On This Day in 1973, John Denver Released a Song That Reached No. 1 After Appearing in a Heartbreaking TV Movie

John Denver released “Sunshine on My Shoulders” as a single on 23 October 1973, and it later reached No. 1 in the United States. Its use as the theme for a popular television film helped bring wider attention to the song, whose themes of love and happiness took on added meaning through the story behind the film.

Denver first recorded the song for his 1971 album *Poems, Prayers, & Promises*, then issued it as a B-side before releasing it as an A-side in 1973. The film *Sunshine*, which premiered on CBS on 9 November, told the story of Lyn Helton, a young mother with bone cancer who stopped chemotherapy to spend time with her family. The single entered the Hot 100 on 26 January 1974 and reached No. 1 on 30 March; the film also led to a series that used the song.