From 1966, Bobby Hebb performs "Sunny" in a clip from the TV show, Where the Action Is. It was a series that ABC aired in the afternoons and it was produced and hosted by — who else? — Dick Clark.
I had this song on my mixtape but I must admit that I knew nothing about Bobby Hebb on his biggest hit. I wasn't even sure if the Sunny he was singing to was a male or a female and I think I saw it listed then some places as "Sonny." Wikipedia, which of course may not be right, has this to say…
Hebb wrote the song after his older brother, Harold, was stabbed to death outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by the event and many critics say it inspired the lyrics and tune. According to Hebb, he merely wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a "sunny" disposition over a "lousy" disposition following the murder of his brother.
I just found that. Maybe when I listen to it now, I'll hear it in a different way…