"I Live for the Sun" is a

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

single written by Rick Henn and performed by American pop band

the Sunrays The Sunrays (previously known as the Renegades, the Renegade 5, Larry Tremaine & the Renegades, the Rangers and the Dirt Riders) were an American band from Pacific Palisades, California. The group was led by singer/songwriter/drummer Rick Henn, ...

Origin and recording

Band member Eddy Medora on the origin of the song: "I had a chorus that went, 'Run Run Run' and Ricky Henn called me up to come over and finish it. I didn't come over." Ricky Henn went on to write "I Live For The Sun" but only used the three chords of the chorus of "Run Run Run" and wrote a different melody over those chords, created a new title and concept, new lyrics for the entire song, composed original verses and bridge. The track has an approximate duration of two minutes and twenty-five seconds. The

Surf Punks The Surf Punks were a pop punk band formed in 1976 by Malibu residents Dennis Dragon (1947-2017) and Drew Steele (d. October 2021). (Dragon was the son of symphony conductor Carmen Dragon, the brother of Captain & Tennille's Daryl Dragon, and ...

later covered the song at a slightly faster tempo, omitting the bridge but featuring a

dulcimer The term dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...

solo in its place.

Chart performance

"I Live for the Sun" reached #51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, #20 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

Cover versions

*Outside the US, it was also a #20 hit in the UK when covered by

Vanity Fare Vanity Fare are an English pop/rock group formed in 1966. They released the million-selling song " Hitchin' a Ride", which became a worldwide hit in 1970. Career Formation School friends Trevor Brice (born 12 February 1945, Rochester, Kent ...

. *Australian surf music band The Peregians released it as a single in 2021. This version replaces the sung verses with twangy surf guitar.CD Baby release.

Popular culture

*The song gained popularity through the television appearances the group made on a teenage

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

of the mid-'60s titled ''

Never Too Young ''Never Too Young'' is an American daytime serial that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 27, 1965 to June 24, 1966 and was the first soap opera geared towards a teen audience. The show premiered on ABC on the same day as ' ...

''. The song's success was arguably a result of positive public response to the group's alternative musical fare and fresh new sound. *The song appears in the 2014

Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...

biopic '' Love & Mercy'' during a scene in which

Murry Wilson Murry Gage Wilson (July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973) was an American songwriter, talent manager, record producer, and music publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. Af ...

disrupts a recording session for Caroline No with the song, causing friction and panic amongst the group.

References

American pop songs 1965 singles 1965 songs Song recordings produced by Murry Wilson {{1960s-pop-song-stub