I Live For The Sun

Album: Andrea (1966)
Charted: 51
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song gained popularity through the TV appearances the Sunrays made on a teenage soap opera of the mid-'60s titled Never Too Young. The show starred Tony Dow, known for playing Wally Cleaver on Leave It To Beaver.
  • Murry Wilson, the sour-grapes father of Brian, Carl & Dennis, produced the Sunrays, trying to out-do his famous sons after being fired as Beach Boys manager. This song was produced by a vengeful Murry, hoping to make a bigger hit than Brian ever did. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    john - lansing, MI, for above 2

Comments: 9

  • Steve L from Los AngelesI love this song. It gives me a great summer vibe.
  • Musiclover from Mullumbimby AustraliaAbsolute banger of a song! Love it!
  • 2002blackcamarodude from Arlington Tx2 of the Greatest Beach Songs Ever----Andrea & I Live For The Sun, both by the Sunrays! Andrea was played on the Lloyd Thaxton Show ever day in Jan., 1966!
  • Craig from Sacramento, CaMarty Cerf (Phonograph Record Magazine) once told me personally that he was involved in the writting of the song. Any comment or knowledge would be helpful. Thanks.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn November 6th 1965, the Sunrays performed "I Live for the Sun" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time the song was at #57 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it was also its 10th and last week on the chart...
    {See the post below}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 29th, 1965 "I Live For The Sun" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #95; eventually it peaked at #51 and spent 10 weeks on the Top 100...
    And June 4th, 1966 the Sunrays appeared on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand' and performed "Andrea" (it peaked at #41) and "Still" (which reached #93)...
    These three records were their only Top 100 entries.
  • James from Wilmington, NcThe Sunrays started as the Renegades, a garage band consisting of Eddy Medora, Marty DiGiovanni, Rick Henn, Vince Hozier, and Steve O'Reilly. Eddy was friends with the Wilson brothers of the Beach Boys, Carl in particular. Carl had the band audition for Murry Wilson, since Murry wanted another act to manage. This was also around the time Brian was wanting to be free of Murry's control. Murry liked the band and told them to write songs. Eddy wrote the initial hooks to I Live For the Sun and Rick finished it. I Live For the Sun got as high as #51 in 1965. Steve left just as I Live For the Sun broke. Eddy replaced him with Eddy's friend Byron Case. They had two other minor singles, Andrea and Still, but this is the song that everyone remembers.
  • Mark from Lancaster, OhWe need some songfacts here.

    How high did it get on the charts? Who was the actual writer? This song is almost universally maligned, but we were listening to it today and kind of liked it. And who were the Sun-Rays, for heaven's sakes?

  • Dave from Scottsdale, AzListen to the words- you can tell it was written by an old man.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.