“The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again”
Song by Ray Charles
“The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again” was the A-side of Ray Charles’s second single on Atlantic in January 1953. It was later released on the 1958 compilation album Yes Indeed! It again failed to fulfill the promise that Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic saw in young Ray, who was 22 years old when this song was released. But looking back now, we can enjoy “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again” as the riotous rhythm and blues classic that it is.
“The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again” is dominated, at least in parts, by an outrageously dirty trumpet. Ray, as a singer, sounds similar to the way he did on his early 78s, before he was signed to Atlantic. The theme of this song is that his life is fraught with problems, and all he can do is cling to an irrational hope for the future. High-voiced and lonely, he sounds pained, and he indulges in one of his patented virtuoso piano solos during the tight performance. As if to comfort himself.
The difference between the Swing Time-era 78s and this Atlantic side is that Ray and the band are better-recorded. Not only that, but there’s a stylistic difference here: Ray isn’t wallowing in pity, exactly. His life may suck, but right now he’s having a ball playing and singing. There is a confident swagger to the band, which Ray picks up on and matches, sad and angry though the overall sentiment may be.
Ray was still finding his feet at Atlantic, but he is indeed progressing here: his next release, the joyous “Mess Around”, would be a major stepping stone and the big hit that Atlantic was hoping for.
The B-side of “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again” was “Jumpin’ In The Mornin'”. “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again” was written by Sam Sweet, who also wrote both sides of Ray’s first Atlantic single of four months earlier, “The Midnight Hour” and “Roll With My Baby”.
One more thing: Listen to the final few seconds, where Ray trills a few random notes on the keyboard to end the performance. It’s part of the melody of “I Believe To My Soul”, six years early!
Single releases
Listen to “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again”
Get your own “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again” on 45, LP, CD or MP3 from Amazon. Or get the complete Atlantic recordings 7xCD box set.
Songs on Yes Indeed!