Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and The Waves | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#9) & Mainstream Rock (#21); 1985
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Alex Cooper and Kimberly Rew formed the Waves – from the book by Virginia Woolf – in the mid-1970’s. When Rew left to join Robyn Hitchcock’s Cambridge cult band Soft Boys in 1978, Cooper hired on Vince de la Cruz and Katrina Leskanich from Mama’s Cooking.
Three years later, Rew was back in the fold. By mutual agreement, Katrina replaced Kim as lead singer, and her name was added to the Waves in an attempt to trade in on the novelty of having a “rock chick” fronting the band.
That move attracted more lewd and rude remarks than respect, yet, the Waves soldiered on, eventually landing a deal with a Canadian label. The group released Walking On Sunshine in 1983, however, it was the Bangles‘ cover of another Rew song, Going Down To Liverpool, that got Katrina and The Waves noticed.
In 1985 they released a revamped version of Sunshine, with horns courtesy of the Rumour, and finally hit the big time.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Katrina and The Waves
- Pat Collier
- Scott Litt (additional production)
Lyrics Written by:
- Kimberley Rew for the band’s 1983 eponymous debut full-length album
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).