Boney M.’s 1977 disco hit “Sunny” was based on a song first recorded by Bobby Hebb.
Bobby Hebb wrote and recorded “Sunny” in 1966 as a soulful song of gratitude and recovery. Boney M. transformed it into a faster, more heavily arranged disco performance for the group’s 1976 album Take the Heat off Me, with the single becoming a major European success in 1977.
The Boney M. version retained the song’s central melody and words while adding a dance-oriented rhythm, layered vocals, and the group’s distinctive Eurodisco presentation. It introduced the composition to a new international audience.
The recording is sometimes mistaken for an original Boney M. composition because their version became the most familiar one for many listeners. Other artists, including Cher and Jamiroquai, also recorded versions, but Hebb remains the original writer and first notable recording artist.