THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

658-Katrina and the Waves-Walking on Sunshine.

1985-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 0.08. How would you like to own the rights to a song that earns approximately $1 million per year.

According to a former employee of ‘EMI’ records, Walking on Sunshine’ is the crown in ‘EMI”s catalogue. Between 2000-2010, it became one of the most sought after songs with advertisers willing to pay up to $250,000 a time for the privilege.

Katrina and the Waves classic line up were formed in Cambridge, England in 1982 by Katrina Leskanich (vocals,) Kimberley Rew (songwriter, and guitarist,) Vince de la Cruz (bass,) and Alex Cooper (drums.) They were active until 1999, releasing 10 studio Albums, and achieving three top 40 singles in the UK, including the 1997 Number 3 single ‘Love Shine a Light,’ which was also the Eurovision Song Contest winner for the UK in that year.

The original version of ‘Walking on Sunshine’ was one of 10 songs recorded in 1983 by the band at their own expense, to sell for promotional purposes at gigs. When they finally landed a recording contract, this song, and the other tracks were re-recorded for their first major label release, titled ‘Katrina and the Waves.’

The bands main songwriter was Kimberley Rew who was born in Bristol, England, on December 3rd, 1951. Before co-founding Katrina and the Waves he had been a member of the Rock band The Soft Boys, joining in 1979, until their break up in 1981. As well as writing this song, his other two most famous compositions are ‘Love Shine a Light,’ and ‘Going Down to Liverpool,’ which when covered by the Bangles reached Number 21 in Ireland in 1986.

Katrina Leskanich was born on April 10th, 1960, in Topeka, Kansas, United States, but moved with her family to the UK in 1976. She first started performing professionally with a pop covers band called ‘Mama’s Cookin” in 1978, with her then boyfriend Vince de la Cruz, they were joined by Kimberley Rew in 1981. Katrina has also tasted further chart success when singing backing vocals on Natalie Imbruglia’s 1997 UK Number 2 song ‘Torn,’ (see also best songs 938.)

‘I used to think maybe you loved me, now I know that it’s true, and I don’t want to spend my whole life just a-waiting for you.’