The Sun Always Shines on T.V.

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
Single by A-ha
from the album Hunting High and Low
B-side "Driftwood"
Released 16 December 1985 (UK)
Format 7", 12"
Recorded 1985
Genre
Length 5:02
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Pål Waaktaar
Producer(s) Alan Tarney
Certification UK: Silver[1]
A-ha singles chronology
"Love Is Reason"
(1985)		 "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
(1985)		 "Train of Thought"
(1986)
2003 release chronology
"Did Anyone Approach You?"
(2002)		 "The Sun Always Shines On T.V. A-ha Live"
(2003)		 "Celice"
(2005)
2003 cover

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released as the third single from the band's debut album, Hunting High and Low. In many countries the single was not as successful as the band's previous, "Take on Me", which hit No. 1 in the US and several countries around the world. In the UK and Ireland, however, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." actually improved upon the No. 2 charting of their debut, remaining at the top spot on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1986, having been released there on 16 December 1985.[2] [3]

The song was re-released in a live version in 2003 with some minor success in Eastern Europe. It has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.[4]

Origin and recording

The band's Paul Waaktaar-Savoy said,

… we wrote "The Sun Always Shines On T.V.," that Andrew Wickham's secretary felt was a hit. She convinced him to make room for it. When we recorded it, we were really sick with influenza. Magne and Morten were lying in the studio on camping beds with high fevers.[5]

Waaktaar-Savoy wrote and composed the complete drum track for this song.

The bass line for the song was performed using a Yamaha DX7. Other synthesizers include PPG Wave, Roland Juno-60 and sampled instruments such as the oboe during the introduction.

Portions of the song's main lyrics were first used on the unreleased track "Never Never".

Release and reception

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." was released in autumn 1985, becoming the second successful single from Hunting High and Low and one of the band's most recognizable and popular songs. The song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went Top 5 in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, as well as in the band's home country of Norway. The single reached number one in Ireland and on the British Singles Chart which was a bigger chart position there than for "Take On Me".

Tim DeGravine of Allmusic later wrote of the song,

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is just as thrilling [as "Take on Me"]. Starting as a sad ballad, it explodes into something much more, as chugging guitars and operatic synths keep pace with Harket's evocative vocal stylings. If ever a 1980s song qualified as Wall of Sound, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." would be it.[6]

None of the versions released on the single were available on the band's album. The single mix was shortened down to 4:30, while the 12" featured an extended mix and instrumental version mixed by Steve Thompson. The b-side, "Driftwood" is a non-album track produced by the band.

There are two versions of the extended mix. The first one is 8:25, while the second, rarer one is 7:09 and starts with a slow piano intro.[7]

Track listing

7": Warner Bros. / W 8846 United Kingdom

  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." – 4:30
  2. "Driftwood" – 3:04

12": Warner Bros. / W 8846T United Kingdom

  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (extended version) – 8:25
  2. "Driftwood" – 3:04

7": Warner Bros. / 92-88467 United States

  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." – 4:40
  2. "Driftwood" – 3:04

12": Warner Bros. / 20410-0 United States

  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (extended version) – 8:25
  2. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (instrumental) – 6:39
  3. "Driftwood" – 3:04

Music video

The music video (directed by Steve Barron) opens with an epilogue to the "Take on Me" video, featuring rotoscoped animation. The lovers played by Morten Harket and Bunty Bailey face each other in a dark forest when Harket begins reverting to its animated state Bailey bites her lip, realizing that he can't remain in her world. In pain, Harket runs into the distance and disappears back to his comic book world; the girl is left all alone in the forest. Closing credits like those at the end of a film appear.

At this point the music switches to the band playing, and the rest of the video features black-and-white footage, with individual items and performers occasionally appearing in muted colors, of the band performing in a church (St Albans, now The Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington, London) "accompanied" by motionless mannequins. The video ends as the three band members are cut out from the background and become a still frame. The music video for the band's next single, "Train of Thought", was to pick up from this shot, as a continuation of a trilogy.

Live version

A-ha performed this song at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 1998 alongside the new song "Summer Moved On."[6]

A live version of "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." was the first and only single to be taken from the 2003 A-ha live album How Can I Sleep With Your Voice In My Head. That track's music video was directed by Lauren Savoy. This Version charted in Hungary at number 9 and in Germany raised to 53.

Track listing

  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Live - Single Edit)
  2. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Live - Album version)
  3. "Scoundrel Days" (Live)
  4. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Live) (Video Clip)

Chart

Year Chart Peak Certifications
1985 UK Singles Chart 1 UK: Silver[8]
Norwegian Singles Chart 2
Swedish Singles Chart 2
Austrian Singles Chart 8
Swiss Singles Chart 7
US Billboard Hot 100 20
Irish Singles Chart 1
French Singles Chart 10
German Singles Chart 5
Italian Singles Chart 11
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 5
Australian Kent Music Report 19
1986 Canadian RPM Singles Chart[9] 11
2003 Hungarian Singles Chart 9

Certifications

Country Provider Certification Sales/shipments
France SNEP Silver[10] 200,000+
Italy FIMI Silver[10] 200,000+
Germany IFPI Silver[10] 250,000+
United Kingdom BPI Silver 200,000+

[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][21][22]

References

  1. ↑ "BPI : Home". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 458. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Buskin, Richard (March 2011). "Classic Tracks: A-ha - Take On Me". Sound On Sound magazine. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "Videos. The Official Website of a-ha". A-ha.com. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tim DiGravina (4 December 2010). "Hunting High and Low - a-ha | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Home". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 43, No. 23, March 1, 1986". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. 1 March 1986. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2
  11. ↑ "Norwegian Singles Chart". VG-lista. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  12. ↑ "American Single Charts". VG-lista. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  13. ↑ "American Single Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  14. ↑ "British Single Chart". UK Top 40. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  15. ↑ "Swedish Singles Chart". Hitlista. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  16. ↑ "French Singles Chart". Palmares. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  17. ↑ "Austrian Singles Chart". Austria Top 40. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  18. ↑ "Swiss Singles Chart". Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  19. ↑ "Irish Singles Chart". The Irish Chart. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  20. ↑ "German Singles Chart". Charts-Surfer. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Italian Singles Chart". hitparadeitalia. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  22. ↑ Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales
Preceded by
"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys		 UK number one single
25 January 1986 – 8 February 1986 		Succeeded by
"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean