Daydream (John Sebastian)

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Daydream (John Sebastian)

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In the documentary, Lovin’ Spoonful: A Lovin’ Look Back (see video, 8:02f), John Sebastian describes how the guitar lick which begins the song was written in imitation of the straight eighth rhythmic pattern (with what he refers to as a shuffle that “isn’t all the way expressed”) of Motown songs such as “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Baby Love” by the Supremes.

Sebastian claims that the genesis of the song occurred while the Lovin’ Spoonful was touring with the Supremes in the summer of 1966.* The date he attributes to the moment is inaccurate, since the single was released in February 1966. The summer of 1965 is a more likely time frame for the tour he refers to. The Spoonful’s first single, “Do You Believe in Magic,” was issued in August 1965.

From the book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, by Barry Miles, 2008, p. 288:

The big hit of the summer of 1966 in England was the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream” and it spawned a number of sound-alike songs such as “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” by the Small Faces and the Kinks’ “Sunny Afternoon.” “Good Day Sunshine” by the Beatles was another.

PAUL: It was really very much a nod to the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream,” the same traditional, almost trad-jazz feel. That was our favourite record of theirs. “Good Day Sunshine” was me trying to write something similar to “Daydream.” John [Lennon] and I wrote it together at Kenwood, but it was basically mine, and he helped me with it.

However, John Sebastian wasn’t aware of the influence of “Daydream” upon “Good Day Sunshine” until 1984. In the book A Hard Day’s Write by Steve Turner (1999), Sebastian is quoted as saying:

One of the wonderful things The Beatles had going for them is that they were so original that when they did cop an idea from somebody else it never occurred to you. I thought there were one or two of their songs which were Spoonfuloid but it wasn’t until Paul mentioned it in a Playboy interview that I specifically realized we’d inspired “Good Day Sunshine.”

In the 1984 Playboy interview of Paul and Linda McCartney, during the part when Paul was asked to comment upon a number of Beatles song titles, to the prompt “Good Day Sunshine” he said only, “Wrote that out at John’s one day–the sun was shining. Influenced by the Lovin’ Spoonful.”

The Lovin’ Spoonful

demo recording (date unknown), featuring a lyric significantly different than that of the single

issued in February 1966** on the single Kama Sutra KA 208, b/w “Night Owl Blues” — singles chart peaks: #2, US Billboard Hot 100; #2 UK — also included on the group’s second album Daydream, Kama Sutra KLPS-8051 (Stereo), Kama Sutra KLP 8051 (Mono), released in March 1966.

From the blog RockPortraits:

‘Daydream’ (US no. 2, UK no. 2), marries a carefree guitar lick to a yawning slide guitar for a gorgeous tribute to laziness. “I’m blowing the day to take a walk in the sun / And fall on my face on somebody’s new-mowed lawn,” chuckles John Sebastian. In between harmonica touches, he whistles along with the song’s melody.

From an unidentified TV show, probably Hullabaloo, Season 2, Episode 21, which aired on 7 February 1966

Live performance for the Ed Sullivan Show, Season 20, Episode 28 — aired: 19 March 1967***

including the introduction by Ed Sullivan

without the introduction

John Sebastian — live, 21 July 1970 at Tanglewood, Lenox, MA

Among the videos to follow are a couple of covers of “Daydream” by trios in which a muted trumpet is prominently featured. It’s not difficult for me to imagine arrangements of the song to be performed by a band that includes trumpet, trombone, clarinet, perhaps saxophone, and a rhythm section. The instrumental breaks in the last 50 seconds or so of the 1967 recording by The Sandpipers are precisely what I have in mind, though while I love their recording of “Come Saturday Morning,” the overly sweet vocals in their cover of “Daydream” seem incongruous to me.

For various reasons, I’ve omitted early recordings by the following artists:

1966 — The Fortunes, Dino, Desi & Billy, Sam Chalpin, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Art Blakey, John Davidson, Kate Smith, Trombones Unlimited
1967 — Louis Armstrong (not found), Rick Nelson, Bud Shank, Mike Vickers
1968 — Val Doonican, The Four Freshmen