"Sun Is Shining" is a song by Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

band

Bob Marley & the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

, first appearing on the Lee Perry-produced album ''

Soul Revolution Part II ''Soul Revolution Part II'' (also known as ''Soul Revolution'') is the third album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. While the name on the album cover for all the original releases was ''Soul Revolution P ...

'' in 1971, and then on African Herbsman in 1973. Marley later re-recorded the song for his 1978 album ''

Kaya Kaya may refer to: People *Kaya (given name) *Kaya (surname) Places *Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department *Kaya Airport, serving the town * Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...

''. In 1999, a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

by "Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe" reached number one on the US

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart and number three on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Although having become one of the most popular Marley songs, "Sun Is Shining" used to be a fairly unknown and seldom-performed number during Marley's lifetime. Up to date, only two live performances are documented; however, both took place under special circumstances. On 16 June 1978, Marley performed at The Music Inn in

Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The town is based in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 census. Lenox is the site of Shakespeare & Company and T ...

, a concert having been rescheduled twice since 1976, and played an over 2-hour set. "Sun Is Shining" was the opening song, reportedly included spontaneously as it stopped to rain. On 23 July 1978, Marley performed an outdoor concert at the

Santa Barbara Bowl The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California. The amphitheater is open for concerts from approximately April through approximately October with an average of about 27 concerts per season. Booked exclu ...

that included "Sun Is Shining" as opening song; just before the song, Marley introduced the performance by referring to

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

's birthday on the same day.

Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe version

The song was remixed in 1999 by Danish

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

producer Funkstar De Luxe. It was released on the

Kontor Records Kontor Records or Kontor New Media is a record label based in Hamburg, Germany. The label's artist roster includes ATB, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Scooter. Jens Thele is the head manager of Kontor and is also the manager of Scooter. Edel ...

-sub label Club Tools, credited to Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe. The producer was the first to receive clearance from the Marley estate to release official remixes of the late singer's music (although bootleg mixes of Marley tunes have circulated in the club world for years). The song reached number one in Iceland and on the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and

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dance charts, and it debuted at number three on the

- Marley's highest charting single in that country. It became a top-ten hit in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland.

Track listing

# "Sun Is Shining" (Radio De Luxe Edit) – 3:59 # "Sun Is Shining" (ATB Airplay Mix) – 3:48 # "Sun Is Shining" (Rainbow Mix) – 6:03 # "Sun Is Shining" (ATB Club Mix) – 6:55 # "Sun Is Shining" (Funkstar Club Mix) – 8:14 # "Sun Is Shining" (Firebeatz Remix) – 3:28

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1971 songs 1999 singles Bob Marley songs Electronic dance music songs Number-one singles in Iceland Songs about weather Songs written by Bob Marley UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles