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The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)
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Wikipedia article
"'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 and Keane have also recorded the song.
Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli recorded and released the first version of the song but his single achieved only limited success, charting on 'Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart but not making the 'Billboard' Hot 100 itself (#128).Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004 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 in over a decade.
In 2014, this version appeared in the Supernatural episode Meta Fiction, season 9 episode 18.
The song plays over the end credits of the 2019 folk horror film 'Midsommar' and during the final scene of the Hulu Original TV Series, "Shut Eye".
The Walker Brothers
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, and also became their highest-charting song on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart in the U.S., where it peaked at #13. 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 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.
Track listing
Chart positions
Cher version
In the summer of 1996, Cher released her remake as the fourth official European single from her twenty-second album 'It's a Man's World'. The song went to #26 on the UK Singles Chart. Her version was used in 'The X-Files' episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus".
Critical reception
Allmusic called this song "a real highlight" and added: "epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West."Track listing
*'UK cassette single'#"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Trevor Horn Remix) 4:02
#"Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) 4:21
*'UK CD single'
#"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Trevor Horn Remix) 4:02
#"Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) 4:21
#"Paradise Is Here" (Album Version) 5:04
*'UK 12" single'
#"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Alternative Mix) 4:02
#"Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) 4:21
#"Paradise Is Here" (Sam Ward US Mix) 4:40
Charts
Keane
In 2004, the British group 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.
;Track listing
#"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"
#"Your Eyes Open" (Mo Mental Remix)
Other versions
* The Ormsby Brothers, in 1974 - peaking at #93 in Australia.
* In 1981, Nielsen/Pearson released their remake as a single. It became their last Hot 100 hit, peaking at #56.
* Russell Hitchcock, the lead vocalist of Air Supply, for his eponymous 1988 solo debut album.
* The song features prominently in the 1991 bittersweet romance film 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, with Nina (Stevenson) playing the main chords in the chorus on the piano and Jamie (Rickman) playing the main riff on the bass strings of his cello, and both of them singing. Singing the song is a game the couple often played.
References
Category:1965 singles
Category:1966 singles
Category:1981 singles
Category:1996 singles
Category:2004 singles
Category:Songs written by Bob Crewe
Category:Songs written by Bob Gaudio
Category:Frankie Valli songs
Category:The Four Seasons (band) songs
Category:The Walker Brothers songs
Category:Cher songs
Category:Keane (band) songs
Category:Jay and the Americans songs
Category:Neil Diamond songs
Category:The Lettermen songs
Category:Russell Hitchcock songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:1965 songs
Category:Smash Records singles
Category:Philips Records singles
Category:Warner Music Group singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Ivor Raymonde
Category:Articles containing video clips
Category:Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
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