Smash Records: The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)

Occasionally, when I’ve looked at specific labels, I discover that a single song was released a number of times by different artists. Such is the case with today’s selection “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore).” Written by the hit producing songwriting team of Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, the initial version was recorded by The Four Seasons, but was released under Frankie Valli’s name on the Smash Records label.

As a member of the band, Gaudio sang and played keyboards and Crewe, who produced a plethora of Four Seasons’ hits, reprised this role on the original recording of “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore).” Although Crewe and Gaudio had written a number of hit songs like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Ronnie,” “Rag Doll,” “Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye),” “Silence is Golden,” “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You,” and others; Frankie Valli’s version of “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)” wasn’t one of them. The original version had a dismal showing at #128.

But Valli’s version of the tune was not the end of its run. In 1966, another Smash artist would have greater success with the song. Although The Walker Brothers hit number one with “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)” in the UK, it peaked at #13 in their native United States.

While none of The Walker Brothers were actually named Walker and they certainly weren’t brothers, their greater success was due to their successful attempt at an American invasion of Britain at the height of the British invasion on this side of the Atlantic. It has been rumored that The Walker Brother’s fan club in England was larger than The Beatles’ fan club membership in Britain. I’m not so sure I believe this; but if it were so, it would have been quite an honor for this trio of Yanks from Los Angeles. By the way, all three Walkers continued to use the surname personally and professionally long after they disbanded.