Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedEverybody Loves the Sunshine
Jazz-Funk1970s80BPM
B minKey
More around 80 BPM → · More in B minor →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriter of record (Roy Ayers), no dispute found — sampled roughly 200 times, with Ayers himself on record (shortly before his 2025 death) as warmly welcoming being sampled.
Sampled ~200 times
Quick Facts
Released1976
AlbumEverybody Loves the Sunshine
GenreJazz-Funk, Soul, R&B
LabelPolydor Records
ProducerRoy Ayers
Recorded atElectric Lady Studios, New York
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Roy Ayers
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — originally Polydor; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Sampled roughly 200 times (Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Common, J. Cole, Tyler, the Creator, Kanye West, Brand Nubian) — and Ayers was on record as warmly welcoming it.
Do they allow reuse?
Ayers himself expressed a warm, welcoming attitude to being sampled (see Receipts) — though no formal written policy is published.
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Roy Ayers
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
An artist genuinely happy to be sampled
In a 2016 interview, shortly before his 2025 death, Ayers said a lot of artists sample his music and that he feels very happy and good about it — a notably positive, welcoming attitude, in contrast to some of the more complicated artist-sampling relationships documented elsewhere in this catalogue.
Brooklyn R. White · read it →
What it means to Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige, who sampled it for her 1994 “My Life,” has called it “one of the most important records of my life” and one of her favourite songs ever sampled. The title phrase came to Ayers on a hot day at Electric Lady; the band reportedly waited until sunset to record it. No lyrics reproduced.
AOL / PEOPLE · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
~200
Times sampled
Sampled roughly 200 times
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used itMary J. Blige · Dr. Dre · J. Cole
Who to Contact
SU
Roy Ayers (Polydor)
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
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References
Every source cited on this page — 4 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 16)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass