"Walkin' on the Sun" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Smash Mouth | ||||
from the album Fush Yu Mang | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | June 30, 1997 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | Greg Camp | |||
Producer(s) | Eric Valentine | |||
Smash Mouth singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Walkin' on the Sun" | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Walkin' on the Sun" on YouTube |
"Walkin' on the Sun" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth from their first album, Fush Yu Mang (1997). Released as their debut single in June 1997,the song was Smash Mouth's first major single,reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. It was also a success abroad,peaking at No. 3 in Canada and Iceland,No. 5 in Italy and Spain,and No. 7 in Australia,where it is certified platinum for shipments exceeding 70,000 units.
Smash Mouth guitarist Greg Camp said about "Walkin' on the Sun":
It was written during the whole Rodney King thing. The song was basically a social and racial battle cry. It was a sort of "Can't we all get along?" song for the time when I wrote it. It was just about all the things that were going on around me as a young person. And I'm, like, God, what is going on? I don't understand why this is happening. It's like we might as well be walking around a planet on fire. And that's how it came about. [4]
Paul De Lisle, the band's bassist, stated the original version of "Walkin' on the Sun" was more of a rap song. [5] The band decided to record the song for Fush Yu Mang after drummer Kevin Coleman discovered a demo on one of Camp's tapes; it was the last song to be added to the album. [5]
The guitar riff present throughout the song has been compared to a riff from "Swan's Splashdown" by Perrey & Kingsley, from their 1966 album The In Sound from Way Out, as well as the Hohner Pianet riff from The Zombies' "She's Not There". [6] [7] [8]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media described it as a "punchy and highly infectious track." They noted that it "deftly fuses punk and ska—and that's a feat which it manages while avoiding sounding stereotypical of either genre." [9] Music Week rated the song five out of five, adding, "This fun-loving US quartet have managed to fuse The Doors with the Stereo MCs to create a deliciously frug-inducing slice of slacker pop. A cracker." [10] A reviewer from NME wrote, "'Walkin' On The Sun' is a classic, straight out of the groovy, secret agent world of Austin Powers. Although it was written in the aftermath of the Rodney King beatings, it has an organ hook that's a deadringer for The Zombies' 'She's Not There' and growling staccato vocal that make it the perfect soundtrack for a strut down Carnaby Street circa 1967." [8] Ian Hyland from Sunday Mirror gave the song nine out of ten. He commented, "It's jingly jangly American guitar music and Radio One are playing it to death. It'll be massive, then they'll disappear." [11]
The song's accompanying music video, directed by McG, begins with each band member, one at a time, walking down a dark alley. Then, the band performs in a room while scenes of Steve Harwell pushing a remote control makes two girls appear under a glass dome. Afterwards, the band performs on a beach while beachgoers dance around them. The scene then changes to the band performing in front of the two same girls in an area full of flashing bright lights. A drag race is then shown in the street where a yellow hot rod races against an orange hot rod which the band is in. However, in the middle of the race, the orange hot rod implicitly crashes, and the race attendees and female race judge rush over to the scene. The band still performs while lying on the ground despite the crash. The video ends with them leaning close to the camera.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Walkin' on the Sun" | 3:25 |
2. | "Sorry About Your Penis" | 1:23 |
3. | "Dear Inez" | 2:50 |
4. | "Push" | 2:49 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Walkin' on the Sun" | 3:25 |
2. | "Push" | 2:49 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Walkin' on the Sun" | |
2. | "Sorry About Your Penis" | |
3. | "Dear Inez" | |
4. | "Push" | |
5. | "Walkin' on the Sun" (Love Attack mix) | |
6. | "Walkin' on the Sun" (Phant 'N' Phunky Sunstroke club) |
Weekly charts"Walkin' on the Sun"
"Walkin' on the Sun 2017"
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [54] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | June 30, 1997 | Modern rock radio | Interscope | [55] |
August 26, 1997 | Contemporary hit radio | [55] [56] | ||
United Kingdom | October 13, 1997 |
| [57] | |
Japan | September 23, 1998 | CD | [58] |
The song is a playable track in the video game Rock Band 3 [59] and was featured in the movies An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) and Can't Hardly Wait (1998), and the television film Shredderman Rules (2007). [60] It was also featured in early television advertisements to promote the Fox series Firefly in 2002. The television series ER featured the song during the opening scene of Season 4 Episode 13 "Carter's Choice", when Dr. Carter was arriving at work in the snow. [61]
The song is included in "Weird Al" Yankovic's medley "Polka Power!" from his 1999 album Running With Scissors . Neil Cicierega sampled the song in "Daft Mouth" from the 2014 mashup album Mouth Sounds .
