10 Best Rock Songs With The Word 'Sun' In The Title

Feature Photo: Rampal Singh

The sun has been used in rock songs as a symbol of hope, escape, loneliness, change, and everything in between. These ten songs use the word directly in the title while taking the idea in very different directions.

# 10 – Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden

Soundgarden released “Black Hole Sun” in 1994 as the third single from Superunknown. Written by Chris Cornell and produced by Michael Beinhorn and Soundgarden, the song was recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle and spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart. Cornell’s surreal title turns the sun into something dark and destructive rather than comforting.

Read More: Top 10 Soundgarden Songs

# 9 – I’ll Follow the Sun – The Beatles

Paul McCartney wrote “I’ll Follow the Sun” years before The Beatles recorded it for 1964’s Beatles for Sale. Credited to Lennon-McCartney and produced by George Martin, the song was recorded at EMI Studios in London in October 1964. Its simple idea is about knowing when it is time to leave and move toward something brighter.

Read More: Top 10 Beatles Love Songs

# 8 – House of the Rising Sun – The Animals

The Animals turned the traditional folk song “House of the Rising Sun” into a worldwide rock hit in 1964. Produced by Mickie Most and driven by Alan Price’s organ arrangement, the recording reached No. 1 in both the UK and the United States. Here the sun is not a symbol of hope at all; the Rising Sun is the mysterious New Orleans place at the center of a story about ruin and regret.

Read More: Top 10 Songs From The Animals

# 7 – Invisible Sun – The Police

Sting wrote “Invisible Sun” for The Police’s 1981 album Ghost in the Machine, with the band and Hugh Padgham producing. Sting has said the song was about violence in Northern Ireland, while the invisible sun represents the hope that keeps people going through fear and conflict. The single reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

# 6 – I Wanna Go to the Sun – Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton first released “I Wanna Go to the Sun” on his 1974 studio album Somethin’s Happening, but the version many fans know best appears on the 1976 double live album Frampton Comes Alive!. Frampton produced that breakthrough album from performances recorded during 1975. The song’s title says exactly what its long live arrangement feels like: a push toward freedom, light, and somewhere beyond everyday life.

Read More: Top 10 Peter Frampton Songs

# 5 – Waiting for the Sun – The Doors

Jim Morrison wrote “Waiting for the Sun” around the time of The Doors’ 1968 album of the same name, but the song wasn’t released until Morrison Hotel in 1970. Recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles and produced by Paul A. Rothchild, it turns waiting for the sun into anticipation and longing for something better to arrive.

Read More: The Doors Most Underrated Songs

# 4 – Fat Old Sun – Pink Floyd

David Gilmour wrote and sang “Fat Old Sun” for Pink Floyd’s 1970 album Atom Heart Mother. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by Pink Floyd, with Norman Smith credited as executive producer, the studio track features Gilmour playing most of the instruments himself. The song uses the setting sun to create one of the warmest and most pastoral scenes in Pink Floyd’s early catalog.

Read More: Top 10 Pink Floyd Deep Tracks

# 3 – Into the Sun – Grand Funk Railroad

“Into the Sun” appeared on Grand Funk Railroad’s 1969 debut album, On Time. Written by Mark Farner and produced by Terry Knight, the track was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and captures the raw trio sound of Farner, Mel Schacher, and Don Brewer. Its lyric uses the sun as a destination connected to change, confidence, and moving forward.

# 2 – The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) – Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli released “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)” as a solo single in 1965. Written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and produced by Crewe, Valli’s original only reached Billboard’s Bubbling Under chart, peaking at No. 128. The Walker Brothers recorded the song the following year and turned it into a major international hit.

# 1 – Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles

George Harrison wrote “Here Comes the Sun” in Eric Clapton’s garden while taking a break from the business pressures surrounding The Beatles. Recorded in 1969 for Abbey Road and produced by George Martin, the track features Harrison on lead vocal and guitar, Paul McCartney on bass and backing vocal, and Ringo Starr on drums; John Lennon was recovering from a car accident and did not play on it. Few songs use the sun more simply or effectively as a sign that a difficult stretch is finally ending.