From Canadian Albums to Eurovision Gold: The Story of Katrina and The Waves
Katrina and The Waves, an English New Wave band with American members, started their musical journey as a covers band. Initially known as The Waves, they began recording their own tunes to sell at gigs, which eventually caught the attention of a Canadian record label. This led to the release of their debut album in 1983, exclusively in Canada.
One of the standout tracks on their first album was an early version of Going Down To Liverpool, which would later become a popular hit for The Bangles. The album also featured the band’s signature song, Walking On Sunshine, but it wasn’t until a later version that the track became a global smash.
Their second album, Katrina and The Waves 2 (1984), didn’t fare well, failing to produce any hits. When re-released in 2010, it included covers like Wild Thing and River Deep, Mountain High—perhaps a reflection of the sound they might have needed at the time to make an impact.
The band’s breakthrough came in 1985 with their self-titled album, which featured re-recorded versions of both Going Down To Liverpool and Walking On Sunshine. Now under Capitol Records, Walking On Sunshine soared to success, selling over 2 million copies worldwide.
However, their follow-up album, Waves (1986), was a commercial disappointment, with only Sun Street making a slight impact. Capitol moved them to a smaller label, and in 1989, Break of Hearts was released, maintaining some distribution power, but it also failed to generate significant interest.
In the early 1990s, the band continued recording, including a notable cover of We Gotta Get Out Of This Place by The Animals, which was featured on the TV series China Beach.
A resurgence came in 1997 when Katrina and The Waves entered and won the Eurovision Song Contest with Love Shine A Light. However, instead of revitalising the group, this victory led to internal conflicts, and Katrina parted ways with the band. Despite the shake-up, the remaining members continued with a new singer, but they soon realised the change wasn’t the right direction. The band ultimately disbanded in 1999, marking the end of their rollercoaster career.
Katrina And The Waves Tunes | Related Pages
River Deep – Mountain High | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play River Deep – Mountain High by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bb N.C | N.C | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll, only doll I’ve ever owned…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: River Deep – Mountain High (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Walking On Sunshine | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bb | Eb | F | Eb | Bb | Eb | F | Eb |
I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I’m sure…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Walking On Sunshine (Katrina & The Waves) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Katrina And The Waves on the web
