"Brighter Than Sunshine" | |
---|---|
Single by Aqualung | |
from the album Still Life | |
Released | 13 October 2003 |
Genre | Piano rock |
Length | 4:01 |
Label | Red Ink, Columbia, B-Unique |
Songwriter(s) | Matt Hales |
Producer(s) | Aqualung (Matt Hales) and Jacknife Lee |
"Brighter Than Sunshine" is an indie pop ballad written and performed by Aqualung. First released on his 2003 album Still Life , it became the album's first single. It was later added to the 2005 compilation album Strange and Beautiful . "Brighter Than Sunshine" reached 32 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart in the U.S. and spent two weeks at 37 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003. The record was featured in the 2005 romantic comedy A Lot like Love , as well as in episodes of the American drama series Cold Case and the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek .
"Brighter Than Sunshine" is a piano rock ballad. [1] The song was written exclusively by Matt Hales, who goes by the stage name Aqualung. Production was done by Hales and Snow Patrol producer Jacknife Lee.
Allmusic praised "Brighter Than Sunshine" as being on par with bands like Coldplay and Keane, congratulating the track as one of the highlights of Strange and Beautiful . [1] BBC music reviewer Niky Daley said the track, "...starts the ten track feast for your ears. Your winter blues will be banished as you bask in this triumphantly uplifting anthem." [2]
The record was featured in the 2005 romantic comedy A Lot Like Love , as well as in an episode of the American drama Cold Case .[ citation needed ] It was also used on the CBC Television series Schitt's Creek , season 5 episode "Meet the Parents" in 2019.
Chart (2003-2006) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA Hitseekers) [3] | 16 |
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [4] | 32 |
UK Singles (OCC) [5] | 37 |
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Matthew Nicholas Hales is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer who has been performing professionally under the name Aqualung since the early 2000s. Aqualung is best known in the UK for his song "Strange and Beautiful", which was featured on a television advertisement for the new Volkswagen Beetle during the summer of 2002 and went on to become a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart later that year. In the United States, Aqualung is also known for the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love and various television spots. Hales has released seven albums as Aqualung. The most recent, Dead Letters, appeared in 2022.
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