GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Episode: Wake Of The Flood 50: Here Comes Sunshine

Date: October 19, 2023
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow

Overview:

This episode dives deep into “Here Comes Sunshine,” a beloved track from the Grateful Dead’s 1973 album Wake of the Flood. As the Deadcast celebrates the album’s 50th anniversary, hosts Rich Mahan and Jesse Jarnow explore the song’s origins, influences, musical structure, and lasting legacy. The discussion threads together historical context, band member anecdotes, rare studio insights, the unveiling of Jerry Garcia’s iconic “Wolf” guitar, and the song’s enduring place in Deadhead lore and wider popular culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unique Place in the Dead’s Catalog

• “Here Comes Sunshine” is distinguished on Wake of the Flood as the only Grateful Dead studio album whose title is sourced from a lyric rather than a title track ([02:40]-[03:30]).
  • “When listeners flipped the original LP... they immediately heard the Grateful Dead do something they'd never done before on record.” – Jesse Jarnow ([02:40])
• The track’s optimism, catchy riff, and group vocals contribute heavily to its fan-favorite status.

2. Compositional Style & Inception

• The song carries a “Beatles-esque” melodic sensibility, while firmly rooted in the Dead’s distinctive rhythmic and harmonic approach.
  • “It's so Beatles esque as a composition. It just sounds like something they could have written in a great way.” – Bruce Hornsby ([05:31])
• Early 1973 home demos from Garcia reveal a process marked by careful arrangement and a desire to involve all members in the final texture ([06:16]-[19:57]).

3. Historical and Autobiographical Inspiration

• The lyrics reference the catastrophic 1948 Vanport Flood, which directly affected lyricist Robert Hunter (then Bobby Burns).
  • “He only mentioned his time in Vanport once... in his lyrics collection, A Box of Rain” – Jesse Jarnow ([11:18])
• Hunter’s experience imbues the song with layers beyond the sunny optimism of the chorus; it's also about survival and hope after trauma.

4. The Song’s Musical Architecture

• Musicologist Sean O’Donnell points out the contrapuntal, almost “chamber music” arrangement between Bob Weir and Phil Lesh ([19:57]).
  • “It's very contrapuntal. Again, it's that chamber music kind of thing that holds it together.” – Sean O’Donnell ([20:35])
• The song's arrangement matured during rehearsals, illustrated by lo-fi tapes where the band experiments and refines key transitions.

5. Studio Session Secrets & Garcia’s “Wolf” Guitar

• The Wake of the Flood sessions mark Jerry Garcia’s first use of his custom Doug Irwin “Wolf” guitar ([30:20]-[33:14]).
  • “This particular guitar that I'm playing... was made for me by Doug Irwin.” – Garcia ([30:20])
• Detailed interviews with Garcia and luthier Doug Irwin delve into the guitar’s unique build, hybridizing Fender and Gibson traits, and its effect on Garcia’s tone ([33:52]-[37:10]).
  • “The main thing that makes, you know, for his guitar being what it is, is the scale that it is. And the core of the thing is made out of Purple Heart.” – Doug Irwin ([36:12])
• Three distinct keyboards (piano, Hammond organ, ARP synthesizer) were overdubbed for rich tonal texture ([41:15]-[47:26]).

6. Evolution as a Live Classic

• Despite its brevity on the album (second shortest track), live renditions became lengthy jam vehicles, regularly exceeding 10 minutes with “gang vocals” and extended improvisations ([49:50]-[53:52]).
  • “Instead of a vocal showpiece, it is definitely an instrumental showpiece.” – David Lemieux ([49:52])
• The December 19, 1973, Tampa performance was immortalized as the inaugural “Dick’s Picks” release—a touchstone for fans ([55:25]-[58:56]).
• The song was shelved for nearly 20 years before making a celebrated comeback in the 1990s Dead sets.

7. Lasting Cultural Impact and Covers

• Notable covers include interpretations by Jazz Is Dead, The Persuasions, the Russian National Orchestra, Yonder Mountain String Band, and indie band Real Estate, highlighting the song’s adaptability across genres ([67:58]-[71:03]).
• The episode features Real Estate’s Alex Bleeker discussing translating Dead songs into modern indie contexts.

