100+ Songs About Sun & Sunshine

Depending upon where you live, the sun is shining brighter than ever and the temperatures are soaring. With this is mind, I thought now may be an appropriate time to put together a good selection of songs with the word “sun” or any derivative of the word, with the exception of Sunday, which is covered in another list here about days of the week.  Words such as sunny, sunshine, sunrise, sunset, sundown are included here. There are tons of other songs out there with sun or sunshine in the lyrics but that would send this list into orbit. There are also several other songs about summer and summertime that evoke messages about sunshine but those are also listed on another post here. A wide range of music is included here, covering about a hundred year span, ranging from big band to heavy metal, early country to modern alternative, pop standards to hip hop, punk to jazz, etc. I tried to keep the music more or less to mainstream appeal. The year when the song debuted are listed after each artist to give you a time frame of sorts. Enjoy using these song listings to create your own mp3 playlist or burning your own music to CD with the sun as your theme.

Get out the suntan lotion and the shades and enjoy! 🙂

Songs About Sun & Sunshine

1. Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers (1971) 
2. All For The Love Of Sunshine – Hank Williams Jr. (1970) 
3. Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In – 5th Dimension (1969) 
4. Away From The Sun – 3 Doors Down (2004) 
5. Behind The Sun – Red Hot Chili Peppers (1992) 
6. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden (1994)
7. Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes (1982)
8. Brighter Than Sunshine – Aqualung (2003) 
9. California Sun – The Rivieras (1964) 
10. California Sun – The Ramones (1977)
11. Canadian Sunset – Andy Williams (1956)
12. Canadian Sunset – Hugo Winterhalter (1956)
13. Cheap Sunglasses – ZZ Top (1980)
14. Children Of The Sun – Billy Thorpe (1979) 
15. Cold Day In The Sun – Foo Fighters (2006) 
16. Country Sunshine – Dottie West (1973) 
17. Distant Sun – Crowded House (1993) 
18. Do You Know You Are My Sunshine – The Statler Brothers (1978) 
19. Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying – Gerry & The Pacemakers (1964) 
20. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Elton John (1974) 
21. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – George Michael & Elton John (1991)
22. Everyday Sunshine – Fishbone (1991)
23. Georgia Sunshine – Jerry Reed (1970)
24. Good Day Sunshine – The Beatles (1966) 
25. Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles (1969) 
26. Here Comes The Sun – Richie Havens (1971)
27. Here Comes The Sun – Nina Simone
28. Holidays In The Sun – Sex Pistols (1977)
29. House Of The Rising Sun – The Animals (1964) 
30. House Of The Rising Sun – Frijid Pink (1970)
31. I Live For The Sun – The Sunrays (1965)
32. I’ll Follow The Sun – The Beatles (1964) 
33. In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down – Jimmy Witherspoon/Charles Brown (1949)
34. Island In The Sun – Weezer (2001) 
35. Invisible Sun – The Police (1981) 
36. It’s A Sunshine Day – The Brady Bunch (1973) 
37. It’s Just The Sun – Don McLean (1981)
38. Keep On The Sunny Side – The Carter Family (1928) 
39. Keep On The Sunny Side – The Whites (2000) [O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack] 
40. Midnight Girl/Sunset Town – Sweethearts Of The Rodeo (1987)
41. Miss Sun – Boz Scaggs (1980)
42. Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon – Paul Revere & The Raiders (1969)
43. Paper Sun – Traffic (1968) 
44. People Of The Sun – Rage Against The Machine (1996)
45. A Place In The Sun – Stevie Wonder (1966) 
46. A Place In The Sun – Pablo Cruise (1977)
47. Seasons In The Sun – Terry Jacks (1974) 
48. Setting Sun – The Chemical Brothers (1996)
49. Soak Up The Sun – Sheryl Crow (2002) 
50. Staring At The Sun – U2 (1997) 
51. Staring At The Sun – TV On The Radio
52. Steal My Sunshine – Len (1999)
53. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) – Walker Brothers (1966) 
54. The Sun Always Shines On TV – A-Ha (1985) 
55. Sun City – Artists United Against Apartheid (1985)
56. Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning – Cowboy Junkies 
57. Sun Comin’ Up – Nat Stuckey (1976)
58. Sun Glasses – Skeeter Davis (1965)
59. Sun God – Hi-Tek (2001)
60. Sun Goddess – Ramsey Lewis/Earth, Wind & Fire (1975) 
61. Sun Is Shining – Jimmy Reed (1957)
62. Sun Is Shining – Bob Marley (1978) 
63. Sun King – The Beatles (1969)
64. Sun Went Down In My World Tonight – Leon Everette (1979)
65. Sunbonnet Sue – Haydn Quartet (1908)
66. Sunburn – Muse (2000) 
67. Sunday Sun – Neil Diamond (1968)
68. Sunday Sunrise – Brenda Lee (1973)
69. Sunday Sunrise – Anne Murray (1975)
70. Sundown – Gordon Lightfoot (1974) 
71. Sundown Mary – Billy Walker (1968)
72. Sunflower – Russ Morgan (1949)
73. Sunflower – Frank Sinatra (1949)
74. Sunflower – Glen Campbell (1977) 
75. Sunglasses At Night – Corey Hart (1984)
76. Sunless Saturday – Fishbone (1991)
77. Sunny – George Olsen (1926)
78. Sunny – Bobby Hebb (1966)
79. Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks (1966) 
80. Sunny Came Home – Shawn Colvin (1997)
81. Sunny Days – Lighthouse (1972)
82. Sunny Side Of My Life – Roger Miller (1972)
83. Sunny Tennessee – Cowboy Copas (1961)
84. Sunrise – Eric Carmen (1976) 
85. Sunrise – Norah Jones (2004) 
86. Sunrise Serenade – Glenn Miller (1939)
87. Sunrise, Sunset – Roger Williams (1968)
88. Sun’s Gotta Shine – Wilma Burgess (1970)
89. Sunset Grill – Don Henley (1985) 
90. Sunshine – Paul Whiteman (1928)
91. Sunshine – Jonathan Edwards (1971) 
92. Sunshine – Dino (1989)
93. Sunshine – Enchantment (1977)
94. Sunshine – O’Jays (1975)
95. Sunshine – Juice Newton (1980)
96. Sunshine & Bluebirds – Jimmy Newman (1968)
97. Sunshine & Rainbows – Roy Drusky (1972)
98. Sunshine & Roses – Elsie Baker & James F. Harrison (1913)
99. Sunshine & Summertime – Faith Hill (2006) 
100. Sunshine Alley – Ted Lewis (1928)
101. Sunshine Girl – Parade (1967)
102. Sunshine Games – Music Explosion (1967) 
103. Sunshine Man – Mac Curtis (1968)
104. Sunshine In The Shade – The Fixx (1984)
105. Sunshine Lollipops & Rainbows – Lesley Gore (1965) 
106. Sunshine Of My World – Dallas Frazier (1968)
107. Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream (1968) 
108. Sunshine Of Your Smile – John McCormack (1916)
109. Sunshine On My Shoulders – John Denver (1974) 
110. Sunshine Roses – Gene Cotton (1979) 
111. Sunshine Superman – Donovan (1966) 
112. Tequila Sunrise – Eagles (1973) 
113. Third Rock From The Sun – Joe Diffie (1994) 
114. Turn Up The Sun – Oasis (2005)
115. Waiting For The Sun – The Doors (1970) 
116. Walkin’ In The Sunshine – Roger Miller (1967) 
117. Walkin’ On The Sun – Smash Mouth (1997) 
118. Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves (1985) 
119. Warmth Of The Sun – Beach Boys (1964) 
120. Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks (1968)
121. We’ll Sing In The Sunshine – Gale Garnett (1964) 
122. When The Sun Goes Down – Kenny Chesney & Uncle Kracker (2004) 
123. When The Sun Goes Down – Arctic Monkeys (2006)
124. Who Loves The Sun – The Velvet Underground (1971)
125. You Are My Sunshine – Gene Autry (1931)
126. You Are My Sunshine – Jimmie Davis (1940) 
127. You Are My Sunshine – Ray Charles (1962)
128. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder (1973) 

…..And here’s one more relatively new ‘bonus’ song that, although it isn’t listed above because it doesn’t mention sun, sunshine or any other sun-form in the title, it is still a very very VERY sunshine-y song that I kept hearing on TV commercials for JC Penny when they had their back-to-school ads going… recorded by Max & Simon… it’s VERY catchy and I was hooked instantly….. so here is the video lyrics…. enjoy….

and here’s yet another one featured in a current (as of August 2012) Yoplait television commercial, also by Max & Simon. Try to get this one out of your head after listening to it a couple of times….I’m already hooked!   🙂

One more to add that is relatively new that I’ve got stuck in my head now (August/2013)

The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti & Spearhead 

Any favorites of yours that aren’t listed – or any others that you can think of that I haven’t included here? – Just  send me a comment below and let me know.