5 ms·

“You Are My Sunshine”: How a maudlin song became a children's classic (2013)

20 points by tintinnabula 5y ago

ars 5y ago
I use this song to break "ear worms". Not sure why it works, but it does.
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 5y ago
  Will it even break copa cabana?
  - CharlesW 5y ago
    This is the only known cure to "Copacabana (At the Copa)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
chanandler_bong 5y ago
There is a small handful of songs that I absolutely cannot listen to, for various reasons. "You Are My Sunshine" tops the list. It so incredibly sad... even thinking about it to type this comment is really difficult. Like, hide-the-razor-because-the-cutting-will-start-again difficult. I have no idea why.
- anonymouse008 5y ago
  Imagine it being a US State song... Louisiana at that. Tragic
  - cheaprentalyeti 5y ago
    >Imagine it being a US State song... Louisiana at that. Tragic. It's a sad song that everyone seems to think is a happy song. It matches Louisiana well.
- indigochill 5y ago
  I was engaged at one point to a lady who sang that to me more than once and I was seriously freaked out because I was fairly certain she actually meant the lyrics (and looking at the full lyrics now, she didn't even go through all the verses). That and generally stuff in that vein gave me enough pause in planning the wedding that she finally had enough and broke things off, which I was relieved by because in hindsight I knew on some level something was seriously off but didn't have the maturity/confidence to break it off myself.
  - aidenn0 5y ago
    There needs to be a word for when you are forced to quit something that you are too invested/embarrassed/whatever to quit yourself. e.g. I think pg mentioned being jealous of rtm when he got arrested because rtm had figured a way out of the PhD program without having to quit!
- fknorangesite 5y ago
  I don't know how Canada-specific this is, but we can put 'Love You Forever' by Robert Munsch on this list - also a children's book/song. It's not even sad, really? But it just hits so hard.
  - gedy 5y ago
    Man that book still destroys me TAT, used to read it to my kids.
- 1_player 5y ago
  For me it's "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". I heard it for the first time as a kid while reading a book that was talking about AIDS and the people that died from it, no joke. It's taken me 30 years to forget the association between the two things.
- commandlinefan 5y ago
  > I have no idea why. Me, too, but in my case I do know why - when my son was born (2 months premature), we had a lot of health scares with him and my wife insisted on singing that song to him over and over again.
conception 5y ago
See Also - Why do draft dodgers use the song Fortunate Son? Why do politicians use Born in the USA for rallies? People are surprisingly bad at lyrics/knowing what songs are about.
- jMyles 5y ago
  Interesting - why is Fortunate Son a bad choice for the theme of refusing the draft? It speaks of class stratification, and of rich folk asking poor folk to fight in their wars.
  - variaga 5y ago
    Fortunate Son is a perfectly good song to for draft dodgers: Yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes They send you down to war And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?" They only answer, "More, more, more" It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no military son, son It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, one But don't take my word for it; ask John Fogarty himself: https://deadline.com/2020/09/john-fogerty-donald-trump-fortunate-son-1234575603/ https://deadline.com/2020/09/john-fogerty-donald-trump-fortu... He said that the “inspiration for the song” was the disparity in those who were drafted and those who were getting deferments. “Back in those days we still had a draft, and something I was very upset about was the fact that people of privilege, in other words rich people or people of position, could use that to avoid the draft and not be taken into the military,” Fogerty said. People interpreting Fortunate Son as a celebration of military service (it seems to me these are mostly the same people who also use Born in the USA as if it were a celebration of the US) are the ones in the wrong here. Edit: better link & quote.
  - saghm 5y ago
    Yeah, I think Fortunate Sun is pretty explicitly an anti-war protest song. If anything, I think it's weird when it gets used in military montages in movies and TV, although presumably some of them are aware of its meaning and are picking it for ironic effect.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
bavell 5y ago
I played this song on guitar for my grandfather's funeral :( was one of his favorite songs to play on harmonica.
beaned 5y ago
Part of me suspects that hearing some sad songs as a child gives you a greater appreciation for life at a young age, and helps you to see the world while taking fewer things for granted. "Please don't take my sunshine away" sort of implies that it can be taken, its presence isn't granted, so be thankful that you have it.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
vba616 5y ago
News: Everything you took for granted and/or thought was ok, is bad and you should feel bad about it, and you will once we analyze it, part #54,272,343
- vba616 5y ago
  This is so intellectually stimulating!
gotrythis 5y ago
The full lyrics are pretty dark: The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms, but when I woke dear, I was mistaken, and I hung my head and cried. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are gray you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away. I’ll always love you and make you happy if you will only say the same but if you leave me to love another you’ll regret it all some day You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy, when skies are gray, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away. You told me once dear you really loved me that no one else could come between but now you’ve left me and love another you have shattered all my dreams. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy, when skies are gray, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.

