Everybody Loves the Sunshine

Recorded in 1976 at Electric Lady Studios in New York, the track features Roy Ayers and Debbie Darby on vocals, with Philip Woo on keyboards. Ayers wrote and arranged the song, combining electric piano, synthesizer and an unhurried rhythm. The title track of Ayers' 1976 Polydor album became his signature recording. Its sparse arrangement and layered vocals established one of his most enduring musical statements. Its keyboard motif and vocal refrain became widely sampled, notably in Mary J. Blige's My Life. Covers by D'Angelo, Takuya Kuroda and Robert Glasper further extended its influence.