Finally we have arrived at the last in our series of songs for days of the week. Interestingly, whilst most of the Saturday songs focussed on the evening, the morning predominates in our selection of Sunday songs. So here we go – “Sunday Morning” is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995) as the record’s fifth single in May 1997. It was written by Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani and Tony Kanal. Its lyrics describe a romantic relationship that ended in a breakup and was inspired by a discussion that Gwen Stefani had with Kanal.
“Sunday Morning” is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released in November, 2004, as the fourth single from their debut studio album Song About Jane (2002). The single peaked at number 31 in the USA becoming Maroon 5’s fourth Top 40 single; it also peaked at number 27 in the UK. An accompanying music video directed by Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom and was filmed at Abbey Road and the Otto Dining Lounge in London. It features Maroon 5 performing the song, interspersed with scenes of numerous people singing it at a karaoke bar.
“Easy” is a song by Commodores for the Motown label, from their eponymous fifth studio album. Group member Lionel Richie wrote “Easy” with the intention of it becoming another crossover hit for the group. Released in March 1977, “Easy” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Only one of our selection which doesn’t mention Sunday in the title but which refers to it constantly in the lyric.
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, most famous for the version recorded by The Monkees in 1967. Goffin’s and King’s inspiration for the name was a street named Pleasant Valley Way, in New Jersey where they were living at the time. The road follows a valley through several communities. The lyrics were a social commentary on life in suburbia”. It became one of the Monkees’ most successful singles reaching No. 3 in the USA and No. 11 in the UK.
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” is a song by Irish band U2. It is the opening track from their 1983 album War and was released as the album’s third single in March 1983. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies. One of U2’s most overtly political songs, its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in mainly focusing on the 1972 Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters. Along with “New Year’s Day,” the song helped U2 reach a wider listening audience. It was generally well received by critics on the album’s release. Here is their performance at Live Aid in 1985.
“Never on Sunday“, also known by its original Greek title “Ta Pediá tou Pireá“, The Children of Piraeus), was written by Manos Hatzidakis and first sung by Melina Mercouri in the film of the same name. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1960, a first for a foreign-language picture. The song has since been recorded by numerous artists, and has gained various degrees of success throughout the world. Here is a version from the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.
This conclues our trawl through the musical week. I hope you have discovered something new and something you liked.
