"Walkin' in the Sun"

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story behind the Song

BY: Jeff Barry

Written and Recorded by Jeff Barry

Sometimes a writer's favorite song is not one of his biggest hits. That's the case with "Walkin' in the Sun." It is very meaningful to me.

My father was blind since he was about 6 years old. He was an insurance broker and did most of his work from home in Brooklyn, New York. Most of his sales were done on the phone; he was really good at it. Once in a while, though, he had to go to the office in Manhattan. Although my parents were divorced when I was 7, I still spent a lot of time with my dad.

One day, when I was about 13 or 14, I went to the city with him. We were heading to the subway and I remember it must have been the end of the day, it was kind of chilly. We talked about how the sun was on an angle jutting through the tall buildings. My dad asked if the sun was out on the other side of the street and, sure enough, it was. He said, "Let's walk there where it's warm."

Many years later, when I was probably in my early thirties, I was writing songs for myself. I had an office at A&M Records and they wanted me to record some of my songs. I thought about that day and "Walkin' in the sun." It's very simple. There are three verses and no bridge. The lyrics say that when things have been negative long enough, you need to know when they get good. The last line of the verse is:

Even a blind man can tell when he's walkin' in the sun.

I was the first person to record it but I'm very moved by the fact that it's also been covered by many cool artists, that soulful people have chosen to record this song -- Glen Campbell, Percy Sledge, B.B. King, Chaka Khan, and others. I think people like it because they can tell it comes from a place of sincerity.

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