“Always the Sun” by The Stranglers
The premise of the Stranglers’ “Always the Sun” seems to be based on the singer perceiving life as unpredictable and oftentimes unfavorable. However, it is not all doom and gloom, as there is an underlying sentiment of humor present in the track also. Instead the lyrics, from a foundational standpoint, operate more along the lines of him questioning the world around him. And he seems to ultimately express something tantamount to futility in his worldview, as in there will always be various things going on around him that either he doesn’t understand or is powerless to influence. But he also acknowledges that “there’s always the sun”.
And the way this statement reads is as if he (amidst all of the chaos and his own powerlessness) also recognizes that there is a sense of permanency and reliability that will never fail, i.e. “the sun”.
Also, “the sun” can also be interpreted as a symbol of positivity, i.e. a never-failing light of hope which illuminates the gloom around him. And this reality – for whatever it’s worth – is something he can rejoice in, once again considering how little else in the world seems to operate in a predictable, just fashion.
Facts about “Always the Sun”
“Always the Sun” peaked at number 30 on the Stranglers’ native UK Singles Chart.
The track also charted in many a country ranging from Australia to France to the Netherlands.
Epic Records released “Always the Sun” on 6 October 1986. The song served as the second single from The Stranglers’ album entitled “Dreamtime”. “Dreamtime” was the band’s ninth album. It also came out in 1986.
“Always the Sun” was written by members of The Stranglers. The song’s official writing credits are as follows:
- Jet Black
- Jean-Jacques Burnel
- Hugh Cornwell
- Dave Greenfield
And the track was also produced by them.
Cover Versions of “Always the Sun”
Since The Stranglers released this classic in 1986, a bunch of artists have covered it. One of such prominent covers was done in 2014 by the German band Get Well Soon.
Many people, like me, believe the song is about government corruption and media distorting the truth. Of which tabloid newspaper: The Sun is shining example of.
I mean it is The Stranglers not Beach boys, they are not known for their positive outlook and singing about sandy beaches and sunshine.
I remember when this song first came out. It’s actually about then Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Managed to stay in power for a couple of decades through what many believe to be cheating and a generally corrupt politician, much more so than the norm at the time. It was from the album Dreamtime which was influenced by Australian culture. Queensland is also known as the sunshine state.
Nail on the head there Mike – i doubt with the great wit and cynicism of the band it’s a dig at the sensationalist newspaper thinly veiled as a nice Beach Boys ditty
A great song really that should have done better in the charts
Brian Moore ex Rugby player said on desert Island discs that a member of the band informed him that it was written after the ending of a two year consensual sex slave relationship he had with 2 groupies- possibly sisters.
“One of such prominent covers was done in 1997 by the famed British rock band Dire Straits.”
Dire Straits didn’t exist in 1997 anymore and they never covered anybody’s songs as far as I’m aware of. I see this false information has survived over eleven years on Wikipedia but I’m going to eradicate it now.
Hi Jules, thanks for your extremely valuable contribution. The article has been updated accordingly.
Well the did a for golden brown and now it’s the sun, Always… The sun. If he had a Mediterranean girlfriend then i’m a donkey called jack:)