Sunshine on Leith (album)

Sunshine on Leith
The duo (Charlie and Craig) look out into the skyline of Leith.
Studio album by
the Proclaimers
Released12 September 1988[1]
RecordedJanuary–February 1988
StudioChipping Norton Recording Studios
Genre
Length44:16
53:30 (2001 re-release)
LabelChrysalis, Nettwerk
ProducerPete Wingfield
The Proclaimers chronology
This Is the Story
(1987) 		Sunshine on Leith
(1988) 		Hit the Highway
(1994)
Singles from Sunshine on Leith
  1. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
    Released: August 1988
  2. "Sunshine on Leith"
    Released: October 1988
  3. "I'm on My Way"
    Released: January 1989
  4. "Then I Met You"
    Released: 1989

Sunshine on Leith is the second studio album by Scottish folk rock duo the Proclaimers, released in September 1988 through Chrysalis Records.[4] The record spawned four singles: "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which topped charts in Australia,[5] New Zealand and Iceland; "Sunshine on Leith", a ballad that has become an anthem for Scottish football club Hibernian F.C.;[6] the No. 3 Australian hit "I'm on My Way"; and the Australian-exclusive "Then I Met You". The non-single "Cap in Hand" also came to prominence in 2014 with the Scottish Independence referendum.[7]

Sunshine on Leith marked a departure from the minimalist acoustics of the group's 1987 debut This Is the Story, toward a rock-oriented full band sound, backed by members of the Fairport Convention and Dexys Midnight Runners.[8] The album's sound draws heavily from American music, such as country and 1950s rock and roll, with homages to the duo's own Scottish culture.[2] The album was a major worldwide hit, particularly in Australia where it was described as the band's "biggest success", reaching No. 2 in the ARIA Charts and being 1989's 12th highest-seller.[5][9] The album peaked at No. 3 and No. 6 in New Zealand and the United Kingdom respectively, while also charting in Canada and Sweden, ultimately selling over 2 million copies worldwide, including over 700,000 in the USA.[10]

  1. ^ "BPI".
  2. ^ a b Heim, Chris (9 March 1989). "Scots on the Rock". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rhino was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 392. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference musicau was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Singing twins bring sunshine to Leith". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. 4 May 2002. Retrieved 13 October 2013. The Best Of album, due for release in the UK on May 13, features 20 songs drawn from the duo's 15-year career, including Sunshine On Leith, their famous anthem that is regularly played at Easter Road, home of their beloved Hibernian Football Club.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference scotsingles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Monger, Timothy. "The Proclaimers - Biography and History". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference ARIAEoY1989 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Scotsman2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).