“We’ll Sing In The Sunshine” (1964) by Gale Garnett

GALE GARNETT

We’ll Sing In The Sunshine

written by Gale Garnett

produced by Andy Wiswell

I’m making this page July 17th, 2021, the 79th birthday of ’60s folk

singer Gale Zoë Garnett, known for the song covered on this page.

Happy Birthday, GG!!

This gal’s the only Gale I know with a homophonic name with a less common ‘l’-silent-‘e,’ as opposed to the widely recognized ‘i-l’ spelling. This might have something to do with the fact that she was born in Auckland, New Zealand. I wouldn’t have guessed that from listening to this song alone; I can barely hear a hint of any accent in there. Though singing tends to have that accent-masking effect. But then again, Gale moved with her family to Canada at 11. She studied and worked toward a career in acting as well as singing, and signed a record deal with RCA Victor in 1963.

Though the first single from her first album (My Kind Of Folk Songs), “Sing/Sunshine” certainly wasn’t her only release. Her recording career lasted through the end of the ’60s, by which time her music had shifted to a more psychedelic tone from her folksy beginnings. She continued singing through the ’70s, but focused more on acting, on through the following decades. Perhaps most notably, she played Aunt Lexy in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, credited with her middle name.

Pleasant and lilting as this song is to listen to, I must admit the lyrics make me a little sad. Like they indicate, don’t get too attached to her. Take a picture; it’ll last longer.

Have notes to add? Let me know!

YT:

full version

1964

Lyrics

We’ll sing in the sunshine, we’ll laugh every day / We’ll sing in the sunshine, then I’ll be on my way / I will never love you, the cost of love’s too dear / But though I’ll never love you, I’ll stay with you one year / And we can sing in the sunshine, we’ll laugh every day / We’ll sing in the sunshine, then I’ll be on my way / I’ll sing to you each morning, I’ll kiss you every night / But darlin’, don’t cling to me, I’ll soon be out of sight / But we can sing in the sunshine, we’ll laugh every day / We’ll sing in the sunshine, then I’ll be on my way / My daddy, he once told me, “Hey, don’t you love you any man / Just take what they may give you, and give but what you can” / And you can sing in the sunshine, you’ll laugh every day / You’ll sing in the sunshine, then be on your way / And when a year has ended, and I have gone away / You’ll often speak about me, and this is what you’ll say / We sang in the sunshine, you know we laughed every day / We sang in the sunshine, then she went on her way

first release: My Kind Of Folk Songs (1964)

WE’LL SING IN THE SUNSHINE {Single}—Gale Garnett.jpg

audio treated sample

This page was originally made on July 17th, 2021 and last edited on July 30th, 2021