Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)

Subject: Smile all the while Sally(?) Sunshine
From: GUEST,Richard Grant
Date: 11 Jan 02 - 04:59 AM

Anyone have the lyrics for a song which has the stanzas (as best I remember them)

But you smile all the while Sally(?) Sunshine And you laugh when you really ought to cry ...

It's a song about a girl who always has a smile in spite of the tough life she is being forced to lead. I know a girl just like that and I wish I could remember the song!

Any help appreciated.

Richard

Subject: RE: Smile all the while Sally(?) Sunshine
From: GUEST,Sally!
Date: 28 Aug 10 - 06:22 AM

I just googled the part I knew, for I also am trying to find the words.

The part I remember is "And you laugh when you really ought to cry. Don't give up, don't give up now Sally Sunshine ......

Your post was a very long time ago so I guess you aren't going to read this but perhaps someone else will pick it up?

Wait to hear,

Sally

Subject: RE: Smile all the while Sally(?) Sunshine
From: GUEST,James
Date: 27 Dec 10 - 04:26 AM

"Don't give up, keep it up now, Sally Sunshine.
The sun is gonna shine upon you by and by" is what I remember at the grand old age of sixty which I have now reached. I used to sing the song a lot.

Subject: RE: Smile all the while Sally(?) Sunshine
From: GUEST,kl
Date: 31 Jan 11 - 05:13 PM

You look older than five Sally Sunshine
And a room in the ghetto is your home
Don't give up, keep it up Sally Sunshine
For the sun on you some day is going to shine.

And you smile all the while Sally Sunshine
And you laugh when you really ought to cry
Don't give up, keep it up my Sally Sunshine
And the sun on you some day is going to shine.

Bow

The lines need changing round I think.

I thought Johnny Cash sang it but my brother says not.   Thought that was where I heard the song many years ago.   It was definitely on one of my brother's LPs.

KL

Subject: RE: Smile all the while Sally(?) Sunshine
From: GUEST,ak
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 08:52 AM

I also have been trying to find out who sang this, and hopefully get a copy of the original recording.

The lyrics quoted on this thread are exactly as I remember them......

I seem to recall that here in the UK it was sung by Jonathan King, but I can't find any reference to confirm this on the web.

Will keep looking

AK

Subject: Lyr Add: SALLY SUNSHINE (from Mills Brothers)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Apr 11 - 10:14 AM

I transcribed this from the recording found at YouTube:

SALLY SUNSHINE
(Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
As sung by the Mills Brothers

1. You're the eldest of five, Sally Sunshine,
And a room in the ghetto is your home.
In your young teenage life, you must act like a wife,
'Cause your dad can't do it all alone.

2. You don't know what it's like to buy candy
Or to ride a pony in the park,
And you don't ever play with the kids round your way
'Cause their folks say your skin is kinda dark.

CHORUS: But you smile all the while, Sally Sunshine,
And you laugh when you really oughta cry.
Don't give up; keep it up now, Sally Sunshine.
The sun is gonna shine upon you by and by.

3. While you care for your brothers and your sisters,
All we do is turn our heads away,
'Cause we might feel ashamed if we had to explain
How the world could have treated you this way.

CHORUS: Yes, you smile....

4. We've got so much to learn, Sally Sunshine.
You're the one who can tell us what to do.
Carry on, little girl; show the rest of the world
How to love and live our lives like you.

CHORUS: 'Cause you smile....

CHORUS: Yes, you smile....

*
There are other songs called SALLY SUNSHINE, notably one written by Phil Everly.

If I wanted to sing this song today, I would find a way to change or remove the phrase "act like a wife." It adds a hint of incest that I don't think was intended by the songwriters. But, alas, we are too aware of incest today to let that go unnoticed. Anyway, the rest of the song describes her acting like a mother, not a wife.

The songwriters are British. Cliff Richard recorded this song in the UK. I don't know if his words were different. Would a British singer or songwriter use the word "ghetto"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Apr 11 - 05:33 PM

OK HEAR GOES THIS SONG WAS SUNG BY ONE THE MONKEES GROUP BACK IN THE 60'S HIS NAME Michael Nesmith.OR
Micky Dolenz PRETTY SURE IT WAS THE FIRST THOUGH GOOD LUK ALL AM NOW GONNA SEARCH FOR THE RECORD PETER M (*_*)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: tritoneman
Date: 25 Apr 11 - 08:31 PM

Les Read is a British songwriter and arranger who co-wrote loads of hit songs in the 1960's. These included Tom Jones' 'Delilah' and 'It's Not Unusual'
In the early 1970's I was playing guitar in Bryan Chaker's New Frontier and we recorded 'Sally Sunshine' on our album that was released on Les Reed's Chapter one label.I've never heard anyone do the song since and had more or less forgotten its existance, so I was surprised to see it turning up on Mudcat!
                                                                                       

As a postscript, there was a bit of a flurry of singles being put out of 'football club songs'during the 1970's and Chapter One released one called 'You Play All The Way Leeds United' using the tune of 'Sally Sunshine'....

Graham

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: tritoneman
Date: 25 Apr 11 - 08:52 PM

existence with an 'e', of course....!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: GUEST,sally
Date: 27 Feb 12 - 07:44 AM

mum use to sing it to me all the time

you smile all the while sally sunshine
and you laugh when you really aught to cry
dont give up keep up now sally sunshine
you know the would will shine upon you by and by

also there is

just another sally living down another ally
and i'd give the world if she belonged to me
she goes to sunday school on sunday
never mind rain or shine off she goes
and back to work again on monday
in her best little work a day clothes
ooh she's just another sally living down another ally
and i'd give the world if she belonged to me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: GUEST,Gordon
Date: 20 Aug 19 - 01:44 PM

This song has been annoying me for years. I seriously think it was recorded by Cliff Richard. I also believe that this fact has been deliberately obscured because of tge reference to the colour of Sally Sunshines skin.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 20 Aug 19 - 01:48 PM

Cliff Richard        Wenn du lachst, lacht das Glück Sally Sunshine

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 20 Aug 19 - 01:49 PM

Google that and it'll take you to it on YouTube.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sally Sunshine (Geoff Stevens, Les Reed)
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 20 Aug 19 - 04:31 PM

The song 'Sally Sunshine' was also popular in South Africa, but they changed some of the lyrics about "the skin being kind of dark" for obvious racially sensitive reasons.   It all seems lyrically well meaning but trite and outmoded in today's world (a bit like 'melting pot). Miki Antony had the best known version of the song in the UK, available on 'Youtube'. My father recorded an appalling version of it back in the early 70's, with very odd accordion backing on an LP - a bit of a racket. The song has mostly lived on and been adapted as a football chant as it does have one heck of a sing a long chorus! The great Les Reed passed away just a few months back.