I Can See Clearly Now
| "I Can See Clearly Now" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg){kind=spacer} |
||||
| Single by Johnny Nash | ||||
| from the album I Can See Clearly Now | ||||
| B-side | "How Good It Is" | |||
| Released | June 23, 1972 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop-Reggae | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Writer(s) | Johnny Nash | |||
| Producer | Johnny Nash | |||
| Johnny Nash singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"I Can See Clearly Now" is a Billboard Hot 100 Chart #1 hit 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, who re-recorded it for the motion picture soundtrack of Cool Runnings, where it reached the top 20 at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Contents |
Johnny Nash version [edit]
Music and lyrics [edit]
The song's 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 recorded it in London with members of the Fabulous Five, Inc.
The song's promotional video is set in Washington, D.C., which at the time of the release was in the beginning stages of the Watergate scandal.
Chart performances [edit]
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 the same four weeks atop the adult contemporary chart.[1]
Track listings [edit]
- 7" single
- "I Can See Clearly Now" — 2:44
- "How Good It Is" — 2:38
- 7" single
- "I Can See Clearly Now" — 2:44
- "Cupid" — 3:30
Certifications [edit]
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S.[2] | Gold | November 17, 1972 | 1,000,000 |
Charts [edit]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Black Singles[3] | 38 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[3] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[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 (Johnny Nash version) November 4, 1972 (four weeks) |
Succeeded by "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations |
| Preceded by "If I Could Reach You" by The Fifth Dimension |
Billboard Easy Listening Singles number one single (Johnny Nash version) November 4, 1972 (four weeks) |
Succeeded by "I'd Love You to Want Me" by Lobo |
Jimmy Cliff version [edit]
Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff recorded a cover of the song for the 1993 movie Cool Runnings, also known in France as Rasta Rockett.[7] 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 |
| Recorded | 1993 |
| Genre | Pop-Reggae |
| Length | 3:16 |
| Label | Chaos Recordings/Columbia |
| Writer(s) | Johnny Nash |
| Producer | Paul Henton |
Certifications [edit]
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| France[8] | Silver | August 30, 1994 | 125,000 |
Charts [edit]
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| French Singles Chart[12] | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] | 66 |
| 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 |
Other covers [edit]
The song also appears in various other films, such as Grosse Pointe Blank, The Break-up, Thelma & Louise, Antz, Deep Blue Sea, Envy, Hitch, Igor_(film), Shrek 2's Far Far Away Idol, Viktor Vogel – Commercial Man and Jennifer's Body, as well in a 2009 advertisement for Lipton in the Middle East and Russia. It is also briefly sung by Cheech in the movie Up in Smoke.
It has also been covered by
- Alex E
- Anne Murray
- Aswad
- Beat Crusaders
- Bobby Goldsboro
- Claude François as "Toi et le soleil", a French version
- Dream Sequence in 1999, as "Clearly", an uptempo eurodance remix
- Dobie Gray
- Donny Osmond
- Doyle Bramhall
- 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
- Geoff Moore and the Distance
- Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1973 on Imagination[14]
- Holly Cole Trio
- Hothouse Flowers in 1990 on Home[15]
- James Last
- Kaitlyn Maher
- Kermit Ruffins
- Lee Towers
- Lloyd Green
- Lorie - cover of the French Toi et le Soleil Claude François version
- Marisa Monte
- Neil Finn in 1999 to raise money for The Fred Hollows Foundation
- Procol Harum in concert medleys
- Ray Charles
- Francis Rossi on One Step at a Time (Deluxe Edition only)
- Susan Cadogan
- 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 McEntire
- The Mamas & the Papas
- The Three Blind Mice during Far Far Away Idol
- Toots & the Maytals
- Willie Nelson
R&B guitarist Jonathan Butler recorded a cover from his 2010 album "So Strong."[16][17]
It is also a perennial favorite for several a cappella groups, including The Coats, The Nylons, University of Oregon's On the Rocks, and the European formation "Klapa Sinj & Ida Ajdukovic".
In November 2002, the song was featured prominently in "The Freak," an episode of the NBC police drama television series Boomtown.[18]
References [edit]
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved August 9, 2008)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 9, 2008)
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved August 9, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved August 1, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart (1989 release) Chartstats.com (Retrieved August 1, 2008)
- ^ King, Alex P. (2004). Hit-parade — 20 ans de tubes (in French). Paris: Pascal. p. 341. ISBN 2-35019-009-9.
- ^ French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved August 9, 2008)
- ^ a b c d "I Can See Clearly Now", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
- ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
- ^ 1994 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1994". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Imagination". allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved 2008-01-22. "I Can See Clearly Now - Nash"
- ^ "Home". Retrieved 2008-01-22. "Released: 1990 [...] composed by [...] 7. Johnny Nash"
- ^ "So Strong overview". Allmusic.com.
- ^ [Biography - Jonathan Butler "So Strong overview"] Check
|url=scheme (help). JonathanButler.com. - ^ Graham Yost & Michelle Ashford (writers); Jon Avnet (director) (2002-11-03). "The Freak". Boomtown (TV series). Season 1. Episode 6. NBC.