20 points by tintinnabula 5y ago

ars 5y ago

I use this song to break "ear worms". Not sure why it works, but it does.

0xdeadbeefbabe 5y ago
Will it even break copa cabana?
- CharlesW 5y ago
  This is the only known cure to "Copacabana (At the Copa)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

chanandler_bong 5y ago

There is a small handful of songs that I absolutely cannot listen to, for various reasons. "You Are My Sunshine" tops the list. It so incredibly sad... even thinking about it to type this comment is really difficult. Like, hide-the-razor-because-the-cutting-will-start-again difficult. I have no idea why.

anonymouse008 5y ago
Imagine it being a US State song... Louisiana at that. Tragic
- cheaprentalyeti 5y ago
  >Imagine it being a US State song... Louisiana at that. Tragic. It's a sad song that everyone seems to think is a happy song. It matches Louisiana well.
indigochill 5y ago
I was engaged at one point to a lady who sang that to me more than once and I was seriously freaked out because I was fairly certain she actually meant the lyrics (and looking at the full lyrics now, she didn't even go through all the verses). That and generally stuff in that vein gave me enough pause in planning the wedding that she finally had enough and broke things off, which I was relieved by because in hindsight I knew on some level something was seriously off but didn't have the maturity/confidence to break it off myself.
- aidenn0 5y ago
  There needs to be a word for when you are forced to quit something that you are too invested/embarrassed/whatever to quit yourself. e.g. I think pg mentioned being jealous of rtm when he got arrested because rtm had figured a way out of the PhD program without having to quit!
fknorangesite 5y ago
I don't know how Canada-specific this is, but we can put 'Love You Forever' by Robert Munsch on this list - also a children's book/song. It's not even sad, really? But it just hits so hard.
- gedy 5y ago
  Man that book still destroys me TAT, used to read it to my kids.
1_player 5y ago
For me it's "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". I heard it for the first time as a kid while reading a book that was talking about AIDS and the people that died from it, no joke. It's taken me 30 years to forget the association between the two things.
commandlinefan 5y ago
> I have no idea why. Me, too, but in my case I do know why - when my son was born (2 months premature), we had a lot of health scares with him and my wife insisted on singing that song to him over and over again.

conception 5y ago

See Also - Why do draft dodgers use the song Fortunate Son? Why do politicians use Born in the USA for rallies? People are surprisingly bad at lyrics/knowing what songs are about.

jMyles 5y ago
Interesting - why is Fortunate Son a bad choice for the theme of refusing the draft? It speaks of class stratification, and of rich folk asking poor folk to fight in their wars.
- variaga 5y ago
  Fortunate Son is a perfectly good song to for draft dodgers: Yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes They send you down to war And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?" They only answer, "More, more, more" It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no military son, son It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, one But don't take my word for it; ask John Fogarty himself: https://deadline.com/2020/09/john-fogerty-donald-trump-fortunate-son-1234575603/ https://deadline.com/2020/09/john-fogerty-donald-trump-fortu... He said that the “inspiration for the song” was the disparity in those who were drafted and those who were getting deferments. “Back in those days we still had a draft, and something I was very upset about was the fact that people of privilege, in other words rich people or people of position, could use that to avoid the draft and not be taken into the military,” Fogerty said. People interpreting Fortunate Son as a celebration of military service (it seems to me these are mostly the same people who also use Born in the USA as if it were a celebration of the US) are the ones in the wrong here. Edit: better link & quote.
- saghm 5y ago
  Yeah, I think Fortunate Sun is pretty explicitly an anti-war protest song. If anything, I think it's weird when it gets used in military montages in movies and TV, although presumably some of them are aware of its meaning and are picking it for ironic effect.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

bavell 5y ago

I played this song on guitar for my grandfather's funeral :( was one of his favorite songs to play on harmonica.

beaned 5y ago

Part of me suspects that hearing some sad songs as a child gives you a greater appreciation for life at a young age, and helps you to see the world while taking fewer things for granted. "Please don't take my sunshine away" sort of implies that it can be taken, its presence isn't granted, so be thankful that you have it.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

vba616 5y ago

News: Everything you took for granted and/or thought was ok, is bad and you should feel bad about it, and you will once we analyze it, part #54,272,343

vba616 5y ago
This is so intellectually stimulating!

gotrythis 5y ago

The full lyrics are pretty dark: The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms, but when I woke dear, I was mistaken, and I hung my head and cried. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are gray you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away. I’ll always love you and make you happy if you will only say the same but if you leave me to love another you’ll regret it all some day You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy, when skies are gray, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away. You told me once dear you really loved me that no one else could come between but now you’ve left me and love another you have shattered all my dreams. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy, when skies are gray, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.