Beautiful Sunday (song) explained

"Beautiful Sunday" is a song written by Daniel Boone and Rod McQueen (real name David Balfe)^[1] and performed by Boone. It appeared on his 1972 album Beautiful Sunday and was produced by Larry Page and arranged by Boone.^[2]

It has been described as the biggest international hit in the British bubblegum pop genre.^[3] Robin Carmody of Freaky Trigger praised the song for its "timelessly, wonderfully obvious chord sequence" and euphoric tone, "without any hint that driving to and from your day's pleasure and relaxation might even contain anything sexual, let alone anything depressing, tedious and ugly." He named it the greatest British bubblegum pop song, deeming it "a neo-folk song structure of almost religious, redemptive simplicity / sublimity. One of the greatest singles of the 70s, if not ever."

Chart performance

"Beautiful Sunday" was released by Penny Farthing Records, but by Mercury Records in the US, in 1972. It peaked at No. 15 on Billboard Hot 100 on 16–23 September 1972 and at No. 1 on WCFL on 21 October 1972.^[4] The song also made the charts in New Zealand (gold record), France, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, and Germany, where it held the No. 1 position from May 1972 to late June 1972.^[5]

The song peaked at No. 21 in the United Kingdom on its original release in 1972, and reached No. 53 when re-released in 1974.^[6]

Boone re-released the song in Japan in 1976; it topped the Oricon Singles Chart from 22 March to 28 June.^[7] "Beautiful Sunday" is still the best selling single by a foreign artist in Japan.

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[8]
Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[9]
Belgium (Flanders)[10]
Canada (RPM 100)[11]
Germany
Mexico[12]
Netherlands[13]
New Zealand[14]
Norway (VG-lista)[15]
South Africa (Springbok)[16]
Switzerland[17]
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)
US Easy Listening[18]
US Cash Box Top 100[19]

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)	Rank
Australia	50
Canada	30
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [20]	42
U.S. Cash Box [21]	77

In popular culture

The song is commonly used for the 'Slosh' dance.^[22] The dance is popular in Scotland where it is commonly played at wedding receptions. ^[23] The song has also been sung by supporters of Dundee United since around the 1990s.^[24]

In media

"Beautiful Sunday" was the theme song in 1975-76 on Japan's TBS morning show, Ohayo 720.^[25]

The song was featured in the Scottish sitcom Still Games second series episode 3, "Doactors" (Doctors). Characters Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade dance the Slosh to it.

The 2010 musical I Dreamed a Dream, based on the life of singer Susan Boyle, includes the tune.

The song appears in the HBO Max series The Righteous Gemstones, in the second season's ninth episode, "I Will Tell of All Your Deeds".

Other versions

• Jack Reno, as a single in 1973. It went to No. 67 on the U.S. country chart.^[26]
• Kikki Danielsson and Roosarna on the 1996 album Hem till Norden.^[27]
• NRBQ, on the 2002 album Atsa My Band.
• The Ventures released an instrumental rendition.^[28]
• Seiji Tanaka released a Japanese version of "Beautiful Sunday" as a single in 1976. It reached #4 on the Japan singles chart and has sold half a million copies.^[29]
• "Poyushchiye Gitary" ("The Singing guitars") - a Soviet group, recorded it in 1975. (Russian text by M.Belyakov).
• Brazilian musician Rossini Pinto wrote a Portuguese-language version of the song, entitled "Domingo Feliz" ("Happy Sunday"), in 1972, which has been since covered by many bands and artists such as Renato e Seus Blue Caps, Ângelo Máximo and Maurício Pereira.
• Pou Vannary - A Cambodian Singer in the early to mid 1970s, sang the song with both English and Khmer lyrics.

See also

• List of number-one hits of 1972 (Mexico)

Notes and References

1. Web site: David Balfe, 74: Musician and collaborator on Chelsea FC's song Blue is the Colour . 4 January 2020. The Times .
2. Web site: Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday / Truly Julie - Mercury - USA - 73281 . 45cat.com . 6 October 2016.
3. Web site: Carmody . Robin . The Cottage Industry of Moments . Freaky Trigger . 20 November 2022 . 2 . 1 January 2002.
4. Web site: All Hit Music in the Midwest. WCFL. 21 October 1972. 20 August 2020.
5. News: Riding high with Penny Farthing around the globe. Billboard . 11 November 1972 . 61. 22 January 2014.
6. Web site: Beautiful Sunday (song by Daniel Boone) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts . Musicvf.com . 6 October 2016.
7. Web site: 日本オリコン総合,1位曲(洋楽データベース) . 23 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140726200319/http://yougaku-data.com/japanese/oricon-number1.php . 26 July 2014 .
8. Web site: Steffen Hung . Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) . australian-charts.com . 3 November 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160602084720/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 . 2 June 2016 .
9. Web site: Go-Set Australian charts - 26 August 1972 . Poparchives.com.au . 26 August 1972 . 6 October 2016.
10. Web site: Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday . Ultratop.be . 6 October 2016.
11. "RPM 100 Singles - October 7, 1972", RPM, Volume 18, No. 8, 10 October 1972.
12. Web site: Billboard "Hits of the World" . 18 November 1972. 86. 20 September 2022.
13. Web site: Steffen Hung . Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday . Dutchcharts.nl . 6 October 2016.
14. Web site: flavour of new zealand - search listener . Flavourofnz.co.nz . 6 October 2016.
15. Web site: Steffen Hung . Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday . Norwegiancharts.com . 6 October 2016.
16. Web site: South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Songs (A-B).
17. Web site: Steffen Hung . Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday . Hitparade.ch . 6 October 2016.
18. Web site: Beautiful Sunday (song by Daniel Boone) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts . Musicvf.com . 6 October 2016.
19. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 9/30/72 . Tropicalglen.com . 30 September 1972 . 6 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160913164152/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19720930.html . 13 September 2016 . dead .
20. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972 . Musicoutfitters.com . 6 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170427223218/http://musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1972.htm . 27 April 2017 . dead .
21. Web site: Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1972 . Tropicalglen.com . 30 December 1972 . 6 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180928150812/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1972YESP.html . 28 September 2018 . dead .
22. Web site: Slosh Dance Steps . ourpasttimes.com . 1 January 2018.
23. Web site: When women knew how to slosh about the dance floor . heraldscotland.com . 31 May 2017. 1 January 2018.
24. Web site: One singer, one song - but can you name the tune? . BBC . 21 May 2010 . 22 April 2023.
25. Web site: 報道史 . 23 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150121045510/http://www.tbs.co.jp/cameraman/terada/terada1.html . 21 January 2015 .
26. Web site: Beautiful Sunday (song by Jack Reno) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts . Musicvf.com . 6 October 2016.
27. Web site: Hem till Norden. Svensk mediedatabas. 1996. 24 July 2014.
28. Web site: The Last Album on Liberty - The Ventures | Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 6 October 2016.
29. Web site: ベストテン・クラシックス〜１９７６年６月 - Lonesome-happy-days . D.hatena.ne.jp . 21 June 2013 . 6 October 2016.