"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" is a song written by

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons. As a songw ...

and

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the ban ...

. It was originally released as a single credited to

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by

the Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (musician), John Walker (real name John Maus) and Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel), with Gary Walker (musician), Gary Wal ...

in 1966.

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, Keane, Doug Parkinson and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

have also recorded the song. Frankie Valli recorded and released the first version of the song but his single achieved only limited success, charting on ''Billboard''s Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart (#128) but not making the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 itself. 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.

The Walker Brothers version

In 1966,

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, and also became their highest-charting song on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the U.S., where it peaked at #13. 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 A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' ranked the song at #357 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' 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 2010, this version was used in the promotional trailer for the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

television series '' The Walking Dead''. In 2012, the Walker Brothers' rendition played a prominent role in the film '' Seeking a Friend for the End of the World''. It was featured the following year in the film '' Stoker''. In 2013, the single's B-side, "After the Lights Go Out", played over the end credits of the Canadian-Spanish

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

film ''

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

''. In 2018, the

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

streaming service series ''Castle Rock'' used the Walker Brothers' recording in season 1, episode 6. In 2019, the Frankie Valli version featured during the end credits of the film '' Midsommar''.

Track listing

Chart positions

Cher version

In 1996,

released her remake as the fourth official European single from her twenty-second album, '' It's a Man's World''. The track went to #26 on the UK Singles Chart. Her version was used in ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'' episode " The Post-Modern Prometheus".

Critical reception

Allmusic called the song "a real highlight" and added, "epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West."

Track listing

*UK cassette single #"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Trevor Horn Remix) – 4:02 #" Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) – 4:21 *UK CD single #"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Trevor Horn Remix) – 4:02 #"Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) – 4:21 #" Paradise Is Here" (Album Version) – 5:04 *UK 12" single #"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Alternative Mix) – 4:02 #"Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) – 4:21 #"Paradise Is Here" (Sam Ward US Mix) – 4:40

Charts

Keane version

In 2004, British band Keane recorded the song. Deviating from the original,

Tim Rice-Oxley Timothy James Rice-Oxley (born 2 June 1976) is an English musician, best known for being the keyboardist, backing vocalist and songwriter of the alternative rock band Keane. In 2010, he formed a side-project, Mt. Desolation, with his Keane b ...

, 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 ''

'' 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. ;Track listing #"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" #" Your Eyes Open" (Mo Mental Remix)

Other versions

* The Ormsby Brothers released a version as a single in 1974, which peaked at #93 in Australia. *

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

included it as the 9th track of his 1979 LP album '' September Morn'', with

at the piano. * Doug Parkinson recorded it with

Broderick Smith Broderick Smith (17 February 1948 – 30 April 2023) was an English-born Australian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and sometime actor. He was a member of 1970s bands Sundown, Carson, and The Dingoes. In the 1980s, he was part of Br ...

on his 1981 album ''Heartbeat To Heartbeat''. It was released as a single, peaking at #18 in Australia. * 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''. * Russell Hitchcock, the lead vocalist of

Air Supply Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a suc ...

, included it on his eponymous 1988 solo debut album. * The song features prominently in the 1991 bittersweet romance film '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'', starring

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...

and

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actress of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Le ...

, 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. Singing the song is a game the couple often played. *

Jules Shear Jules Mark Shear (born March 7, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit single " All Through the Night", the Bangles' hit " If She Knew What She Wants", and the Ignatius Jones and Allison Moyet ...

included a version on his 1994 album ''The Healing Bones''. *

recorded the song for his 2022 album '' Only the Strong Survive''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun Ain't Gonna Shine 1965 songs 1965 singles 1966 singles 1981 singles 1996 singles 2004 singles Songs written by Bob Crewe Songs written by Bob Gaudio Frankie Valli songs The Four Seasons (band) songs The Walker Brothers songs Cher songs Keane (band) songs Jay and the Americans songs Neil Diamond songs The Lettermen songs Russell Hitchcock songs Bruce Springsteen songs Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe UK singles chart number-one singles Smash Records singles Philips Records singles Warner Music Group singles Song recordings produced by Ivor Raymonde Articles containing video clips Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements