Development of the song began in January 1967 when Bruce and Clapton attended a Jimi Hendrix show at the Saville Theatre in London. Inspired by the likes of Richard Wetherell and rock drummer, Bruce returned home and wrote the now memorable guitar riff that runs throughout the song. The lyrics to "Sunshine of Your Love" were written during an all-night creative session between Bruce and Brown, a poet who worked with the band: "I picked up my double bass and played the riff. Pete looked out the window and the sun was coming up. He wrote 'It's getting near dawn and lights close their tired eyes…'" Clapton later wrote the chorus ("I've been waiting so long…") which also yielded the song's title.
Clapton's guitar tone on the song is created using his 1964 Gibson SG guitar and a Marshall amplifier. It is also believed that a Vox Clyde McCoy Picture Wah is placed fully in the bass position for the solo section. The song is renowned among guitarists as perhaps the best example of his legendary late-'60s "woman tone", a thick yet articulate sound that many have tried to emulate. For the solo Clapton quoted the opening lines from the pop standard "Blue Moon," creating a contrast between the sun and the moon.
Drummer Ginger Baker's distinctive drum part was suggested by producer Tom Dowd, who drew his inspiration from what he called the "Indian beat" of classic Western films. This slow, downbeat-stressing beat forms a key element of the song. Unlike most standard rock beats which have a bass drum on 1 and 3 with a snare on 2 and 4, the beat in "Sunshine" is played almost exclusively on tom-toms, emphasizing beats 1 and 3. At the end of the song the rhythm is dramatically increased, with Baker (as well as the other two) abandoning the song's progression and simply jamming over an open A chord. However, Baker claims that he was the one who came up with the drum pattern and didn't receive writing credit: "not even a thank you!"
The band's publisher, Atlantic Records, initially rejected the song. Booker T. Jones, leader of Booker T. and the MG's and a respected Atlantic musician, heard the band rehearsing the song in the Atlantic studios and recommended it to the record company bosses. Based on this recommendation, Atlantic approved the recording.
"Sunshine of Your Love" was the band's first big US hit. In the US, this first charted in February, 1968 at #36. With the release of the album in August, it re-entered the chart and went to #5. The song appears on the soundtracks of the movies School of Rock, Goodfellas, Uncommon Valor, and True Lies. The opening riff also appeared at the end of a Futurama episode and in an episode of The Simpsons, it is played when Mona Simpson sees Joe Namath's long hair.
The song's distinctive riff is based on a D blues scale (pentatonic).
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Sunshine of Your Love" at number 19 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
Sunshine of Your Love
Cream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When lights close their tired eyes
I'll soon be with you my love
Give you my dawn surprise
I'll be with you darling soon
I'll be with you when the stars start falling
I've been waiting so long
In the sunshine of your love
I'm with you my love
The light's shining through on you
Yes, I'm with you my love
It's the morning and just we two
I'll stay with you darling now
I'll stay with you 'til my seas are dried up
I've been waiting so long
To be where I'm going
In the sunshine of your love
I'm with you my love
The light's shining through on you
Yes, I'm with you my love
It's the morning and just we two
I'll stay with you darling now
I'll stay with you 'til my seas are dried up
I've been waiting so long
I've been waiting so long
I've been waiting so long
To be where I'm going
In the sunshine of your love
The lyrics of the song "Sunshine of Your Love," by Cream, encapsulate the feelings of longing, anticipation, and the hope of love. It opens with the line "It's getting near dawn, when lights close their tired eyes," which sets the stage for the idea of a new beginning, a fresh start. The singer is talking to his love, telling her that he will soon be with her and give her a "dawn surprise." He wants to be with her when the stars start falling, which is a metaphor for unpredictability.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea of waiting for a long time to be in the "sunshine of your love." The phrase "sunshine of your love" is a perfect metaphor for the warmth and completeness that being in someone's love brings. The second verse talks about how the singer is with his love, and there is only the light shining through on them. The singer promises to stay with her until his seas are dried up. His love is his anchor, and he doesn't want to be away from her.
In summary, "Sunshine of Your Love" is a song about a journey towards love. The singer has been waiting for a long time to be with his love and is eager to be in her presence. He wants to be around her, feel her light shining through, and stay with her forever.
Line by Line Meaning
It's getting near dawn
The day is about to begin
When lights close their tired eyes
As night ends, it's time for people to sleep
I'll soon be with you my love
The singer is looking forward to being with his loved one soon
Give you my dawn surprise
He has a surprise for his loved one when they meet in the morning
I'll be with you darling soon
The singer reassures his loved one that he will be with her soon
I'll be with you when the stars start falling
The singer promises to be with his loved one no matter what
I've been waiting so long
The singer has been looking forward to this moment for a long time
To be where I'm going
The singer wants to be with his loved one
In the sunshine of your love
The singer wants to experience the warmth and happiness of being with his loved one
I'm with you my love
The singer is now with his loved one
The light's shining through on you
The morning light emphasizes how special his loved one is to him
Yes, I'm with you my love
The singer reassures his loved one that he is there for her
It's the morning and just we two
The singer and his loved one are sharing a quiet and special moment together
I'll stay with you darling now
The singer reveals his intention to stay with his loved one
I'll stay with you 'til my seas are dried up
The singer promises to stay with his loved one forever
To be where I'm going
The singer still just wants to be with his loved one
In the sunshine of your love
The singer's ultimate goal is to be with his loved one and feel the joy that comes with being together
I've been waiting so long
The singer's longing for his loved one has lasted for a long time
I've been waiting so long
The singer feels like he's been waiting forever
I've been waiting so long
The singer's continual waiting shows how much his loved one means to him
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eric Patrick Clapton, Jack Bruce, Peter Constantine Brown, Peter Ronald Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ralph Signorelli
on Spoonful
First time I heard Cream I was stoned out of my mind on LSD lying of the floor between two very large speakers, for 8 hours. These guys are the best musicians England ever produced. All Rock music after this was just was just imitation.