I Can See Clearly Now

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"I Can See Clearly Now"
Single by Johnny Nash
from the album I Can See Clearly Now
B-side	"How Good It Is"
Released	1972
Format	7" single
Genre	Pop-Reggae
Length	2:45
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash singles chronology
"Cupid" (1969) "I Can See Clearly Now" (1972) "Stir It Up" (1973)

"I Can See Clearly Now" is a song written and recorded by Johnny Nash. It was a single from the album of the same name and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1972. It was covered by many artists throughout the years, including a 1993 hit version by Jimmy Cliff.

Contents 1 Johnny Nash version 1.1 Music and lyrics 1.2 Chart performances 1.3 Track listings 1.4 Certifications 1.5 Charts 2 Jimmy Cliff version 2.1 Certifications 2.2 Charts 3 Other covers 4 References

[edit] Johnny Nash version

[edit] Music and lyrics

The song's extremely optimistic lyrics, an unabashedly upbeat tempo in D-major, and a quick, sustained midway crescendo, contrasted against minor key hits popular at the same time, such as "Nights In White Satin," "I'll Be Around," "Witchy Woman," and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." Nash thus joined Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Rick Nelson as 1950s rock pioneers each having his last Hot 100 top 10 success in late 1972.

It is a common misconception that the song was written and/or performed by Bob Marley, possibly based on the fact that The Wailers were the backing band on Nash's original recording. Marley wrote Nash's next single, "Stir It Up".

[edit] Chart performances

After making modest chart advances for a month, the RIAA certified gold single unexpectedly took only two weeks to vault from #20 to #5 to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 4, 1972, remaining atop this chart for four weeks, and also spent four weeks atop the adult contemporary chart.^[1]

[edit] Track listings

7" single

1. "I Can See Clearly Now" — 2:44
2. "How Good It Is" — 2:38

7" single

1. "I Can See Clearly Now" — 2:44
2. "Cupid" — 3:30

[edit] Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
U.S.[2]	Gold	November 17, 1972	500,000

[edit] Charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Black Singles[3]	38
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[3]	1
U.S. Billboard Pop Singles[3]	1
Irish Singles Chart[4]	9
UK Singles Chart[5]	5
Chart (1989)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[6]	54

Preceded by "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry

Billboard Hot 100 number one single November 4, 1972 - November 25, 1972 (4 weeks)

Succeeded by "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations

[edit] Jimmy Cliff version

Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff recorded a cover of the song for the 1993 movie Cool Runnings. It was released as a single in 1994, becoming a comeback hit for him, reaching #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"I Can See Clearly Now"
Single by Jimmy Cliff
from the album Cool Runnings (soundtrack)
B-side	"Sweet Jamaica" by Tony Rebel
Released	1993
Format	CD single
Genre	Pop-Reggae
Length	3:16
Label	Chaos/Columbia
Writer(s)	Johnny Nash

[edit] Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
France[7]	Silver	August 30, 1994	125,000

[edit] Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3]	18
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles[3]	11
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents[3]	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[3]	9
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Track[3]	98
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[3]	7
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[8]	17
Dutch Singles Chart[8]	39
French SNEP Singles Chart[8]	1
German Singles Chart[9]	52
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[8]	1
UK Singles Chart[10]	23

End of year chart (1994)	Position
French Singles Chart[11]	11

Preceded by "It Keeps Raining" by Bitty McLean	New Zealand RIANZ number one single January 16, 1994 - February 20, 1994 (6 weeks)	Succeeded by "Heater" by The Mutton Birds
Preceded by "Je danse le Mia" by IAM	French SNEP number one single June 18, 1994 - July 2, 1994 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "I Like To Move It" by Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman

[edit] Other covers

The song experienced a revival in popularity again in 1993 when Jimmy Cliff recorded a version for the soundtrack of the film Cool Runnings. The song also appears in various other films, such as Grosse Pointe Blank, The Break-up, Thelma & Louise, Antz, Deep Blue Sea, Envy, Hitch and Shrek 2's Far Far Away Idol.

It has also been covered by

• Alex E
• Anne Murray
• Aswad
• Beat Crusaders
• Claude François as "Toi et le soleil", a French version
• Doyle Bramhall in the early 1990s, a blues version
• Donny Osmond
• Eagle-Eye Cherry for the romantic comedy Over Her Dead Body
• Even in Blackouts on The Fall of the House of Even
• Everlife
• Funk, Inc. in 1973 on Hangin' Out
• Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1973 on Imagination^[12]
• Holly Cole Trio
• Hothouse Flowers in 1990 on Home^[13]
• Lee Towers
• Marisa Monte
• Neil Finn in 1999 to raise money for The Fred Hollows Foundation
• Ray Charles
• Screeching Weasel on My Brain Hurts
• Sonny and Cher
• Soul Asylum on After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997
• Susie Luchsinger
• Toots & the Maytals
• Willie Nelson

It is also a perennial favorite for several a cappella groups, including The Coats and University of Oregon's On the Rocks.

[edit] References