip-Hop acts such as Masta Ace
and KRS-One
for use in their songs, mostly due to its melodic beats.
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
originating in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, mainly the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in the mid-1960s. Sunshine pop, by nature, is cheerful and upbeat music which is characterised by warm sounds, prominent vocal harmonies, as well as sophisticated productions. In many ways sunshine pop is similar to Baroque pop
Baroque pop
Baroque pop, Baroque rock, or English baroque, often used interchangeably with chamber pop/rock, is a pop and rock music subgenre which originated in the mid-1960s in the United Kingdom and United States...
music, through the usage of intricate productions and classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
elements, yet, differs from Baroque pop, which, unlike sunshine pop, is often dramatic and melancholic.
Sunshine pop enjoyed mainstream success in the mid-1960s; popular bands inlude The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, The Buckinghams
The Buckinghams
The Buckinghams are an American Sunshine Pop band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top selling acts of 1967. The band dissolved in 1970 but reformed in 1980 and continue to tour throughout the United States....
, Mamas and the Papas, the Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
, the Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
, amongst others. Several sunshine pop groups enjoy cult success
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
nowadays.
History
Sunshine pop originated in the American state of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the mid to late-1960s. The music may be seen as a form of escapism
Escapism
Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life...
from the turmoil of the times. While artists such as Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe and the Fish was a rock band most widely known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1966 to 1971, and also regarded as a seminal influence to psychedelic rock.-History:...
and others used pop music to deliver political or social commentary, acts such as The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
, The 5th Dimension, Harpers Bizarre
Harpers Bizarre
Harpers Bizarre was an American pop-rock band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/Sunshine Pop sound and their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song ."- Career :...
and The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
instead popularized a cheerful, sunny sound. Typical are airy themes like color and balloons, as found in the canonical examples "Up, Up and Away
Up, Up and Away (song)
"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension, that became a major pop hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #18 in Canada...
" and "Yellow Balloon
Yellow Balloon
"Yellow Balloon" was a Top 30 hit single in the Billboard Hot100 by The Yellow Balloon, included on the group's 1967 self-titled album. It was classified as in the sunshine pop genre.-Music and lyrics:...
".
As this apolitical music grew in popularity, dozens of groups began recording sunshine pop, with widely varying degrees of success. Some acts were fortunate to score one or two hits, while others failed to achieve commercial success. Notable among the former category is The Association who scored five US Top 10 singles, including two #1 hits, and their 1967 hit "Never My Love" was ranked as the #2 most-played song of the 20th century on American radio (by BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
).
In the early 1970s, the popularity of sunshine pop quickly started to wane. Its lightweight sound made way for new music styles such as singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
music, progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
. Many groups thus faded into obscurity.
Revival
For many years, sunshine pop lingered in obscurity, although the music enjoyed some interest among collectors of rare vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
singles and LPs. Certain albums would occasionally fetch hefty prices at online auctions or in record stores.
In the early 1990s, a renewed interest began in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where record companies started publishing compilations of long-forgotten, obscure 1960s music. This revival subsequently spread to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Music that was previously available only on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was now re-issued on CD.
Notable examples of compilations containing sunshine pop are:
- Morning Glory Daze: Universal Soft Rock Collection (2 volumes; Universal, 1997)
- Sunshine Days: 60s Pop Classics (5 volumes; Varese, 1997–1998)
- Get Easy! Sunshine Pop (double-disc, Universal/Polygram, 2003)
- Soft Sounds For Gentle People (4 volumes; Pet, 2003–2004)
- Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA VaultsCome to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA VaultsCome to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults is a 2004 compilation album released by Rhino Handmade, one of two new compilations using the Nuggets name....
(Rhino, 2004).
Compilations or even box-sets by groups such as Spanky and Our Gang
Spanky and Our Gang
Spanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s folk-rock band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The band derives its name from Hal Roach's popular Our Gang comedies of the 1930s...
, The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
, The Arbors
The Arbors
The Arbors were an American pop group formed in 1964 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The members, two sets of brothers, met at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and began playing local shows in Michigan before moving to New York...
and The Love Generation
The Love Generation
Not To Be Confused with the Swedish Group Love GenerationThe Love Generation was an American pop rock band from the 1960s. The band was together from 1967 to 1969.-History:...
have also been released on CD. As a result, a wide audience has been able to get acquainted with sunshine pop and many of its key acts. Two record labels in particular have specialized in these sort of sunshine pop re-releases; Revola Records from Britain and the American label Sundazed
Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.Label founders Bob Irwin and his wife Mary started the label in 1989...
