 Hebb was devastated by both events and many critics say that they, and critically the loss of his older brother, inspired the lyrics and tune.According to Hebb, he merely wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a ""sunny"" disposition over a ""lousy"" disposition following the murder of his brother.Events influenced Hebb's songwriting, but his melody, crossing over into R&B (#3 on U.S. R&B chart) and Pop (#2 on U.S.