"Sunflower" is a song by British singer-songwriter Paul Weller, released in July 1993 by Go! Discs as the first single from his second solo album, Wild Wood (1993). The song was written by Weller and co-produced by him with Brendan Lynch. It peaked at 16 on the UK Singles Chart upon its release. Its accompanying music video was directed by Pedro Romhanyi.
Critical reception Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Sly beat and cool guitar chords promise some intriguing rock explorations. However, Weller's assertion that we have no future, we have no past proves only half true—the classic rockisms here in vocal and melody show Weller leaning heavily on the past." Adam Higginbotham from Select complimented the song as "ace". Uncut magazine called "Sunflower" a "shaggy, psychedelic exocet", placing it 23rd in its list of Weller's 30 best songs. The Guardian ranked it number 11 in its list of Weller's top 30 tracks, stating that "more than any song, (it) set Weller's course in the 90s", and describing it as "a twitchy cocktail of Low Spark of High Heeled Boys-era Traffic and soul".
Track listings CD and 12-inch single "Sunflower" "Kosmos SXDub 2000" "Bull-Rush/Magic Bus" (live at the Royal Albert Hall, London, October 1992) "That Spiritual Feeling" (new mix)
7-inch, cassette, and mini-CD single "Sunflower" "Bull-Rush/Magic Bus" (live at the Royal Albert Hall, London, October 1992)
Charts Chart (1993)PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA) N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. 166Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 62Israel (IBA) Search "Paul Weller" for Israeli chart history.36UK Airplay (Music Week) 29
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom5 July 1993Go! DiscsAustralia30 August 1993CDJapan1 September 1993Mini-CDCanyon International
References