Dirty Ol’ Sunshine

Lyrics

Dirty old sunshine
Dirty old rain
Dirty old flowers
Dirty old pain
Dirty old winter
Dirty old moon
Dirty old sorrow
Dirty old tune

Dirty old mansion
Dirty old sky
Dirty old franchise
Dirty old lie
Dirty old witness
Dirty old vow
Dirty old daydream
Dirty old now

Dirty old summer
Dirty old clothes
Dirty old passion
Dirty old Rose
Dirty old sundown
Dirty old friend
Dirty old steam train
Dirty old end

Credits

Songwriter

Words and music by Christian Crumlish (BMI)

Personnel

Recording dates

DateSession details
April 29, 2023Crumlish on uke, vocals. Wade on Les Paul guitar, vocals. Brodnitz on electronic keyboard, vocals. Gans on bass, vocals.
May 16, 2024j.d. hanes added drums. Goody recut the bass part.
June 23, 2024Synced all instruments to drums. Reamped the uke. Gans added guitar solo.
January 4, 2025Reamped uke solo with Rolly Jelly pedal.

Song Notes

When I was writing the song that became this one it started off a lot more fatty, and it wasn’t a blues yet. It ended up as a kind of a prayer. When I shared it with my old New York pal Marc he teased me for using 16 bars instead of 12 but none of the musicians batted an eye.

The main drum track was j.d. hanes’s first and only take. “Do you want to go again?” “How ’bout we listen to that first take?” … “I think we’re good!” Though he did have an idea for a wood block overdub that spiced up the second-line feel.

Robert Wade suggested we repeat the third verse to allow room for the solos (ukulele, organ, guitar).