Good Day Sunshine


"Good Day Sunshine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Leonard Bernstein praised the song for its construction in a 1967 CBS News documentary. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said the song "radiates optimism and good vibes." Ian MacDonald said it is "superbly sung by McCartney and exquisitely produced by George Martin and his team" and that it shows the Beatles "at their effortless best."

Recording

The song was recorded on 8 June 1966, with overdubs added the following day. McCartney sang the lead vocal and played piano, accompanied by Ringo Starr on drums, and then overdubbed the bass guitar. Music critic Ian MacDonald was unsure if John Lennon played guitar on the track; in his description of the recording sessions for the song, Mark Lewisohn did not mention a guitar track. Lennon and George Harrison add harmony vocals during the choruses. Lennon can be barely heard repeating "she feels good" after McCartney at 1:27. George Martin played the piano solo, recorded with the tape recorder running slower than usual and thus in the released version the solo sounds faster than it was actually played. When it was mixed in mono, the drums accidentally played during the fadeout. The stereo mix repaired the mistake.
Like "She Said She Said" the song closes with an imitative canon in the voices.

Influence

McCartney said that he was influenced by the Lovin' Spoonful: the song's "old-timey vaudevillian feel" particularly recalls the Spoonful's hit "Daydream", to which "Good Day Sunshine" bears some harmonic resemblance.

Cover versions

MacDonald was unsure if Lennon played guitar on the track.