Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home” won Grammys for Song and Record of the Year

Sunny Came Home Shawn Colvin

Writer(s): Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal (see lyrics here) Released: June 24, 1997 First Charted: February 1, 1997 Peak: 7 BB, 14 BA, 3 GR, 2 RR, 14 AC, 17 A40, 2 AA, 29 UK, 3 CN, 44 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 14.9 video, 50.14 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Shawn Colvin’s first album, Steady On, dropped in 1989 when she was already in her early ‘30s. It would be nearly another decade before she found her greatest success with “Sunny Came Home,” a Grammy-winner for Record and Song of the Year in 1998. The song was released as the second single from Colvin’s fourth album, A Few Small Repairs. It was her highest-charting album, reaching #39 in the United States and becoming her only platinum release. While Colvin has had a handful of charting songs in the UK and on the adult contemporary charts in the United States, “Sunny Came Home” was her only chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #7. Music historian Steve Sullivan described it as “a quietly compelling account of a troubled woman who finally goes over the edge.” SS Washington Post’s Joshua Zarov said, “Colvin’s poetic lyrics, flawless finger-picking, and unusual guitar tunings give her songs a distinctive character; and her voice, breathy and gentle, is capable of swelling with strength and emotion when necessary.” JZ Colvin told Huffpost.com that “Sunny Came Home,” which she co-wrote with former romantic partner John Leventhal, was the last song written for the album. She’d already chosen the album cover – a painting by her friend Julie Speed of a woman holding a lit match with a fire raging in the background. It inspired Colvin to write a song about a woman who sets her own house on fire as revenge against someone who spurned her. She explained that she focused on imagery like the kitchen, the tools, and the fire but left the story open to listeners’ interpretations. Many have viewed it as a feminist anthem in which the narrator reacts to domestic abuse. Resources: MC Huffpost.com (9/28/2106). “‘Sunny Came Home’ Singer Shawn Colvin Reflects on Her Powerful, Cryptic Song” by Maddie Crum SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 340-1. JZ Washington Post (11/7/2008). Weekend section, page 7. By Joshua Zarov. Related Links: First posted 1/12/2025.