The title track from Katrina & The Waves’ debut album, “Walking on Sunshine” is an enduring piece of pop music originally released in 1985.

Behind the Music

Written by the band’s guitarist Kimberley Rew, the pop-rock hit had a mixed reception among the band’s members. In a 2015 interview with The Guardian, Rew and the titular Katrina Leskanich gave their thoughts, and some background, on the song’s development. At the time of its creation, Rew lived in a rental and spent his hours in a small room, composing music as his full-time job. There, inspiration struck, and he presented the tune to his bandmates. Recounting their initial reaction, Katrina spoke of how the bouncy and vibrant song clashed with the band’s style. At the time, Katrina was heavily inspired by what would later be considered one of the greatest albums of all time, The Velvet Underground & Nico, which focused on darker subject matter than “Walking on Sunshine.” According to Katrina, Alex Cooper, the band’s drummer, went a step further, describing the song as “irritating.” Despite this, they would perform the song live at several venues and, after being signed by Capitol Records, recorded it for their debut album.

On the Charts and Sunshine’s Legacy

Following its release, “Walking On Sunshine” went on to achieve mainstream success internationally. In Australia’s Kent Music Report, it peaked at no. 4, no. 8 on the UK Singles Chart, and no. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song went on to become a pop culture icon, and its use in advertisements, movies, and TV shows has brought the band members a consistent revenue stream ever since.

Fun Facts:

• Advertising revenue from the song brings in $150,000 to $200,000 every year.
• The song has been used in advertisements for a wide range of products, from breakfast cereals to allergy medications.
• The song is the favorite of Phillip J. Fry, the main character of the animated sci-fi sitcom “Futurama,” and was used in several episodes.
• Katrina Leskanich left the band in 1998, and the band disbanded the next year after failing to find another singer named Katrina.
• During Hurricane Katrina, the song’s title was used as a headline by many newspapers and cable networks.

Lyrics 

Oh!

Ohhhh, yeeeh

I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I’m sure

And I just can’t wait till the day when you knock on my door

Now everytime I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down

‘Cause I just can’t wait till you write me you’re coming around

I’m walking on sunshine, wooah

I’m walking on sunshine, woooah

I’m walking on sunshine, woooah

And don’t it feel good!

Hey, alright now

And dont it feel good!

Hey yeah

I used to think maybe you loved me, now I know that it’s true

And I don’t want to spend my whole life, just waiting for you

Now I don’t want u back for the weekend

Not back for a day, no no no

I said baby I just want you back and I want you to stay

Woah yeah!

I’m walking on sunshine, wooah

I’m walking on sunshine, woooah

I’m walking on sunshine, woooah

And don’t it feel good!!

Hey, alright now

And don’t it feel good!!

Yeah, oh yeah

And don’t it feel good!!

Walking on sunshine

Walking on sunshine

I feel alive, I feel the love, I feel the love that’s really real

I feel alive, I feel the love, I feel the love that’s really real

I’m on sunshine baby oh, oh yeah

I’m on sunshine baby oh

I’m walking on sunshine, wooah

I’m walking on sunshine, wooah

I’m walking on sunshine, woooah

And don’t it feel good

Hey, alright now

And don’t it feel good

I’ll say it, say it, say it again now

And don’t it feel good!!

Ohhhh, yeahhhh

And don’t it feel good

Now don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it feel good

I’ll say it, say it, say it again now

And don’t feel good

Now don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it feel good

Tell me, tell me, tell me again now

And don’t it feel good

Ohhhh, yeahhhh

And don’t it feel good

Oh don’t it feel good, don’t it feel good

Now don’t it feel good?

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah (Don’t it feel good)