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.
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.
Usage in media
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 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.
Doug Parkinson recorded it with Broderick Smith on his 1981 album Heartbeat To Heartbeat. It was released as a single, peaking at #18 in Australia.[18]
In 1981, Nielsen/Pearson released their remake as a single. It became their last Hot 100 hit, peaking at #56.
The song was covered on German disco group Chilly's 1982 album "Secret Lies".
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.[19] Singing the song is a game the couple often played.[20]
Jules Shear included a version on his 1994 album The Healing Bones.
^DeRogatis, Jim (1 January 1998). "Scott Walker". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 474–475.
^ abcRice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 98–100. ISBN0-85112-250-7.
^ abRoberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 589/590. ISBN1-904994-10-5.
^ abStrong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 1042/3. ISBN1-84195-017-3.
