Story of the song: Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves

From The Independent archive: Robert Webb on ‘Walking on Sunshine’ by Katrina and the Waves

The song was the first (and, for a decade, the only) hit for Katrina and the Waves (Gunter W Kienitz/Shutterstock)

June 1985: it is summer, albeit a cool one. “Walking on Sunshine” glances off the backbeat like classic Motown. It was the first (and, for a decade, the only) hit for Katrina and the Waves.

It was penned by Kimberley Rew, the guitarist with the Cambridge-based psychedelic rockers the Soft Boys. In 1981, after the Soft Boys parted company, Rew reformed the Waves. This time they had a frontwoman, Katrina Leskanich, an American exile in East Anglia. Two independently released albums flopped. “We were a struggling band until 1985. I probably took things a little too seriously,” says Rew.

“Walking on Sunshine” was written almost as self-therapy. “I was trying to find some common ground with Katrina, something that would work for her,” he says. It was produced by Pat Collier at Greenhouse Studios in London and mixed for release on Capitol by Scott Litt. With the backing of a major label, and a catchy hook, it was a favourite at festivals, eventually making the top 10.