Well, the weather is certainly cooling, but there’s still enough warmth in the air to come out to the 39th annual Sunfest held this week at the inlet in Ocean City. The locals know what to expect, but for any newcomers, the inlet parking lot will be packed with tents full of arts and crafts, food, music and more. Most of the musical acts will be small, local bands, but what I’m truly excited for is The Beach Boys closing the festival on Saturday. No, not a tribute to The Beach Boys, but the actual Beach Boys will be there. With plenty of activities for the whole family, this event is sure to be a great way to celebrate the end of summer. While I wish I had more days to tan on the beach, here are six of my favorite songs that have the word “sun” in them to celebrate Sunfest 2013!

 

“Sun It Rises”
By: Fleet Foxes
Off the album: Fleet Foxes (2008)
    This is the first song on the first album released by this band, and boy, do they make an impact from the first note played. This Seattle folk band made a huge splash on the music scene when this album released; even The Guardian said that the record is "a landmark in American music, an instant classic.” The album made the “Best Albums of the Year” list on 13 major American and English publications; even making the “Best of the Decade” list for Rolling Stone and Rhapsody. It was also added to the 2009 edition of one of my favorite books, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery. Listen to this album. You’ll thank me later.

 

“Sun is Shining”
By: Bob Marley and the Wailers
Off the album: Soul Revolution (1971) [re-recorded on Kaya (1978)]
    No, I did not accidentally upload the wrong image of the album cover. The album’s release caused great confusion, as the record company called it Soul Revolution¸ while the title on the album’s cover clearly says Soul Revolution Part II. To cause further confusion, an instrumental version of the album, actually called Soul Revolution Part II, was released in Jamaica the same year. The band re-recorded “Sun is Shining” years later with greater production value, and the remake is likely the version you have come to know and love.

 

“Blister in the Sun”
By: Violent Femmes
Off the album: Violent Femmes (1983)
    Do you want to feel old? This year, this song celebrated its 30-year anniversary. Now that we’re past that depressing fact, frontman Gordon Gano wrote the lyrics to this song (and most other songs on this album) a couple of years before the album’s release…while he was still in high school. My most accomplished feat in high school was making the football team. And I barely even made the team! With this release being the band’s first studio album, they continued to make another record every few years or so, until the band stopped recording music after 2000. They still continued to play shows occasionally, but the Violent Femmes officially broke up in 2009 after a lawsuit between band members. Things have seemed to be patched up, as the band played a few festivals this summer and Gano has stated a new album is in the works.

 

“Waiting for the Sun”
By: The Doors
Off the album: Morrison Hotel (1970)
    Yes, there is a Doors album called Waiting for the Sun, and no, this song is not on that album. When the band first recorded the song, they didn’t like its sound too much, and decided to not include it on the final track listing. For their next album, The Soft Parade, The Doors incorporated brass and string instruments to create a new sound for their music. The public greatly rejected the change of direction (although the record sold pretty well), and the band decided to go back to a more basic blues rock sound for their next release. Looking back at the unreleased song, The Doors said “Hey, maybe that song isn’t that bad after all” and put it on Morrison Hotel, which was a big hit. And that’s how “Waiting for the Sun” strangely ended up on Morrison Hotel!

“Sunshine of Your Love”
By: Cream
Off the album: Disraeli Gears (1967)
    Did you ever think this guitar riff sounded a bit like Jimi Hendrix? Well, there’s a reason for that. After frontman Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce saw a show by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bruce wrote the main guitar riff at home. The band’s American record label, Atlantic, originally wasn’t going to let the band release the song because they didn’t like it. That was until Booker T. Jones (that’s Booker T. of Booker T. & the M.G.’s) said that he liked the track. Here’s a little fun trivia about Clapton’s famous solo in the song: The opening lines from the classic pop song “Blue Moon” are heard during it, creating contrast between the sun and the moon.

 

“Here Comes the Sun”
By: The Beatles
Off the album: Abbey Road (1969)
    Written by George Harrison, this is arguably his most famous Beatles song, save for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” At the time of writing, Harrison wasn’t really in the best of spirits. He temporarily quit the band, was arrested for possession of marijuana and also had his tonsils removed. He was getting bored of the corporate world, and compared going to the Apple office as having to go to school. One day, he decided to play hooky from work and hung out at Eric Clapton’s house for the day. As he walked around Clapton’s garden without a worry in the world and an acoustic guitar in hand, Harrison wrote “Here Comes the Sun.”