Top 10 Katrina And The Waves Songs (2024)

Top 10 Katrina And The Waves Songs (1)

Katrina and the Waves were a British rock band active from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. Originally, the band was a pop cover band called Mama’s Cookin’. Later, it renamed itself the Waves because of an older band of the same name that two of the band members – Alex Cooper and Kimberly Rew – had been in. It was Rew who started writing more and more original material, which in turn, meant Katrina Leskanich became more and more important as the one who sang that original material. Eventually, the band went through one last line-up change when Vince de la Cruz took over as the bassist because of Bob Jakins’ departure. It emerged from that change as Katrina and the Waves. In total, the band released 10 studio albums, though it tends to be remembered for just a small number of songs.

Top 10 Katrina and the Waves Songs

#10 – Red Wine and Whiskey

“Red Wine and Whiskey” came out on the band’s third studio album, which was also their self-titled album. It seems safe to say that is no coincidence because that was their debut with a major record label. Rew wrote “Red Wine and Whiskey” in much the same way he wrote most of the songs on the self-titled album. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to have caught on anywhere outside of Germany where it managed to reach the number 41 position. That is a real shame because it is an entertaining little song in which the singer does her best to remain optimistic despite some less-than-wise spending decisions.

#9 – Que Te Quiero

Generally speaking, people remember Katrina and the Waves as a British band. As a result, it can seem strange to learn that the band has several songs referencing Texas and Texans. Everything becomes much more understandable when one learns that both Katrina Leskanich and Vince de la Cruz are American. “Que Te Quiero” is a charming love song from Katrina and the Waves in which the singer continues heading south to Mexico because of her Mexican boyfriend despite the external pressures on her to end the relationship.

#8 – We Gotta Get Out of This Place

Originally, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” was a hit for the Animals in 1965. The song resonated with a wide range of people in a wide range of places. That is because the narrator describes being trapped under miserable circumstances that will kill him and his lover before their time, meaning he is determined for them to get out so that they can live a better life somewhere else. Katrina and the Waves did a cover of the song with the Animals’ one-time lead vocalist Eric Burdon for the TV show China Beach in 1990. The show was set in an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. As such, the choice of song was no coincidence because it is well-known that a lot of U.S. soldiers during that conflict identified with “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

#7 – Walk on Water

“Walk on Water” was the title track from Katrina and the Waves’ final studio album. All four members of the band contributed to its songwriting. Unfortunately, “Walk on Water” failed to find the same kind of success as the other single from the studio album. It reached the number 47 position in Austria and the number 38 position in the Netherlands. Elsewhere, the response was muted. Katrina and the Waves broke up just a short while after Walk on Water because of internal disagreements. Both Katrina Leskanich and the rest of the Waves attempted to continue using the name, but the failure of their respective efforts resulted in everyone going their separate ways in 1999.

#6 – Is That It?

“Is That It?” came out on the band’s fourth studio album Waves. Generally speaking, the latter wasn’t regarded as highly as its predecessor Katrina and the Waves. Some have said that is because Rew did less of the songwriting for the studio album. However, that seems a bit of a stretch considering the performance of the four singles. “Is That It?” was the Rew single that did well, but there was another Rew single that did not. Similarly, there was a non-Rew single that did well and a non-Rew single that did not. Regardless, “Is That It?” has a nice bit of fury to it, which comes from the narrator being in the midst of an acrimonious breakup.

#5 – Do You Want Crying?

“Do You Want Crying?” is yet another breakup song. It has three critical differences from the last one mentioned on this list. One, it came out on Katrina and the Waves. Two, it was one of just two songs penned by Vince de la Cruz on that studio album. Three, “Do You Want Crying?” expresses a very different kind of emotion because the singer seems absolutely crushed rather than infuriated by the breakup. The constant repetition of the title in the lyrics almost makes it seem as though she is bargaining in between rapidly shifting expressions of anger, grief, and confusion.

#4 – Sun Street

As mentioned earlier, “Sun Street” was the non-Rew single from Waves that did well. Indeed, one can argue it did better than “Is That It?” because it reached the number 22 position in the United Kingdom whereas its counterpart peaked at the number 82 position in the same country. In any case, “Sun Street” is interesting because of the sheer ambivalence in Vince de la Cruz’s lyrics, though Katrina Leskanich’s vocals helped out as always. On the one hand, the narrator knows very well that neither the titular location nor its other visitors are any good for her; on the other hand, she finds the world a bit more bearable once she has gotten drunk and high at the same.

#3 – That’s the Way

People sometimes remember Katrina and the Waves as a one-hit-wonder. That is unfair because the band did have hits other than “Walking on Sunshine.” For instance, Leskanich and Rew teamed up to write “That’s the Way” on the band’s fifth studio album Break of Hearts in 1989. It didn’t meet with much enthusiasm in the United Kingdom, though it did manage to place on the charts. Meanwhile, it did quite well in North America, as shown by how it climbed to the number 16 position in both the United States and Canada.