. Furthermore, digital remastering has meant that the music can now be heard in unprecedented sound quality
Sound quality
Sound quality is the quality of the audio output from various electronic devices. Sound quality can be defined as the degree of accuracy with which a device records or emits the original sound waves...
.
A re-appraisal of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
– and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
's work in particular – has also contributed in providing an afterlife for many obscure sunshine pop groups and their songs.
Characterization
Sunshine pop songs are predominantly upbeat and apolitical, and at first glance, fairly superficial. However, they often feature complex production and arrangements. The instrumentation typically includes strings, guitar, bass, drums or percussion, and piano. More exotic instruments such as harpsichord, xylophone or sitar may also be heard. Multi-part harmony singing is ubiquitous. In short, sunshine pop is most often characterized by a cheerful attitude, harmony singing, and sophisticated production. These three principal elements are most readily associated with this type of music. However, the term actually has a broader use in practice: sunshine pop can sound relentlessly cheerful, but also more subdued or even sad. The music may be experimental and contain psychedelic elements. Sunshine pop is thus strongly related to several other musical styles such as bubblegum popBubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
and psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
; both usually consist of lightweight, catchy and upbeat songs. However, psychedelic pop adds experimental elements such as studio tricks, sounds effects, and fuzz guitar to pop songs, creating a somewhat trippy whole.
Like sunshine pop, soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
also creates a gentle feeling, but soft rock songs are more subdued and less exuberant form of sunshine pop often featuring a slower pace and stronger emphasis on orchestration. Other related genres include easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and surf music
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
; with prominent use of harmony singing. However topics under surf music are limited to surfing or drag racing, and the production is usually fairly sparse and relatively simple. With orchestral similarities, baroque pop
Baroque pop
Baroque pop, Baroque rock, or English baroque, often used interchangeably with chamber pop/rock, is a pop and rock music subgenre which originated in the mid-1960s in the United Kingdom and United States...
also shares many characteristics. However baroque pop lyrics and orchestration are a lot darker, more melodramatic and surreal; the genre is considered more sophisticated and in line with forward thinking musical styles such as progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
.
The boundaries between these styles are often very blurred with the subtle difference, sunshine pop may thus be considered an umbrella term
Umbrella term
An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...
, that can include elements of various styles and genres.
International expansion
Sunshine pop is strongly associated with a specific time and place, namely California from the mid-1960s to early 1970s. However, it should be noted there were plenty of groups from other parts of the United States as well, including The CowsillsThe Cowsills
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
(from Rhode Island), The Free Design
The Free Design
The Free Design was a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas.-Early...
(from New York) and Spanky and Our Gang
Spanky and Our Gang
Spanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s folk-rock band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The band derives its name from Hal Roach's popular Our Gang comedies of the 1930s...
(from Illinois). Moreover, British acts such as The Flower Pot Men, Harmony Grass
Harmony Grass
Harmony Grass was a British pop group active briefly in the late 1960s.The group was formed in Essex by previous members of Tony Rivers & the Castaways, including Tony Rivers himself. They signed to RCA Records about a year after they formed, and their single "Move in a Little Closer" hit #24 on...
, Design
Design (UK band)
Design was a British vocal group of the early 1970s and its members were Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, Jeff Matthews, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style has been described as folk rock 'with intricate and appealing harmonies and an interesting psychedelic...
and Eternal Triangle show that sunshine pop was not a strictly American phenomenon.
Artists
Artists generally regarded as part of sunshine pop or associated with this music include:- Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
(circa 1965-1969) - Mamas and PapasThe Mamas & the PapasThe Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
- AssociationThe AssociationThe Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
- Fifth Dimension
- CyrcleThe CyrkleThe Cyrkle was a short-lived American rock and roll band active in the mid-1960s. The group charted two Top 40 hits, "Red Rubber Ball," and "Turn Down Day"...
- CowsillsThe CowsillsThe Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
- Yellow Balloon
- Sunshine Co.The Sunshine CompanyThe Sunshine Company was an American pop group from Los Angeles, California. Originally the duo of Mary Nance and Maury Manseau, the group signed to Imperial Records and released their debut album in 1967. They scored three hit singles on the U.S. singles chart over the next two years before...
