Katrina & The Waves – Walking On Sunshine

The 80s were filled with vibrant, chart-dominating hits, and Katrina and the Waves had one of the best. The band was originally formed in 1975 in Cambridge, England with guitarist Kimberley Rew and drummer Alex Cooper. Three years later, the pair joined Kansas-born vocalist Katrina Leskanich (who was stationed at an American military base) and bassist Vince de la Cruz in Mama’s Cookin’. The pop band covered artists like Heart, Foreigner, Linda Ronstadt, and ZZ Top.

In 1985, the band was officially renamed Katrina and the Waves and released its eponymous debut album. A catchy mix of New Wave, pop, and rock, the album shot to international success thanks to its lead single: “Walking on Sunshine.” Originally meant to be a ballad, the song was later transformed into a sparkling, uptempo anthem.

“I’d love to say ‘Walking on Sunshine’ relates to a significant event in my life, like walking out of my front door, seeing a comet, and being inspired. But it’s just a piece of simple fun, an optimistic song, despite us not being outstandingly cheery people,” Rew, who wrote the song, told The Guardian in 2015. “We were a typical young band, insecure, and pessimistic. We didn’t have big hair and didn’t look anything like a Motown-influenced group. We didn’t have any credibility or a fanbase in awe of our mystique. We were a second-on-the-bill-at-a-festival-in-Germany pop band. But we had this song.”