#2 – Love Shine a Light

Amusingly, Katrina and the Waves also had a song that was a hit in Europe but overlooked in North America. That would be “Love Shine a Light,” which was the other single released from “Walk on Water” in 1997. Much of the song’s momentum comes from the fact that Katrina and the Waves won Eurovision in 1997, which was the first time that the United Kingdom had done so since 1981. Moreover, “Love Shine a Light” was well-received, as shown by how it was the United Kingdom’s highest scorer until Sam Ryder’s “Space Man” in 2022. The song didn’t reach the top of the charts anywhere, but it was a Top 5 hit in five European countries.

#1 – Walking on Sunshine

“Walking on Sunshine” was always going to be at the top of this list. Simply put, it is the song that Katrina and the Waves are best known for, so much so that they are sometimes mistaken for a one-hit-wonder because of it. On top of that, “Walking on Sunshine” was the lead single on Katrina and the Waves, meaning it played a huge role in propelling the band into mainstream prominence. It climbed to the number 8 position in the United Kingdom, with the result that it wouldn’t be surpassed in that country until “Love Shine a Light” towards the end of the band’s career. Similarly, it climbed to the number 9 position in the United States, making it the band’s most successful song in that country ever. The funny thing is that the band members didn’t like the song very much at first. Reputedly, they didn’t think that its simple optimism was a good match for them.

Feature Photo: Foto: Jonn Leffmann, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Katrina And The Waves Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022

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Top 10 Katrina And The Waves Songs (2)

Top 10 Katrina And The Waves Songs (2024)

FAQs

How many hit songs did Katrina and the Waves have? ›

Katrina and the Waves are generally considered a “one-hit wonder”, but they actually charted three Top-40 songs. “Walking On Sunshine” was their first, and biggest, hit, reaching #9 on the charts in 1985; later that year, they scored another hit, “Do You Want Crying?” that reached #37.

Is Katrina and the Waves dead? ›

Katrina and the Waves broke up in 1999.

Why did Katrina and the Waves break up? ›

Despite their return to the public eye in the UK, Katrina and the Waves were not able to follow up "Love Shine a Light" with another hit, and Leskanich left the group in 1998 after several disagreements within the band.

Is Walking on Sunshine a one hit wonder? ›

Described as a “Rock of Ages for all ages,” this wildly fun new pop/rock jukebox musical includes the greatest one-hit wonders like “Walking on Sunshine,” “Livin' La Vida Loca,” and “Tainted Love.” One Hit Wonder is all about music, love, and second chances… and it is all set to a soundtrack of the greatest one-hit ...

What is the one hit wonder record? ›

Music industry

Billboard magazine defines a U.S. one-hit wonder as an "artist that cracks the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and never makes it back to that position."

How big was Katrina when it hit? ›

When Hurricane Katrina first made landfall in Florida between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, it was a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. By the time the storm strengthened to a category 3 hurricane, winds exceeded 115 miles per hour.

Did Walking on Sunshine reach number 1? ›

Weekly charts
Chart (1985)Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)8
US Billboard Hot 1009
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)21
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)19
12 more rows

Why did Katrina and the Waves represent the UK? ›

In a 2010 interview Leskanich would state that Great British Song Contest executive producer Jonathan King had in fact initiated Katrina and the Waves involvement in the Great British Contest as he had contacted Leskanich to ask if her group had a song which might be a suitable contender to vie to become the UK entrant ...

Who was Katrina dating? ›

Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal got married in December 2021 and the couple often expresses their love for each other in interviews. Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif got married after dating each other for a couple of years. And until they tied the knot, they never opened up about their relationship in front of the world.

Did Katrina and the Waves win Eurovision? ›

"Of course by this point i was 300 sheets of happiness!" Katrina from Katrina & The Waves re-lives her 1997 Eurovision win!

What does it mean to walk on sunshine? ›

(idiomatic) To be extremely happy.

What is the most famous one-hit wonder? ›

#ARTISTTITLE
1Los Del RioMacarena [Bayside Boys Mix]
2Soft CellTainted Love
3Dexy's Midnight RunnersCome on Eileen
4Right Said FredI'm Too Sexy
52 more rows

What is a one-hit wonder song? ›

A one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit.

Is Walking on Sunshine appropriate? ›

Parents need to know that Walking on Sunshine is a fun, frivolous musical about a love triangle, holiday romance, and a beach wedding involving sisters, friends, and lovers, with a slew of '80s hits. There's a lot of sexiness in terms of conversations, jokes, and dance routines, but it's far more cheeky than explicit.

Did Walking on Sunshine get to number 1? ›

The rerecorded version was at first released on the band's 1985 self-titled album as the album's second single and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States and No. 8 in the United Kingdom.

What year did Katrina and the Waves win? ›

Katrina from Katrina & The Waves re-lives her 1997 Eurovision win!

Did Hurricane Katrina break any records? ›

An estimated 1,833 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed. Millions of people were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina caused approximately $161 billion in damage, and is the costliest hurricane on record.

How many hits does Rihanna have? ›

In the United States, Rihanna has amassed 14 number-one songs and 32 top-ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

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