- Peppermint RainbowThe Peppermint RainbowThe Peppermint Rainbow were an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland. They formed in 1967 under the name New York Times, playing to local gigs in the mid-Atlantic states before changing their name to The Peppermint Rainbow in 1968...
- Small Circle of FriendsRoger Nichols (songwriter)Roger Nichols Roger Nichols Roger Nichols (born in Missoula, Montana, is an American composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.-Biography:...
- Curt BoettcherCurt BoettcherCurt Boettcher was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer from Wisconsin. His career spanned 1964 to 1983...
- MillenniumThe MillenniumThe Millennium was an American super group based in California, who were conceived by Curt Boettcher. The group consisted of psychedelic rock musicians, and they incorporated sunshine pop harmonies....
- The Ballroom
- Free DesignThe Free DesignThe Free Design was a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas.-Early...
- Parade
- CliqueThe Clique (Texas band)The Clique are a late 1960s U.S. sunshine pop band from Beaumont, Texas, 90 miles east of Houston.The group was centered around record producer/songwriter Gary Zekley, who often employed session musicians...
- ArborsThe ArborsThe Arbors were an American pop group formed in 1964 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The members, two sets of brothers, met at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and began playing local shows in Michigan before moving to New York...
- Flowerpot Men
- American Breed
- Innocence
- Sundowners
- MoonDavid Marks (musician)David Marks is an American songwriter and musician. He is best known as being a member of The Beach Boys from February 1962 to October 1963. Marks was part of the Beach Boys line-up, at age 13, when they signed with Capitol Records on July 16, 1962...
- Euphoria US
- Harpers BizarreHarpers BizarreHarpers Bizarre was an American pop-rock band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/Sunshine Pop sound and their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song ."- Career :...
- Strawberry Alarm ClockStrawberry Alarm ClockStrawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are...
- Spanky and Our GangSpanky and Our GangSpanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s folk-rock band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The band derives its name from Hal Roach's popular Our Gang comedies of the 1930s...
- SagittariusSagittarius (band)Sagittarius was an American late 1960s studio group, devised by the record producer and songwriter, Gary Usher.-History:Usher had been involved with music as a songwriter since the early 1960s , and soon branched out into production work...
- Peppermint Trolley CompanyPeppermint Trolley CompanyThe Peppermint Trolley Company was an American band of the sunshine pop genre, credited with singing The Brady Bunch theme song in the show's first season...
- Brooklyn BridgeJohnny Maestro & The Brooklyn BridgeJohnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge is an American musical group, best known for their million selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Worst That Could Happen" .-History:...
- Appletree Theatre
- Harmony GrassHarmony GrassHarmony Grass was a British pop group active briefly in the late 1960s.The group was formed in Essex by previous members of Tony Rivers & the Castaways, including Tony Rivers himself. They signed to RCA Records about a year after they formed, and their single "Move in a Little Closer" hit #24 on...
- Carnival
- Collage
- Match
- Love GenerationThe Love GenerationNot To Be Confused with the Swedish Group Love GenerationThe Love Generation was an American pop rock band from the 1960s. The band was together from 1967 to 1969.-History:...
- Eternity's Children
- Strawberry Children
- Groop
- Oxfords
- Unusual We
- Mark Eric
- Bergen White
- Don & the Goodtimes
- Cashman Pistilli & West
- Thomas & Richard Frost
- Bunky and JakeBunky and JakeBunky and Jake were an American folk-rock duo, who were a part of the New York folk music scene in the 1960s and 1970s.Andrea "Bunky" Skinner and Allan "Jake" Jacobs, who later formed Jake and The Family Jewels, met in 1962 at the School of Visual Arts in New York and performed in the Greenwich...
- Fun & Games US
- Colors Of Love
- Sounds of SunshineSounds of SunshineSounds of Sunshine were an American pop vocal ensemble from Los Angeles, California consisting of three brothers. The group released one album on Ranwood Records in 1971, which peaked on the Billboard 200 at #187. Its title track, "Love Means ", was a minor U.S. hit, peaking at #39 on the Billboard...
- Vision of Sunshine
- Triste Janero
- Twinn ConnexionTwinn ConnexionTwinn Connexion was the singing duo of identical twin brothers Jerry and Jay Hopkins. They were signed with Decca Records and released a self-titled album in 1968 with songs by Jerry Keller and David Blume. Their musical style consisted of pop harmonies influenced by the soft rock and folk rock...
- Gullivers People
- DesignDesign (UK band)Design was a British vocal group of the early 1970s and its members were Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, Jeff Matthews, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style has been described as folk rock 'with intricate and appealing harmonies and an interesting psychedelic...
Songwriters and producers
While some very well known bands are associated with the style, songwriters and producers played an important role in shaping the sunshine pop sound as well. Apart from the production influence of Phil SpectorPhil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, other producers generally regarded as influential for the genre include Gary Usher
Gary Usher
Gary Usher was an American surf rock musician, songwriter, and record producer.-Biography:Usher's early life was spent in Grafton, Massachusetts. He attended Norcross Grammar School with his sister, Sandra, who was in the same class and was likely his twin. Gary was kiddingly called "Chicken Feed"...
, Curt Boettcher
Curt Boettcher
Curt Boettcher was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer from Wisconsin. His career spanned 1964 to 1983...
, Bones Howe
Bones Howe
Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe is a Grammy-award-winning record producer and recording engineer associated with 1960s and 1970s hits, mostly of the sunshine pop genre, including most of the hits of The 5th Dimension and The Association, as well as music supervision of several films...
and Gary Zekley
Gary Zekley
Gary Zekley was a former West Coast record producer and songwriter associated with 1960s, 1970s and 1980s bands and songs in the bubblegum, rock and roll, sunshine pop, and surf genres....
. Notable songwriters included Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
, Roger Nichols
Roger Nichols
Roger Scott Nichols was an American seven-time Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and producer....
and Paul Williams
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
.
Legacy
Traces of sunshine pop can nowadays be found in such bands as Tilly and the WallTilly and the Wall
Tilly and the Wall is an indie pop group from Omaha, Nebraska. Their name originated from a children's book called Tillie and the Wall, written by Leo Lionni...
, The Wondermints
The Wondermints
Wondermints is a band from Los Angeles, California, United States. The main members are Darian Sahanaja , Nick Walusko and Mike D'Amico...
, Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
, Eggstone
Eggstone
Eggstone is a Swedish Indie Pop band, formed in 1986. The three members - Per Sunding , Patrik Bartosch and Maurits Carlsson - were raised in the small coastal town of Lomma, outside Malmö...
, Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
, Mister Soap and the Smiling Tomatoes, Pizzicato Five
Pizzicato Five
Pizzicato Five was a Japanese pop group best known to audiences in the West in their later incarnation as a duo of Maki Nomiya and Yasuharu Konishi...
, The Heavy Blinkers, The High Llamas
The High Llamas
The High Llamas are a London-based musical group, formed by the Irish guitarist and songwriter Sean O'Hagan after the demise of his group Microdisney. O'Hagan writes and arranges the music and the rest of the group consists of drummer Rob Allum, keyboardist/cellist Marcus Holdaway, and...
, The Ladybug Transistor
The Ladybug Transistor
The Ladybug Transistor is a Brooklyn-based indie pop group associated with The Elephant Six Collective.Started in 1995 by Gary Olson, Edward Powers and Javier Villegas, the band quickly released Marlborough Farms on Park N' Ride records, adding and subtracting a couple members and going on an...
, Afternoon Naps, The Format
The Format
The Format was an American indie rock band formed by Arizona natives Nate Ruess and Sam Means. The band announced a hiatus on February 4, 2008. Their style can be considered a mixture of indie, alternative, punk and folk music, with elements of 1960s and 1970s pop music...
, Fun
Fun (band)
Fun is an American indie pop band based in New York, New York that was formed by Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format. After the 2008 breakup of The Format, Ruess left Arizona to develop his career in New York City. Ruess then formed Fun with Andrew Dost of Anathallo and Jack Antonoff of Steel Train...
, Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne (band)
Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...
, Brent Cash
Brent Cash
Brent Cash is a singer–songwriter from Athens, Georgia.-Music career:His musical career started as a drummer for several bands , all the while recording his own pop music stylings in his apartment or house on a simple four-track...
. As with classic sunshine pop, the songs of these newer acts are intended as lightweight fun. Sunshine pop has also attracted the attention of Hip-Hop acts such as Masta Ace
Masta Ace
Duval Clear , known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is a rapper from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony"...
and KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
for use in their songs, mostly due to its melodic beats.