Born Joan Drost in Buffalo, New York, as a child growing up Sommers would often sing to herself as a way of dealing with her difficult upbringing. Though having not received any musical training, Sommers began her career as a jazz singer in Los Angeles, California. In 1960, she recorded a demo with composer/arranger Tommy Oliver, earning her a recording contract with Warner Bros. Sommers. Her debut single, "One Boy" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie, reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Throughout the 60s, she also maintained a byline as a singer of jingles for Pepsi-Cola (specifically, "It's Pepsi, for Those Who Think Young" and "Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation"), earning her the nickname of "The Pepsi Girl." Years later, she also recorded a jingle for Diet Pepsi, though her work was uncredited. Fittingly, two of her albums -- For Those Who Think Young and Come Alive! -- were named after her classic jingles.
Despite being a hit single,"One Boy" was passed over for inclusion on her debut album, Positively the Most!, whose cover touted the teenaged Sommers as "the greatest discovery in singing talent in the last fifteen years." This marked the beginning of a continuing trend for Sommers: alternating between commercial pop singles and more artistically challenging and varied albums, more often than not keeping the two completely disparate.
In 1962, "Johnny Get Angry" (co-written by legendary songwriter and lyricist Hal David) became Sommers' biggest hit, driven by an anachronistic dark bass line and unusual instrumentation such as kazoos. However, the song drew noted criticism aimed at its lyrical content, perceived by some as having sexist or masochistic overtones. The follow-up single was "When the Boys Get Together", which reached #94 on the charts, becoming her final Hot 100 single, though she would later have two songs on the Adult Contemporary charts.
In 1970, Sommers temporarily retired as a singer to focus on raising a family, making only one recording during the following decade, a soundtrack single for scrapped animation film The Peppermint Choo Choo. She resumed her career at the turn of the decade, recording the album Dream in 1980. She has maintained a sporadic career of recording and performing ever since, continuing to experiment with a variety of musical styles.
When Sunny Gets Blue
Joanie Sommers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Skies get grey and cloudy
And the rain begins to fall
Pitter patter, pitter patter
Love is gone
So what can I do
No sweet lover man comes to call
Oh when sunny gets blue
She breathes a sigh of sadness
Like the winds that sway the trees.
Winds that set the leaves a-sway
Like the violins that play
Strange and haunting melodies
Oh when sunny gets blue
Sunny gets blue
When sunny gets blue
People used to love to see her laugh
And see her smile
That's how she got her name
Since that sad affair
She's lost her smile
Changed her style
Somehow she's not the same
The memories come back
And pretty dreams rise up
Where the other dreams fell through
Hurry new love, hurry here
Kiss away each lonely tear
Hold me near when
Sunny gets blue
Oh yes, when sunny gets blue
Sunny gets blue
When sunny gets blue
Sunny gets blue
In Joanie Sommers's song "When Sunny Gets Blue," the lyrics express the melancholy feeling that comes with the absence of love. The song starts by describing how the sky turns grey and cloudy, and the rain begins to fall when Sunny, the subject of the song, becomes sad. The phrase "Pitter patter, pitter patter" is used to describe the sound of the rain, symbolizing the tears that fall when love is lost. The lyrics go on to say that when Sunny gets blue, no lover comes to call, leaving her alone with her sadness.
The second verse of the song talks about how people used to love to see Sunny laugh and smile, but since she's lost her lover, she's not the same. The memories of happier times come flooding back, and she longs for a new love to come and hold her near. The song ends on a melancholy note with the repetition of "when sunny gets blue," emphasizing the cyclical nature of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
When sunny gets blue
The singer speaks about how things change for her when her emotions shift from sunny to blue.
Skies get grey and cloudy
The shift in the singer's emotions is reflected in the weather around her, causing skies to turn gray and cloudy.
And the rain begins to fall
As a result of the shift in the singer's emotions and the subsequent change in the weather, rain begins to fall symbolizing tears shed because of the sadness.
Pitter patter, pitter patter
The sound of raindrops is compared to the sound of footsteps indicating the loneliness of the artist.
Love is gone
The artist feels sad and lonely for her past love that is no longer with her.
So what can I do
The singer is asking a rhetorical question about how to deal with her loneliness and sadness.
No sweet lover man comes to call
The singer laments that there is no one to bring her happiness in her current state of sadness.
Oh when sunny gets blue
The artist repeats the song's title to emphasize the sadness and lonely emotion in her voice.
She breathes a sigh of sadness
The artist expresses the sadness in her voice by describing the character's breathing as a sigh.
Like the winds that sway the trees
The character's sighing is compared to the wind that sways the trees indicating that the character is overwhelmed by her emotions.
Winds that set the leaves a-sway
The wind that sways the leaves and the trees symbolizes the loneliness of the singer.
Like the violins that play
The artist likens the feelings of the character to the sounds of melancholy violins that are played when someone is heartbroken.
Strange and haunting melodies
The singer is describing the music as unnerving and emotional, mimicking her state of mind.
Sunny gets blue, oh when sunny gets blue
The singer reiterates the title of the song to emphasize the sadness that overcomes the character when her emotions shift.
People used to love to see her laugh
The character was known for her happiness, and people liked seeing her that way.
And see her smile, that's how she got her name
The character was given her name because of her outgoing and positive nature that was indicated by her always smiling.
Since that sad affair, she's lost her smile
The character's sad affair caused her to lose her smile and positive demeanor.
Changed her style, somehow she's not the same
The character alters her recreational habits to move on, but she is not the same person anymore.
The memories come back, and pretty dreams rise up
The character finds it hard to move on from her past and can't help but think of the memories and dreams they shared.
Where the other dreams fell through
The character realizes that the other dreams that they shared were never going to come true and are now shattered.
Hurry new love, hurry here, kiss away each lonely tear
The character is looking for a new lover to come into her life to help her heal from the past hurt and make the feeling go away.
Hold me near when sunny gets blue
The character pleads to hold someone close, especially when she feels lonely and sad.
Oh yes, when sunny gets blue, sunny gets blue
The singer repeats the title of the song to emphasize the sadness and the loneliness the character feels when she experiences it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARVIN FISHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind