The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)

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In 1966, the Walker Brothers released their remake as a single. Re-titled "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", this version met with much greater success than Valli's. It topped the UK Singles Chart,^[6] and also became their highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., where it peaked at #13.^[7] The single also hit the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway.

The Walker Brothers' recording has since garnered retrospective critical acclaim, and is considered the group's signature song. NME ranked the song at #357 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", Pitchfork ranked it at #187 on its list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s", and it is listed in the 2010 book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die.

The video, in which the brothers wander in a mystic garden filled with statues, was not a set; it was Millesgården on the island of Lidingö in Stockholm.

Track listing

More information No., Title ...

Philips – BF 1473 / Smash Records S-2032

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"	Bob Crewe Bob Gaudio	3:17
2.	"After the Lights Go Out"	John Stewart	4:01

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Chart positions

More information Chart (1966), Peak position ...

Chart (1966)	Peak position
Belgium Ultratop singles chart[8]	15
Canadian RPM Top Singles[9]	2
Germany Media Control singles chart[10]	4
Netherlands[11]	9
New Zealand (Listener)[12]	7
Irish Singles Chart[13]	5
Norway VG-lista singles chart[14]	6
UK Singles Chart[6]	1
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	13

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In 1996, Cher released her remake as the fourth official European single from her twenty-second album, It's a Man's World. The track went to #26 on the UK Singles Chart. Her version was used in The X-Files episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus".

Critical reception

Allmusic called the song "a real highlight" and added, "epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West."^[16]

Track listing

• UK cassette single

1. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Trevor Horn Remix) – 4:02
2. "Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) – 4:21

• UK CD single

1. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Trevor Horn Remix) – 4:02
2. "Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) – 4:21
3. "Paradise Is Here" (Album Version) – 5:04

• UK 12" single

1. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (Alternative Mix) – 4:02
2. "Not Enough Love in the World" (Sam Ward Remix) – 4:21
3. "Paradise Is Here" (Sam Ward US Mix) – 4:40

Charts

More information Chart (1996), Peak position ...

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts)[17]	15
UK Singles (Official Charts)[18]	26

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In 2004, British band Keane recorded the song. Deviating from the original, Tim Rice-Oxley, pianist and composer of Keane, changed the guitar for piano. He also took the lead vocals in the second chorus, like the original version. The single was selected in summer 2004 by readers of the NME and first released as a download-only single in September 2004. It was given for download to the War Child foundation website and one thousand vinyl copies given as a gift to some fans of Keane, who had supported and helped the band. The numbered copies each included a handwritten note from Tim Rice-Oxley, also signed by the other two members, thanking them for their support.

Track listing

1. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"
2. "Your Eyes Open" (Mo Mental Remix)

• Musical group The Ormsby Brothers released a version as a single in 1974, which peaked at #93 in Australia.^[19]
• Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond included it as the 9th track of his 1979 LP album September Morn, with Bob Gaudio at the piano.
• Singer Doug Parkinson recorded it with Broderick Smith on his 1981 album Heartbeat To Heartbeat. It was released as a single, peaking at #18 in Australia.^[19]
• In 1981, duo Nielsen/Pearson released their remake as a single. It became their last Hot 100 hit, peaking at #56.
• The song was covered by Ute Weber on German disco group Chilly's 1982 album Secret Lies.
• Croatian band Dorian Gray covered it as Sjaj u tami in 1983, and the eponymous song became a hit single in Yugoslavia.
• Musician Russell Hitchcock, the lead vocalist of Air Supply, included it on his eponymous 1988 solo debut album.
• The song features prominently in the 1991 bittersweet romance film Truly, Madly, Deeply, starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, with Nina (Stevenson) playing the main chords in the chorus on the piano and Jamie (Rickman) playing the main riff on the bass strings of his cello, and both of them singing.^[20] Singing the song is a game the couple often played.^[21]
• Singer Jules Shear included a version on his 1994 album The Healing Bones.
• Singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2022 album Only the Strong Survive.
• The Fuzzy Bunnies, out of New York City, covered it in 1969, reaching #115 on the Hot 100 Bubbling Under Chart.
• In 2025, Jason Kouchak recorded a version to celebrate the song’s 60 year anniversary.

In 1990, in the movie Truly, Madly, Deeply this song was sung as a cover, as well as playing a prominent role in trailer.

In 2010, the Walker Brothers version was used in the promotional trailer for the AMC television series The Walking Dead.^{[citation needed]}

In 2012, the Walker Brothers' rendition played a prominent role in the film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. It was featured the following year in the film Stoker.

In 2013, the single's B-side, "After the Lights Go Out", played over the end credits of the Canadian-Spanish psychological thriller film Enemy.

In 2018, the Hulu streaming service series Castle Rock used the Walker Brothers' recording in season 1, episode 6.

In 2019, the Frankie Valli version featured during the end credits of the film Midsommar.

In 2026, the Frankie Valli version played over the final scene and early end credits of season 1, episode 2 of the HBO Max television series DTF St. Louis.