Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song)

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This article is about the Katrina and the Waves song. For other uses, see Walking on Sunshine (disambiguation).
"Walking on Sunshine"
Walkingonsunshine.jpg
Single by Katrina and the Waves
from the album Walking on Sunshine
(later version appeared on Katrina and the Waves)
Released
  • 1985
  • 1996 (re-issue)
StudioCambridge, England
GenreNew wave,[1] pop rock[2]
Length
  • 3:16 (original version)
  • 4:00 (re-recorded version)
Label
  • Attic (Canada)
    Capitol (internationally)
Songwriter(s)Kimberley Rew
Producer(s)Katrina and the Waves, Pat Collier; Scott Litt (additional production)
Katrina and the Waves singles chronology
"Plastic Man"
(1984) 		"Walking on Sunshine"
(1985) 		"Do You Want Crying"
(1985)
Audio sample
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Music video
"Walking on Sunshine” on YouTube

"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 and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States, and No. 8 in the United Kingdom. It was the Waves' first US top 40 hit, and their biggest success in the United Kingdom until "Love Shine a Light" (1997). Originally conceived of as a ballad, Katrina Leskanich decided to belt the song out as a more upbeat song.[3] In a 2012 interview, however, Leskanich denied this, saying, "Nope, never. Never a ballad. In fact, the original [1983 version] is much faster."[4]

Success[]

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.[clarification needed] Estimates are the song has earned $1 million per year for the ten years ending in 2010.[citation needed] 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.[5]

In late August and early September 2005, which marked the 20th anniversary of the song's release, the storm surge of a storm named Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the U.S. Gulf Coast, and the MSNBC program Countdown with Keith Olbermann dubbed its coverage of the storm, "Katrina and the Waves"; the name also appeared in numerous headlines and blog postings. A New York Times reporter contacted Katrina Leskanich, who said: "The first time I opened the paper and saw 'Katrina kills 9,' it was a bit of a shock. ... I hope that the true spirit of 'Walking on Sunshine' will prevail. I would hate for the title to be tinged with sadness, and I will have to do my own part to help turn that around."[6] She also stated that she hoped that "Walking on Sunshine" would become an anthem for the Gulf Coast's recovery.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9]

In August 2015, which marked the 30th anniversary of the song's release, the song was acquired by BMG Rights Management for £10 million, along with all the other songs written by Kimberley Rew and Katrina and the Waves.[10]

Chart performance[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Gold 10,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[29] Gold 45,000double-dagger
Italy (FIMI)[30] Gold 25,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Platinum 600,000double-dagger

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Perone, James E. (2018). Listen to New Wave Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Greenwood. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4408-5968-7.
  2. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Katrina & the Waves – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2017. It peaked at number 28 in England and number 25 in America (the highest chart placement up to that time by any ex-member of the Soft Boys), and yielded the Top Ten U.S./U.K. hit "Walking on Sunshine," one of the more memorable pop/rock songs of the decade.
  3. ^ "Katrina Leskanich radio appearance". Stephaniemiller.com. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Interview with Katrina Leskanich from Katrina and the Waves". 102.7 103.5 WICY (Interview). 25 May 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Blair, Elizabeth (24 May 2010). "'Walking On Sunshine': Living on a Song". NPR Music. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  6. ^ McElroy, Steven (1 September 2005). "Arts, Briefly". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  7. ^ Salkin, Allen (11 September 2005). "What's in a Name, Katrinas?". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Kimberley Rew Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Walking on Sunshine with Four Retro Releases". antiMusic. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Katrina & The Waves". Katrinaandthewaves.net. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  10. ^ "'Walking on Sunshine' bought by BMG for £10m". The Irish Times. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  11. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 97 no. 26. 29 June 1985. p. 62. ISSN 0006-2510.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9317." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0539." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Katrina And The Waves – Walking On Sunshine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Walking on Sunshine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  16. ^ "Charts.nz – Katrina And The Waves – Walking On Sunshine". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Katrina And The Waves – Walking On Sunshine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Katrina And The Waves – Walking On Sunshine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Katrina & the Waves – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  21. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JUNE 15, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  23. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  25. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43 no. 16. Library and Archives Canada. 28 December 1985. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1985". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  27. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012.
  28. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Katrina and the Waves – Walking on sunshine". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Danish single certifications – Katrina & the Waves – Walking on Sunshine". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Italian single certifications – Katrina & the Waves – Walking on Sunshine" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 3 September 2018. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Walking on Sunshine" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  31. ^ "British single certifications – Katrina & the Waves – Walking on Sunshine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 January 2020.

External links[]

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