Journal · 21 June 2018

Our top 5 sun songs

It's officially summer today! Here are our five favourite sun songs to mark the start of the warm season.

It's finally officially summer! And so, to coincide with the start of the warm season, here are our five favourite sunshine songs.

5. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks

Shortly before this song was written, The Kinks were going through a turbulent time. Legal disputes over breach of contract, tensions within the group itself and an incredible workload had a negative effect on songwriter Ray Davies. He suffered a nervous breakdown, which forced him to take a break from the upcoming tour and stay in bed part of the time. In a morning session with musician Nicky Hopkins, he wrote "Sunny afternoon", an ironic song about a young man who complains about the adversities and difficulties of a life with a lot of money. "Sunny afternoon" was released in 1966.

4. Walking On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves

There isn't a party where this song doesn't get us dancing. "Walking on sunshine" can first be heard on the 1983 album of the same name, which was released exclusively in Canada. It then appeared on the album "Katrina and the Waves" in 1985, became a top 40 hit in the USA and was also successful in many other countries. Exactly 20 years after the song was released, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the coasts of the USA. The TV programme "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" called its coverage of the storm "Katrina and the Waves". The band only had one hit after "Walking on sunshine".

3. Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow

This feel-good pop song appeared on the album "C'mon C'mon" in 2002. Crow's co-writer Jeff Trott had the idea for the song when he was thinking about the sun during a flight. The video for the song was part of a promotional deal with a credit card provider and excerpts of it were also used in their adverts.

2. Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In - The Fifth Dimension

The musical "Hair" became famous in the 1960s and struck a chord with the times. Protests against the Vietnam War and the growing hippie movement as a rebellion against the establishment became the theme. In 1968, The 5th Dimension informed their producer Bones Howe that they wanted to record the song "Aquarius" from the musical. However, as the song had already been covered by other artists before them, Howe came up with the idea of making the lyrics "Let the sunshine in" from the Hair song "The Flesh Failures" part of the later medley "Aquarius/Let the sunshine in". Howe's idea was brilliant and the medley became a hit.

1. Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

The ultimate song for a good start to the day. George Harrison not only wrote this song in his friend Eric Clapton's garden, he also used his friend's guitars. It was a difficult time for Harrison, because the Beatles were at odds. "Here comes the sun" is a song full of hope and describes the return of the sun after a long winter. In the documentary "The Material World", Clapton explains how the song came about. He and Harrison were in the garden with their guitars on a spring day when Harrison suddenly sang the first lines of the song. "Here Comes the Sun" was released in 1969 on the album "Abbey Road". Here comes the Sun" is one of a total of 22 compositions that George Harrison wrote during his time with the Beatles and can be found in eleventh place on the album "Abbey Road", the last one that the Beatles recorded together. "Here Comes the Sun" has been covered many times, including by jazz legend Nina Simone, reggae musician Peter Tosh and Take That star Gary Barlow.

Autorin: Nina Ryschawy