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Original song with music by Beasley Smith and words by Haven Gillespie
"That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) " is a 1949
popular song with music by
Beasley Smith and words by
Haven Gillespie .
[3]
Background
Like "
Ol' Man River ", its lyrics contrast the toil and intense hardship of the singer's life with the obliviousness of the natural world.
[4]
1949 recordings
The biggest hit version of the song was by
Frankie Laine .
[5] This recording was released by
Mercury Records as catalog number 5316. It first reached the
Billboard Best Seller chart on August 19, 1949, and lasted 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 1.
[6]
The recording by
Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra was released by
RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3531 (78 rpm) and 47-3018 (45 rpm) (in USA) and by
EMI on the
His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9836. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on September 16, 1949, and lasted 14 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 9.
[6]
The recording by
Louis Armstrong was released by
Decca Records as catalog number 24752. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on October 14, 1949, and lasted three weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 24.
[6]
Frank Sinatra released his competing version of the song on the Columbia label catalog number 38608. It reached the best sellers chart on October 29, 1949 and peaked at No. 16. Included on his The Best of The Columbia Years 1943–1952 album.
A recording by
Herb Lance peaked at No. 6 on the
Most-Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records chart.
[7]
Other covers
Bob and Alf Pearson in 1949
Pat Boone on the album
Howdy! 1957
The
Buffalo Bills , a
barbershop quartet , recorded it as a solo for their tenor, Vern Reed.
The rhythm and blues singer
LaVern Baker released a version of the song in 1955 as the "A" side of a release on Atlantic Records.
Jerry Lee Lewis recorded an unreleased solo version at Sun Studios in 1956 or 1957 and again in 1989 on the Great Balls of Fire soundtrack album.
Bobby Darin on the album For Teenagers Only (1960)
[8]
A version by
Sam Cooke appeared on his debut LP
Sam Cooke
The Velvets released their doo wop version on Monument records around 1960/61.
A version by
Ray Charles appeared on his 1963 album
Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul . It was also released as a single, reaching No. 20 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1964. (This recording is also included as a bonus track on post-1988 CD reissues of Charles' landmark 1962 album
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music .)
Aretha Franklin recorded the song for her album
The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962).
Grant Green recorded an instrumental version for his album
His Majesty King Funk in 1965.
Benzion Witler recorded a cover of the song that includes the lyrics sung in Yiddish
Tom Jones recorded the song on his album Tom Jones Live! At the Talk of the Town (1967).
Bill Medley recorded the song as a single in 1967, which would later be released on
The Righteous Brothers album Standards (1968).
George Benson recorded the song for his album
Goodies (1968).
Big Mama Thornton recorded the song for her album
Stronger than Dirt in 1969.
Paul Williams recorded a version on the 1972 album
Life Goes On
Jerry Reed recorded a country version for his album
Lord, Mr. Ford in 1973
Willie Nelson recorded a version on the 1976 album
The Sound in Your Mind which was also released as an extra track on the reissued
Stardust: 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition .
The
Jerry Garcia Band performed a version on the Jerry Garcia Band live album in 1991.
American
R&B and
boogie-woogie pianist and singer
Little Willie Littlefield recorded a version for his 1994 album
Yellow Boogie & Blues .
Johnny Cash covered it on the album
American III: Solitary Man in 2000.
k.d. lang covered it on the album
A Wonderful World in 2002.
Brian Wilson premiered a song cycle inspired by the song entitled
That Lucky Old Sun (A Narrative) at the Royal Festival Hall, London, England on September 10, 2007.
A duet with
Kenny Chesney and
Willie Nelson is included on Chesney's 2008 album
Lucky Old Sun . This version reached No. 56 on the
Hot Country Songs chart, based on unsolicited airplay.
In Czech by
Hana Hegerova .
Karel Gott in 1964
Chris Isaak recorded a cover for his 2011 album
Beyond the Sun .
Bob Dylan recorded a version for his 2015
Frank Sinatra covers album
Shadows in the Night .
Barbershop quartet
Crossroads performed Lucky Old Sun en route to the 2009 International Championship.
[9]
Asleep at the Wheel recorded a cover on their 1988 album Western Standard Time.
Alligatoah , a German rapper recorded a cover on Fremde Zungen in 2018.
Solomon Burke covered the song on his 1969 album Proud Mary .
Lau recorded a cover and released it on an EP for their album
The Bell That Never Rang in 2015.
Tommy Womack covered the song on his 2021 album "I thought I was Fine".
A Finnish rock band
The Boys recorded a cover on their debut album
Numero 1 (1965)
Handmade Moments covered the song on their 2019 record "Number Ones".
References
^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1949).
Catalog of Copyright Entries 1949 Published Music Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 3 Pt 5A . United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
^
"MERCURY 78rpm numerical listing discography: 5000 - 5500" . www.78discography.com . Retrieved July 10, 2022 .
^
"Original versions of That Lucky Old Sun written by Beasley Smith, Haven Gillespie" . SecondHandSongs. May 16, 1949. Retrieved March 1, 2021 .
^ Bush, John,
That Lucky Old Sun – Brian Wilson , AllMusic .
^ Gilliland, John. (197X).
"Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #23 – All Tracks UNT Digital Library" . Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved March 1, 2021 .
^
a
b
c
Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955 . Record Research.
^
Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004 . Record Research. p. 339.
^
"Vinyl Album: Bobby Darin - for Teenagers Only (1960)" .
^
"Crossroads - Lucky Old Sun" . YouTube. July 30, 2009.
Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021 .
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