"Don't Speak" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was released as the third single from Tragic Kingdom in the United States on April 15, 1996, by Interscope Records. Lead singer Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric Stefani, former No Doubt member, wrote the song originally as a love song. The song went through several rewrites and new versions. Gwen modified it into a breakup song about her bandmate and ex-boyfriend Tony Kanal, shortly after he ended their seven-year relationship.
"One Week" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies released as the first single from their 1998 album, Stunt. It was written by Ed Robertson, who is featured on the lead vocal of the rapped verses. Steven Page sings lead on the song's chorus, while the two co-lead the prechoruses in harmony. The song is notable for its significant number of pop culture references, and remains the band's best-known song in the United States, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100. Coincidentally, when the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remained in the top spot for one week.
Fush Yu Mang is the debut studio album by American rock band Smash Mouth, released on July 8, 1997, by Interscope Records. It includes their first major hit, "Walkin' on the Sun", which was the last song to be added onto the album. The title of the album was taken from a line slurred by Al Pacino in Scarface. On the cover of the album is the band in guitarist Greg Camp's 1962 Ford Falcon Squire wagon flying through space with an outstretched arm giving the finger. The title is written in a stylized, pseudo-Asian font. The album also features a cover of War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?". The initial release was given a Parental Advisory label, while later releases were not. Fush Yu Mang has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. for sales in excess of 2 million.
"Sunday Morning" is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani, and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as the record's fifth single on May 27, 1997. The song has also been included on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Its lyrics describe a romantic relationship that ended in a breakup and was inspired by a discussion that Gwen Stefani had with Kanal. The song has been described as a ska and ska punk recording with elements of reggae and Motown.
"I Touch Myself" is a song recorded by Australian rock band Divinyls. It was written by the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg along with Christine Amphlett and Mark McEntee of the Divinyls. It was released in November 1990 by Virgin as the lead single from the band's fourth album, diVINYLS (1991), and deals with the subjects of eroticism, orgasm and female masturbation. The single achieved success, reaching No. 1 in Australia and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In January 2018, Australian network Triple M ranked the song at No. 60 in its list of the "most Australian" songs of all time. In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked it among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".
"Smooth" is a song performed by American rock band Santana and Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, who sings the lead vocals. It was released on June 15, 1999, as the lead single from Santana's 1999 studio album, Supernatural. It was written by Itaal Shur and Thomas, who re-wrote Shur's original melody and lyrics, and produced by Matt Serletic.
"All Star" is a song by the American rock band Smash Mouth from their second studio album, Astro Lounge (1999). Written by Greg Camp and produced by Eric Valentine, the song was released on May 4, 1999, as the first single from Astro Lounge. The song was one of the last tracks to be written for Astro Lounge, after the band's record label Interscope requested more songs that could be released as singles. In writing it, Camp drew musical influence from contemporary music by artists like Sugar Ray and Third Eye Blind, and sought out to create an "anthem" for outcasts. In contrast to the more ska punk style of Smash Mouth's debut album Fush Yu Mang (1997), the song features a more radio-friendly style.
"The Way" is a song by American alternative rock band Fastball. It was released on January 7, 1998, as the lead single from their second studio album, All the Pain Money Can Buy (1998). The song was written by the band's lead vocalist, Tony Scalzo, and was produced by the band and Julian Raymond. Scalzo was inspired to write the song after reading about the disappearance of an elderly couple who were found dead in their car many miles away from their intended destination.
"One Headlight" is a song by American rock band the Wallflowers. The song was written by lead singer Jakob Dylan, and produced by T Bone Burnett. It was released in January 1997 as the second single from the band's second studio album, Bringing Down the Horse (1996).
