Today's song entitled "You Are My Sunshine" was written on January 30, 1940, "You Are My Sunshine" was copyrighted by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell and published by Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc. of New York. The pair recorded the song on February 5, 1940, at Decca Studios in New York.
Two groups originally from the Atlanta area were the first to record “You Are My Sunshine,” both during the latter half of 1939. First of these was the Pine Ridge Boys, an old-time, close-harmony, two-guitars-with-yodels duo made up of Doug Spivey and Marvin Taylor; they recorded it for Bluebird (B-8263) on August 22.
“You Are My Sunshine” is often called “heartwarming”, but a close look at the lyrics after the first verse shows that they're better described as “heartbreaking”. It's about unrequited love. This song has enjoyed enduring popularity for nine decades.
The alphanotes sheet music can be downloaded here. Enjoy!
