"Beautiful Sunday"
Single by Daniel Boone
from the album Beautiful Sunday
B-side"Truly Julie"
ReleasedFebruary 1972
Genre
Length3:08
LabelPenny Farthing
Songwriter(s)Daniel Boone, Rod McQueen
Producer(s)Larry Page
Daniel Boone singles chronology
"Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast"
(1971)
"Beautiful Sunday"
(1972)
"Annabelle"
(1972)

"Beautiful Sunday" is a song written by Daniel Boone and Rod McQueen (real name David Balfe)[3] and performed by Boone. It appeared on his 1972 album Beautiful Sunday and was produced by Larry Page and arranged by Boone.[4]

It has been described as the biggest international hit in the British bubblegum pop genre.[5] Robin Carmody of Freaky Trigger praised the song for its "timelessly, wonderfully obvious chord sequence" and euphoric tone, "without any hint that driving to and from your day's pleasure and relaxation might even contain anything sexual, let alone anything depressing, tedious and ugly."[5] He named it the greatest British bubblegum pop song, deeming it "a neo-folk song structure of almost religious, redemptive simplicity / sublimity. One of the greatest singles of the 70s, if not ever."[1]

Chart performance

"Beautiful Sunday" was released by Penny Farthing Records, but by Mercury Records in the US, in 1972. It peaked at No. 15 on Billboard Hot 100 on 16–23 September 1972 and at No. 1 on WCFL on 21 October 1972.[6] The song also made the charts in New Zealand (gold record), France, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, and Germany, where it held the No. 1 position from May 1972 to late June 1972.[7]

The song peaked at No. 21 in the United Kingdom on its original release in 1972, and reached No. 53 when re-released in 1974.[8]

Boone re-released the song in Japan in 1976; it topped the Oricon Singles Chart from 22 March to 28 June.[9] "Beautiful Sunday" is still the best selling single by a foreign artist in Japan.

In popular culture

The song is commonly used for the 'Slosh' dance.[27] The dance is popular in Scotland where it is commonly played at wedding receptions. [28] The song has also been sung by supporters of Dundee United since around the 1990s.[29]

In media

"Beautiful Sunday" was the theme song in 1975-76 on Japan's TBS morning show, Ohayo 720.[30]

The song was featured in the Scottish sitcom Still Game's second series episode 3, "Doactors" (Doctors). Characters Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade dance the Slosh to it.

The 2010 musical I Dreamed a Dream, based on the life of singer Susan Boyle, includes the tune.

The song appears in the HBO Max series The Righteous Gemstones, in the second season's ninth episode, "I Will Tell of All Your Deeds".

Other versions

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Carmody, Robin (1 January 2002). "The Cottage Industry of Moments". Freaky Trigger. p. 3. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  2. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (15 October 1996). "Born To Be Mild: Soft Rock". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 32. ISBN 031214704X.
  3. ^ "David Balfe, 74: Musician and collaborator on Chelsea FC's song Blue is the Colour". The Times. 4 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday / Truly Julie - Mercury - USA - 73281". 45cat.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b Carmody, Robin (1 January 2002). "The Cottage Industry of Moments". Freaky Trigger. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  6. ^ "All Hit Music in the Midwest". WCFL. 21 October 1972. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Riding high with Penny Farthing around the globe". Billboard. 11 November 1972. p. 61. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Beautiful Sunday (song by Daniel Boone) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  9. ^ a b "日本オリコン総合,1位曲(洋楽データベース)". Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  10. ^ a b Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Go-Set Australian charts - 26 August 1972". Poparchives.com.au. 26 August 1972. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  13. ^ "RPM 100 Singles - October 7, 1972", RPM, Volume 18, No. 8, 10 October 1972.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Beautiful Sunday". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  15. ^ "Billboard "Hits of the World"". 18 November 1972. p. 86. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  16. ^ Steffen Hung. "Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  17. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  18. ^ Steffen Hung. "Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  19. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Songs (A-B)".
  20. ^ Steffen Hung. "Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Beautiful Sunday (song by Daniel Boone) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  22. ^ "Daniel Boone Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  23. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 9/30/72". Tropicalglen.com. 30 September 1972. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Music Market Booms". Billboard. 30 April 1977. p. 64. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". Musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1972". Tropicalglen.com. 30 December 1972. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Slosh Dance Steps". ourpasttimes.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  28. ^ "When women knew how to slosh about the dance floor". heraldscotland.com. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  29. ^ "One singer, one song - but can you name the tune?". BBC. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  30. ^ "報道史". Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  31. ^ "Beautiful Sunday (song by Jack Reno) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  32. ^ "Hem till Norden". Svensk mediedatabas. 1996. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  33. ^ "The Last Album on Liberty - The Ventures | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  34. ^ "ベストテン・クラシックス〜1976年6月 - Lonesome-happy-days". D.hatena.ne.jp. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2016.