"Sunshine on a Rainy Day" is a song by British

pop singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Zoë, released as the first single from her debut album, ''Scarlet Red and Blue'' (1991). The song received positive reviews from music critics, reaching number four 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 ...

in September 1991. It also charted within the top 40 in Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden and Zimbabwe, where it reached number-one. Two different

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

s were produced to promote the single. One of them was filmed in India. In 2008, Zoë re-recorded the song with her folk band Mama. This version is available on their debut CD, ''Crow Coyote Buffalo''.

Background

The song was originally released in October 1990, when it reached number 53 on the

. The following year, English record producer

Mark 'Spike' Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran ...

remixed the track and re-released it on 12 August 1991. This version reached number four on the same chart and became Zoë's biggest hit. It was the 18th best-selling single of 1991. The track was used in UK advertisements for the

Amiga 500 The Amiga 500, also known as the A500, is the first low-end version of the Amiga home computer. It contains the same Motorola 68000 as the Amiga 1000, as well as the same graphics and sound coprocessors, but is in a smaller case similar to that ...

computer, which added to its popularity. It was also on Capital Radio's A-list.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "Photogenic British lass steps from out of left field with a percussive, midtempo gem on which she often comes across like a smoky Sophie B. Hawkins. Soft, syncopated hip-hop-derived beats support acoustic strumming, subtle electric chords, and flower-child lyrical prose. Track starts from a simple, sparse point, and builds to a rousing tambourine-shaking climax. Fueled with multiformat appeal." Randy Clark from '' Cashbox'' described it as a "brooding club track". James Hamilton from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' called it a "'

Tom's Diner "Tom's Diner" is a song written in 1982 by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of '' Fast Folk Musical Magazine''. Originally featured on her second studio album, ''Solitude Sta ...

' inspired hypnotic folksy singalong roller, a real "sleeper" last autumn, now slightly remixed." Jack Barron from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' wrote, "'Sunshine on a Rainy Day' is an excellent anthem in every way being musically and lyrically direct. The tune builds from an acoustic beginning layering more guitars and harmonies into a fairy cake of a song. Written by Zoe and

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

and mixed by Andy and Ben Boilerhouse, it is touched with spirit and heart giving every indication on this tune that Zoe is destined to become a very bright star indeed." Another editor felt the song is "a must for this summer" and "a certain Top 10 in the current climate".

Sophie Lawrence Sophie Lawrence (born 12 June 1972, Ilford, London) is an English actress and singer. She played the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' as a regular cast member from 1988 to 1991, making subsequent guest appearances ...

reviewed the song for ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'', commenting, "It's a bit

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

-ish." She added, "I love it. It's really folky. She's got a brilliant voice. That's a record I'd definitely go out and buy." Another editor, Mark Frith, stated that "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" has become "an anthem of unparalleled exuberance".

Track listings

* 7-inch single (1990) :A. "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (7-inch version) :B. "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (a cappella mix) * CD single (1990) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (7-inch version) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (Mellow mix) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (a cappella mix) * 7-inch and cassette single (1991) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (7-inch radio mix 1991) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (original 7-inch mix 1990)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Christine Anu version

In May 2000, Australian singer-songwriter

Christine Anu Christine Anu (born 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She gained popularity with the cover song release of the Warumpi Band's song " My Island Home". Anu has been nominated for 17 ARIA Awards. Early life Anu was bo ...

released a version of the song as the first single from her second studio album, ''

Come My Way ''Come My Way'' is the second studio album by English singer Marianne Faithfull. It was released simultaneously with her album ''Marianne Faithfull'' on 15 April 1965 by Decca Records. The double release was a result of different creative dire ...

''. The song peaked at number 26 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and remained in the top 50 for 15 weeks.

Track listing

* Australian CD single # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (radio mix) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (Wicked Beat Sound System Mix) # "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (Scotia Nostre Mix)

Charts

Other versions

*In 1994,

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...

covered the song on her album, ''

Baby Woman ''Baby Woman'' (stylized as ''babywoman'') is the debut studio album by English fashion model Naomi Campbell, released on 3 October 1994, by Epic Records. The album is her only full-length music release. Campbell collaborated with a number of p ...

''. *The song was covered by

Emma Bunton Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice. With over 100 million recor ...

on her debut solo album '' A Girl Like Me'' in 2001. *A version by dance artists Ed Real & Mark Richardson was released in 2003 on

Nukleuz Records Nukleuz is a dance record label based in the Clapham area of London, UK. Nukleuz is the home to many artists and compilation series in various genres including trance, UK hardcore, tech house and hard house. Nukleuz was established as the new ...

. *

Happy hardcore Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or "hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s. H ...

versions include "Sunshine" by Slipmatt and Eruption, and "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" by DJ Stompy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunshine On A Rainy Day 1990 debut singles 1990 songs 1991 singles 2000 singles British pop songs Christine Anu songs Emma Bunton songs Mushroom Records singles Number-one singles in Zimbabwe Polydor Records singles Songs written by Youth (musician)