Today’s classic song of the day is “I Can See Clearly Now,” and it was written, produced, and performed by Johnny Nash. Released in June of 1972, this single hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, as well as the Cash Box Top 100. (It topped the U.S. charts for four weeks straight.) The song was also a #1 hit in Canada and South Africa, and hit #5 on the UK charts.
Johnny Nash, an American singer, recorded “I Can See Clearly Now” in London with the Fabulous Five Inc, a well-known reggae band from Jamaica. That’s why the single has a distinct reggae flavor, as well as the fact that Nash had earlier collaborated with reggae legend Bob Marley.
“I Can See Clearly Now” is a song of hope, of things getting better after experiencing something bad:
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright, bright sun-shining day
Johnny Nash was born in Houston, Texas, and started singing covers of R&B hits when he was just 13 years old. He also sang for seven years on Arthur Godfrey’s various television and radio programs. He got his first contract with a major record label in 1957 when he was 17 years old and had his first charting single, a cover of Doris Day’s “A Very Special Love,” a year later. He turned to reggae in the late ’60s and had a few minor hits over the course of his career, although his biggest hit by far was “I Can See Clearly Now.” He also sang the theme song for the syndicated cartoon series The Mighty Hercules, which I watched as a kid when it ran from 1963 to 1966. (“Softness in his eyes, iron in his thighs; virtue in his heart, fire in every part of the Mighty Hercules!”)
Nash dropped out of the music business in the late ’70s. He passed away in October of 2020, at 80 years of age.
Here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Johnny Nash in a promotional film for “I Can See Clearly Now.” Yeah, it’s mainly him riding a horse. Life was simpler back then.