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" is a song by American funk band War, from their 1975 studio album of the same name. It has a simple structure, with the phrase "Why can't we be friends?" being sung four times after each two-line verse amounting to forty-four times in under four minutes. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1975, and uniquely features each band member singing their own verse. It was played in outer space when NASA beamed it to the linking of Soviet cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song of that year.
"3AM" is the third single and the third track from American rock band Matchbox 20's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You (1996). Written by Rob Thomas, Jay Stanley, John Leslie Goff, and Brian Yale, the song was inspired by Thomas dealing with his mother's cancer as a teenager. The song was officially serviced to US modern rock radio in October 1997 and was given a commercial release outside North America the following month.
"Push" is a song by American rock band Matchbox Twenty. It was released in 1997 as the second single from their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You (1996). After landing "Long Day" on several rock radio stations paving the way, "Push" topped the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and became one of the band's signature songs.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a song by American alternative rock band Deep Blue Something. Originally appearing on their 1993 album 11th Song, it was later re-recorded and released on their 1995 album Home. Released as a single in July 1995 by Interscope and Rainmaker, the song was the band's only hit in the United States, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1996. Outside the United States, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" topped the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten on the charts of Australia, Flanders, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, and Sweden.
"The Impression That I Get" is a song by American ska punk band the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Let's Face It (1997), in February 1997. The track reached number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart while also charting highly in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The song was certified gold in the United States and Australia. Chris Applebaum directed the song's music video while Adam Stern produced it.
"Then the Morning Comes" is a song by American band Smash Mouth. It was released in September 1999 as the second single from the band's second studio album, Astro Lounge. The song was a successful follow-up to the international hit "All Star" in several nations, peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in Canada, number 17 in Iceland and number 22 in New Zealand.
"Three Marlenas" is a song by American rock band the Wallflowers. It was released in October 1997 as the fourth and final single from their second album, Bringing Down the Horse (1996). The song peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number 13 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.
"Can't Get Enough of You Baby" is a song written by Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer and first recorded by the Four Seasons in 1965 for their album Working My Way Back to You and More Great New Hits. The protopunk band? and the Mysterians recorded it in 1967 for their second album Action. Their version reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released as a single.
"In the Meantime" is the debut single of English alternative rock band Spacehog, from their debut album, Resident Alien (1995). It samples the Penguin Cafe Orchestra song "Telephone and Rubber Band". Released in 1996, the single peaked atop the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and the UK Rock Chart. It additionally reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 29 on the UK Singles Chart while reaching the top 50 in Australia, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden.
"If You Could Only See" is a song by American rock band Tonic from their debut studio album Lemon Parade (1996). It was released to radio as the third and final single from the album on March 18, 1997, by Polydor Records. Frontman Emerson Hart is the sole writer of the song, whilst production on the song was helmed by Jack Joseph Puig. According to Hart, the song was written as a result of his family disowning him due to their disapproval of Hart's relationship with an older woman. The song is Tonic's most successful, becoming a hit in several countries, and has been described as "rock radio's most played song of 1997."
The discography of Smash Mouth, an American rock band, consists of seven studio albums, four compilation albums, 19 singles and 13 music videos. Their first studio album, Fush Yu Mang, was released in 1997. It peaked at number 19 in the US and was certified platinum two times by the RIAA. A single from the album, "Walkin' on the Sun", peaked at number 1 on the US Adult Top 40 and Alternative Songs charts and at number 3 in Canada. In 1999, Smash Mouth released their second studio album, Astro Lounge. Helped by the singles "Can't Get Enough of You Baby", "All Star", and "Then the Morning Comes", the album peaked at number 6 in the US and was certified platinum three times by the RIAA. "All Star" peaked at number 1 on the US Adult Top 40 chart and also reached the top five on the US Billboard Hot 100, US Alternative Songs, Australia, and Canada charts. "Then the Morning Comes" peaked at number 2 on the US Adult Top 40 and Canada charts.
Few would've guessed that Smash Mouth had the juice to escape one-hit wonder status following the pop-rock ubiquity of 'Walking on the Sun,' from 1997's otherwise unremarkable Fush Yu Mang.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)