#140: Sunshine Reggae by Laid Back

City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CKOI
Peak Month: March 1984
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #6
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Sunshine Reggae”
Lyrics: “Sunshine Reggae”

Laid Back is a duo from Denmark. John Guldberg was born in Denmark in 1947. Tim Stahl, also from Denmark, was the other vocalist. Guldberg and Stahl met in the mid-1970s, and they played together in a group called the Starbox Band. After a poorly received show supporting the Kinks, the band split up, but the duo continued working together. Guldberg set up a small studio in downtown Copenhagen where the two musicians began exploring the possibilities that were being opened up by new technologies, such as multitrack tape recorders, synthesizers, and drum machines. In 1980, their single “Maybe I’m Crazy” became a number-two hit in Denmark. Their debut album, simply titled Laid Back, was released in 1981. A second track from the debut album, “Bolivia”, reached #3 in Denmark.

In 1983, the duo released their second album titled Keep Smiling. It included the track “Sunshine Reggae”.

Laid Back wrote “Sunshine Reggae”. The song’s simple message invites people to smile at one another, enjoy the sunshine, the reggae music, and “let the good vibes get a lot stronger.”

“Sunshine Reggae” reached #6 in Montreal. Internationally, “Sunshine Reggae” peaked at number-one in Argentina, Austria, Uruguay, and West Germany, climbed to #3 in Italy, #4 in Belgium, and the Netherlands, #9 in Switzerland, and #15 in Ireland. In 2000, a remix of the song titled “Sunshine Reggae 2000” climbed to #7 on the pop chart in Denmark.

Laid Back’s followup single was “High Society Girl” which reached #2 in Denmark and #9 in West Germany. While in 1984, “White Horse” reached number-one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, and #5 on the Hot Black Singles chart. Elsewhere, “White Horse” peaked at #15 in the Netherlands, and #18 in Belgium. Miami New Times wrote, “It’s often debated whether the white horse in this song refers to cocaine or heroin. Either way, Laid Back’s 1983 single starts out persuading you not to ride the white horse but rather to ride the white pony, also a slang term for coke.” In Canada, “White Horse” rode to #11 in Montreal, and #15 in Toronto.

Later in 1984, “Elevatorboy” climbed to #4 in Denmark. And in 1987, “So This Is X●Mas” climbed to #10 on the Danish pop chart. Laid Back’s last international hit was in 1989 with “Bakerman”. The single topped the pop chart in Austria, while reaching #9 in Switzerland, and #10 in West Germany.

Since 1981, Laid Back have released sixteen albums, the latest being Forevergreen which was released in 2024. The duo also composed the soundtrack for the 2001 feature film Flyvende Farmor, for which they were awarded a Robert, the Danish equivalent of an Oscar. That same year, an exhibition of the band’s artwork, including pieces that appeared on their records and promotional posters, took place in Copenhagen.

In 2019, Laid Back received the prestigious Danish award “Pioneer of the Year” (Årets Steppeulv) for their many years of contribution to the international music scene. They continue to perform sporadically as they promote albums like Road to Fame (2023), and there most recent one.

July 18, 2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Laid Back: Our Story,” Laid Back Official.com.

CKOI 96.9-FM Montreal Top Ten | March 30. 1984