The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)


"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine " is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio.
It was originally released as a single credited to Frankie Valli as a solo artist in 1965 on the Smash label, but was more successful when recorded by The Walker Brothers in 1966. Cher and Keane have also recorded the song.

Frankie Valli

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 but not making the Billboard Hot 100 itself. Although it was recorded in a Four Seasons recording session, it was Valli's first official "solo" single in over a decade.
The song plays over the end credits of the 2019 folk horror film Midsommar.

The Walker Brothers

In 1966, The Walker Brothers released their remake as a single. Retitled "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' version has since garnered retrospective critical acclaim, and is considered the group's signature song. NME ranked the song at No. 357 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Pitchfork ranked it at No. 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.
In 2010, the Walker Brothers' version was used in the promotional trailer for the AMC television series The Walking Dead.
In 2012, the Walker Brothers' version 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 film Enemy.
In 2018, the Walker Brothers' version appeared in the Hulu streaming service series Castle Rock, season 1 episode 6.

Track listing

Chart positions

Cher version

In the summer of 1996, Cher released her remake as the fourth official European single from her twenty-second album It's a Man's World. The song went to #26 on the UK Singles Chart. Her version was used in The X-Files episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus".

Critical reception

Allmusic called this song "a real highlight" and continued "epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West."
;Formats and track listings
UK CD Maxi-Single
  1. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine "
  2. "Not Enough Love in the World"
  3. "Paradise Is Here"
;Official versions

Keane

In 2004, the British group Keane recorded a version of this song. Deviating from the original version, 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. The song 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
  1. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"
  2. "Your Eyes Open"

    Other versions

Other notable artists who recorded this song include Jules Shear, Long John Baldry, Clarence Clemons, The Ides of March, and The Lettermen. Alfie Boe and G4 have both released classical versions.
The song also features prominently in the 1991 bittersweet romance film Truly, Madly, Deeply, starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, with Nina playing the main chords in the chorus on the piano and Jamie playing the main riff on the bass strings of his cello, and both of them singing. The singing of the song is a game the couple often played. The choice of this song in particular, given the events in the film, emphasize the poignancy of the lyric especially well.