| The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Frankie Valli |
| Album: | Solo |
| B-Side: | "This Is Goodbye" |
| Released: | August 1965 |
| Recorded: | July 1965 |
| Genre: | Pop rock |
| Label: | Smash |
| Producer: | Bob Crewe |
| Prev Title: | Please Take a Chance |
| Prev Year: | 1959 |
| Next Title: | (You're Gonna) Hurt Yourself |
| Next Year: | 1966 |
"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio.
It was originally released as a single credited to Frankie Valli as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by the Walker Brothers in 1966. Cher, Keane, Doug Parkinson and Bruce Springsteen have also recorded the song.
Frankie Valli recorded and released the first version of the song but his single achieved only limited success, charting on Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart (#128) but not making the Billboard Hot 100 itself.[1] Although it was recorded in a Four Seasons recording session (with the other band members at that time), it was Valli's first official "solo" single since the 1950s.
| The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore | |
| Cover: | Walker-Brothers-The-Sun-Aint-Gonn-61649.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Walker Brothers |
| Album: | The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore |
| B-Side: | "After the Lights Go Out" |
| Released: | 25 February 1966[2] |
| Recorded: | 9 January 1966, Philips Studios, Stanhope Place, London |
| Genre: | |
| Label: | Philips BF 1473[5] Smash Records (U.S.) |
| Prev Title: | My Ship Is Coming In |
| Prev Year: | 1965 |
| Next Title: | I Need You EP |
| Next Year: | 1966 |
In 1966, the Walker Brothers released their remake as a single. Re-titled "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", this version met with much greater success than Valli's. It topped the UK Singles Chart,[6] and also became their highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., where it peaked at #13.[7] The single also hit the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway.
The Walker Brothers' recording has since garnered retrospective critical acclaim, and is considered the group's signature song. NME ranked the song at #357 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", Pitchfork ranked it at #187 on its list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s", and it is listed in the 2010 book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die.
In 1990, in the movie 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', this song was sung as a cover, as well as playing a prominent role in trailer.
In 2010, this version was used in the promotional trailer for the AMC television series The Walking Dead.
In 2012, the Walker Brothers' rendition played a prominent role in the film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. It was featured the following year in the film Stoker.
In 2013, the single's B-side, "After the Lights Go Out", played over the end-credits of the Canadian-Spanish psychological thriller film Enemy.
In 2018, the Hulu streaming service series Castle Rock used the Walker Brothers' recording in season 1, episode 6.
| Chart (1966) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium Ultratop singles chart[8] | 15 | |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[9] | 2 | |
| Germany Media Control singles chart[10] | 4 | |
| Netherlands[11] | 9 | |
| New Zealand (Listener)[12] | 7 | |
| Irish Singles Chart[13] | 5 | |
| Norway VG-lista singles chart[14] | 6 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore | |
| Cover: | Tsagsa.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Cher |
| Album: | It's a Man's World |
| B-Side: | "Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) |
| Released: | August 1996 |
| Recorded: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Pop rock |
| Label: | WEA |
| Producer: | Trevor Horn |
| Prev Title: | Not Enough Love in the World |
| Prev Year: | 1996 |
| Next Title: | Paradise Is Here |
| Next Year: | 1996 |
In 1996, Cher released her remake as the fourth official European single from her twenty-second album, It's a Man's World. The track went to #26 on the UK Singles Chart. Her version was used in The X-Files episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus".
Allmusic called the song "a real highlight" and added, "epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West."[15]
| The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Keane |
| Released: | 20 April 2005 |
| Recorded: | Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex |
| Label: | War Child music |
| Producer: | Alex Lake Nathan Thomas |
| Prev Title: | This Is the Last Time |
| Prev Year: | 2004 |
| Next Title: | Bend and Break |
| Next Year: | 2005 |
In 2004, British band Keane recorded the song. Deviating from the original, Tim Rice-Oxley, pianist and composer of Keane, changed the guitar for piano. He also took the lead vocals in the second chorus, like the original version. The single was selected in summer 2004 by readers of the NME and first released as a download-only single in September 2004. It was given for download to the War Child foundation website and one thousand vinyl copies given as a gift to some fans of Keane, who had supported and helped the band. The numbered copies each included a handwritten note from Tim Rice-Oxley, also signed by the other two members, thanking them for their support.