Walking on Sunshine (song)

For the Eddy Grant song of the same name, see Walking on Sunshine (Eddy Grant album).

"Walking on Sunshine"
Single by Katrina and the Waves
from the album Walking on Sunshine (later version appeared on Katrina and the Waves)
Released	April 26, 1985 June 7, 1996 (re-issue)
Format	Gramophone
Recorded	Cambridge Studios, England 1983, 1985
Genre	Pop rock, ska, New Wave
Length	3:16 (original version) 4:00 (re-recorded version)
Label	Attic
Writer(s)	Kimberley Rew
Katrina and the Waves singles chronology
"Plastic Man" (1984) "Walking on Sunshine" (1985) "Do You Want Crying" (1985)

"Walking on Sunshine" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for Katrina and the Waves' 1983 eponymous debut full-length album. The re-recorded version was at first released on the band's 1985 self-titled album as the album's second single (see 1985 in music) and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States, and No. 8 in the United Kingdom. It is the Waves' first U.S. top 40 hit, and their biggest success in the UK until "Love Shine a Light" (1997). Conceived of as a ballad, Katrina decided the better part of valor was to belt the song out.

Royalties from airplay and advertisements of "Walking on Sunshine" have been extremely high. Katrina and the Waves kept the publishing rights and the royalties that typically go to the songwriter have been divided among the band members, though Katrina Leskanich was fired from the band in 1998. Estimates are that the song has earned $1 million per year for the ten years ending in 2010. According to a former employee of EMI, "Walking on Sunshine was the crown jewel in EMI's catalog," and that it was one of EMI's biggest earners from advertisers.

2010 was the 25th anniversary of the release of "Walking on Sunshine" and a series of back-catalog re-releases and a re-recorded version of the track were released at the time. A free download of one of the tracks from Kimberley Rew's solo album Bible of Bop was given away in March 2010 from the band's website.

Music video

The music video depicts the band performing live at a United Kingdom concert. Katrina herself is either with or not with them, but either dancing in her apartment, or walking through Hyde Park on a cloudy day, past an English prison, the Tower Bridge, a cliff and Old St. Paul's. She catches up with the others and feeds ducks (one of them eats the leftovers, referring to the Waves). Katrina returns home and cleans her face using cotton.

Covers

The song was covered by Jeffries Fan Club on their debut album Feelin' Sorry...For All the Hearts We've Broken in 1997. In 1993, Clifford, Gonzo the Great, and Rizzo the Rat covered the song for their 1993 Muppet album Muppet Beach Party. In 2007, pop group Girl Authority covered the song on Road Trip. The song was also recorded by Dolly Parton on her 1996 cover album Treasures. In 2009, the song was also featured in a mash-up with "Halo" (Beyoncé), on the TV Show Glee.

Argentine singer-songwriter Diego Torres recorded a version of the song with lyrics in Spanish named Por la vereda del sol for his album Tratar de Estar Mejor (1994)

The Insyderz, a Christian ska band, recorded a cover of Walking on Sunshine in 2001.

Dolly Parton cover

"Walking on Sunshine"
Single by Dolly Parton
from the album Treasures
Released	January 1, 1997
Recorded	1996
Genre	country, Dance
Length	3:12
Label	Rising Tide, Blue Eye
Dolly Parton singles chronology
"Just When I Needed You Most" (1996) "Walking on Sunshine" (1997) "Peace Train" (1997)

In 1996, Dolly Parton included a bluegrass version of "Walking on Sunshine" on her album of covers, Treasures, stating in interviews to promote the album, as well as her CBS TV special to promote the album, that she had long loved the song. In 1997, a dance remix of Parton's version was released.

Aly & AJ cover

"Walking on Sunshine"
Single by Aly & AJ
from the album Into the Rush, Herbie: Fully Loaded and Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure
Released	June 22, 2005
Format	Radio Disney single
Recorded	2005
Genre	Pop, Pop rock
Length	3:54
Label	Hollywood
Producer	Matthew Gerrard
Aly & AJ minor singles chronology
"No One" (2005) "Walking on Sunshine" (2005) "Rush" (2005)

Matthew Gerrard produced a cover of "Walking on Sunshine" for American pop rock duo Aly & AJ's debut album, Into the Rush. The song was released as the album's fourth single on June 22, 2005 (see 2005 in music). It was also used to promote the film Herbie: Fully Loaded, and makes an appearance on the movie soundtrack. The single's video features Aly & AJ performing, and is intercut with clips from the film Herbie: Fully Loaded. The song was shortened down to one minute and 55 seconds (1:55), as it is used for the video. This song was also featured in the 2010 film Ramona and Beezus and the 2011 film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure.

Track listings

Radio Disney Promo CD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Walking on Sunshine"	3:54

Release history

Date	Country	Format	Label
June 22, 2005	United States	Promo CD	Hollywood Records

Date	Country	Format	Label
February 6, 2006	United Kingdom	Promo CD	Squirrel Records

Appearances in popular culture

The song is very popular in commercials and advertisers typically pay $150,000 to $200,000 per year to use the song. It has also been featured in several films, including American Psycho (2000), High Fidelity (2000), Ask Max (1986), The Secret of My Success (1987), Daddy Day Care (2003), Bean (1997), Look Who's Talking (1989), Moon (2009), and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009). It was played in the five-minute trailer for Bye Bye Love (1995). It has been played on the TV shows Gilmore Girls, Prison Break, Sports Night, and The Drew Carey Show. In television, it is the favorite song of the character Phillip J. Fry in the animated TV series Futurama, appeared as part of a mash-up with Beyoncé's song "Halo" in the Glee episode "Vitamin D", and was a part of the Matthew Perry TV series Mr. Sunshine. The song is also featured in the video game series Lego Rock Band, Singstar and Band Hero. It appeared in the Mexican film Rock Mari, directed by Chava Cartas, where it is sung by Mariane Güereña and Arcelia Ramírez. On the 1996 re-release, percussion was supplied by the Norfolk based band Space Addicts. It was one of the songs covered by the Halifax choir in the 2011 Halifax ad campaign. A skit in the TV sitcom The Big Bang Theory also featured the song. The X Factor USA contestant Rachel Crow, sang the song on X Factor 2011. Instead of "I'm walking on sunshine", Rachel sang "You're my sunshine"; and the "And don't it feel good" verse was changed to "But you gotta go". This exactly matched to the version of the song first heard from The X Factor UK contestant Gamu Nnenghu during the 2010 auditions.

External links

• Lyrics
• Walking on Sunshine Info
• Katrina