Category Archives: Songs about the sun
SONGS ABOUT THE SUN
We’re well and truly into Summer and where are all those beautiful sunny days that this season promises? As I write this, I’m looking out at torrential rain. So, it was definitely wishful thinking that propelled me into this week’s playlist on THE SUN.
We opened the show with a song that radiates optimism, the Beatles GOOD DAY SUNSHINE, written by Paul McCartney and released on the 1966 album Revolver. A relatively new track comes from Michael Franti. I dedicated THE SOUND OF SUNSHINE to the lovely Suzie M. and her grandchildren, Reem & Aliyah who are huge Michael Franti fans.
Local lad Christian Pyle did a great job at the recent Mullumbimby Music Festival and although I played RAY OF YOUR SUNSHINE during my interview with him a couple of weeks ago, it such a great number I had to play it again. It’s from his Nothing Left to Burn album.
The Cream’s SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE is an absolute classic and is still their best-selling song of all time. Here’s Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce playing live circa 1968.
Beth Orton does a brilliant cover of The Ronettes I WISH I NEVER SAW THE SUNSHINE. I found it on the soundtrack to the film Twentyfourseven (brilliant film btw), but its also on her 1996 debut album ‘Trailer Park’. Here she performs live and is accompanied by the very talented Ted Barnes.
The wonderful Katie Noonan possibly does the best cover ever of Soundgarden’s BLACK HOLE SUN that I have ever heard. I usually don’t like to play videos that are simply photo montages, but I can’t give up the opportunity of putting her voice out there. Sublime.
There was no way I was doing a show on THE SUN without playing Stevie Wonder’s YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE. Here he is giving a rare studio concert at London’s Teddington Studios following the release of his ‘Conversation Peace’ album. A sensual ride for an intimate audience of less than 200 fans. You get the bonus of SUPERSTITION on this clip too, which I have to admit is actually my favourite Stevie Wonder number.
Bobby Hebb’s SUNNY is another very optimistic song, considering that it was written in response to his brother’s violent death which occurred on the same day of JFK’s assassination.
Two great songs that were released in 1966 are Donovan’s SUNSHINE SUPERMAN and The Kinks’ SUNNY AFTERNOON. The Kink’s strong Music Hall flavour and lyrical focus was part of a stylistic departure for the band, who had risen to fame in 1964-65 with a series of hard-driving, power-chord rock hits. Ironically, the promotional video for the single featured the band performing in a cold, snowy environment:
Nina Simone’s cover of George Harrison’s HERE COMES THE SUN is an almost religious experience. Starting slowly at first it builds to a flood of warmth and wonder. Unlike the weather here at the moment, unfortunately.
For Ros, and all the other reggae fans, we played Bob Marley’s SUN IS SHINING and followed with the Bill Withers standard – a perfectly apt song for Byron Bay at the moment: AIN’T NO SUNSHINE.
Let’s don’t get too despondent about the weather. As Elaine Page suggests “the sun will come out TOMORROW“. From the musical Annie that song went out to BayFM’s Tommy T-Jet who hosts All Things Camp Friday’s at 1pm.
The Eagles song TEQUILA SUNRISE was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and is from the album Desperado. I’ve been meaning to do a show just on The Eagles and its certainly on the agenda.
A show on THE SUN wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t include the Beach Boys. I had lots of suggestions for various tunes but I chose the very evocative THE WARMTH OF THE SUN. It was the B-side to Dance, Dance, Dance released in 1964.
Violent Femmes released their debut album in 1982. The music was an innovative combination of American folk music and punk rock, which would much later come to be known as “folk punk”. The lyrics were the common themes of yearning for love, sex and affection. The group quickly gained a following that never veered into mainstream commercialism. One of the songs that gained recognition was A BLISTER IN THE SUN.
2010 is the 25th anniversary of the very infectious WALKING ON SUNSHINE released by Katrina and the Waves. Can you believe it?
I don’t think the The Beloved were getting up with the birds to see the SUN RISING. Somehow I imagine they were on their way home from a big night out.
Australian band The Waifs recorded their 2007 album SUN DIRT WATER in Nashville and it was released on Jarrah Records, a fully independent label they share with John Butler Trio and MGM Distribution.
A couple of oldies but goodies come in the shape of THE SUN AIN’T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE from The Walker Brothers and DON’T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING from Gerry & The Pacemakers.
A while back I put together a show of songs that ask questions. And here’s a couple more: The Velvet Underground want to know WHO LOVES THE SUN and They Might Be Giants ask WHY DOES THE SUN SHINE?
The Spazzys is an all girl punk band from Melbourne who are heavily influenced by the Ramones. They’ve even taken their band’s name as their surname – Kat Spazzy, Lucy Spazzy and Ally Spazzy. Cool. The song SUNSHINE DRIVE is on their Aloha! Go Bananas album released in 2004 but my copy came from the soundtrack of the very good Australian film Suburban Mayhem.
One of The Kinks best known and most acclaimed songs is WATERLOO SUNSET. Ray Davies says, in a 2008 interview, that the song was a fantasy about his sister going off with her boyfriend and emigrating to another country.
Little Village were a supergroup who only released one album. Band members included Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe and Jim Keitner. Sung by John Hiatt, the track SOLAR SEX PANEL certainly suggests a good use for the sun’s rays!
We closed the show with Pink Floyds’s very trippy SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN.
Next week, I’m going to celebrate the Xmas Party season with SONGS ABOUT DRINKING. I’m looking for everything from rowdy singalongs to barfly melancholia and guilty hangover confessionals. That should cover everything! It will be the day after the BayFM Xmas party, so I should be suitably hungover!
Here’s this week’s complete playlist:
Good Day Sunshine – Revolver, The Beatles
The Sound Of Sunshine – The Sound Of Sunshine, Michael Franti and Spearhead
Ray of Your Sunshine – Nothing Left to Burn, Christian Pyle
Sunshine Of Your Love – Eric Clapton Story, Cream
I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine – Twentyfourseven Soundtrack, Beth Orton
Black Hole Sun – Time To Begin, Katie Noonan
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Ballad Collection, Stevie Wonder
Sunny – Rhythm & Blues, Bobby Hebb
Sunshine Superman [Extended] – Try For The Sun, Donovan
Sunny Afternoon – Lost And Found 1962-1969, The Kinks
Solar – Chet In Chicago, Chet Baker
Here Comes The Sun – The Very Best Of Nina Simone, Nina Simone
Sun Is Shining – Bob Marley Collection, Bob Marley
Ain’t No Sunshine – Lean On Me: Priceless Collection, Bill Withers
Tomorrow – Elaine Paige LIVE , Elaine Paige
Tequila Sunrise – The Very Best Of The Eagles, The Eagles
The Warmth Of The Sun – Shut Down Volume 2, The Beach Boys
Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
Walking On Sunshine – Sounds Of The Eighties: 1985, Katrina and The Waves
The Sun Rising – Single File, The Beloved
Sun Dirt Water – Sun Dirt Water, The Waifs
The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore – The Walker Brothers
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying – Gerry & The Pacemakers, Gerry and The Pacemakers
Who Loves The Sun – High Fidelity [Bonus Tracks], The Velvet Underground
Why Does The Sun Shine? – Severe Tire Damage, They Might Be Giants
The Sunshine Drive – Suburban Mayhem Soundtrack, The Spazzys
Waterloo Sunset – The Ultimate Collection [Disc 1], The Kinks
Solar Sex Panel – Little Village, Little Village
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun – A Saucerful Of Secrets, Pink Floyd
Next week: SONGS ABOUT DRINKING