8. Taper Culture and the Song’s Legacy

• Taper’s Choice, a band formed in homage to the Dead taping tradition, embodies the band’s ongoing influence on fan communities and DIY musical culture ([73:07]-[75:23]).
  • “We have specific songs that you can probably hear in the catalog where we're like, this is a loving homage to, like, a Grateful Dead feeling.” – Alex Bleeker ([73:45])
• The show celebrates the “scrappy” and experimental feel of the Dead in 1973, seeing Wake of the Flood as a midpoint between eras.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Song’s Beatles Connection:
  “It sounds like the Dead sort of rhythm section concept and Garcia's sound and philosophy… playing a Beatles-esque song that they had written.” – Jesse Jarnow ([05:40])
• Flood as Metaphor:
  “I hear the phrase Wake of the flood as the moment after the devastation, but before things have settled into a new normal. It's got biblical resonances, of course, if you swing that way…” – Rich Mahan ([12:50])
• Composition Process:
  “It's intricate in the way that a lot of their open jamming would be, but… it's a harder lift to execute than when you're free, forming that just as your normal vocabulary.” – Sean O’Donnell ([19:57])
• On Garcia’s Wolf Guitar:
  “Because this guitar is custom made for me, it's not like a production guitar. ... There's no other guitar that's comparable to it or that's similar to it.” – Jerry Garcia ([39:08])
• On Live Versions:
  “Some of those jams—11/14, 11/17, 12/19/1973—Ah yes, December 19, 1973… I like that you can hear a cheer for the song as they start—an underground hit, even if it didn't get much airplay.” – Rich Mahan ([49:52])
• Dick Latvala on Dick’s Picks Creation:
  “It was just to get some rough ideas of some good shows. And then… we settled on 12/19/1973 because it was right in the middle of the [other] releases and it was a real creative era.” – Dick Latvala via audio ([55:25])
• Donna Jean Gottschalk on Leaving the Road
  “The very last show that I did before Zion was born was in Phoenix… And Bill Graham, bless his heart… flew me back to the Bay Area in his private jet. Well, that was huge.” – Donna Jean ([60:04])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Song & Album Introduction, Track’s Place in History: [00:00]-[04:19]
• Compositional Analysis & Beatles Comparison: [05:10]-[06:16]
• Historical Context—Vanport Flood & Hunter’s Lyric: [07:02]-[12:02]
• Demo Discussion & Early Arrangements: [16:02]-[21:32]
• Band Rehearsal Process (Lesh/Weir/Garcia): [21:32]-[24:05]
• Studio Session & Wolf Guitar Introduction: [30:20]-[37:43]
• Keyboard Overdubs & Studio Details: [41:15]-[47:26]
• 1973 Live Jam Evolution & Dick’s Picks 1: [49:50]-[58:56]
• Song’s Hiatus & Revival in the 1990s: [64:45]-[66:50]
• Legacy in Cover Versions & New Bands Influenced: [67:58]-[75:23]

Conclusion: The Enduring “Sunshine”

“Here Comes Sunshine” is revisited as a symbol of both personal and collective renewal—emerging from darkness, embracing complexity, and inspiring both innovation and community in Deadhead culture. As its melodies continue to resurface in new forms and venues, the song’s optimism and subtle depth secure its place in the Dead’s living tradition.

Guests featured:
Bruce Hornsby, Scott Metzger (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead), David Lemieux (Grateful Dead archivist), Sean O’Donnell (musicologist), Doug Irwin (luthier), Donna Jean Godchaux, Alex Bleeker (Real Estate, Taper’s Choice), and archival interviews with Jerry Garcia and Dick Latvala.

Resources & Further Listening:

• Wake of the Flood 50th Anniversary reissue
• Dick’s Picks Vol. 1 – December 19, 1973
• Real Estate’s “Here Comes Sunshine” cover (Day of the Dead, 2016)
• Taper’s Choice, The History of Taper’s Choice Vol. 1