Katrina and the Waves

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Katrina and the Waves, ca. 1986

Katrina and the Waves was an English New Wave/Rock band active between 1981-1999, known for exactly two things: writing the song "Walking on Sunshine" and having, in retrospect, a really unfortunate band name[1]. Its members were: vocalist and guitarist Katrina Leskanich, guitarist Kimberley Rew, bassist Vince de la Cruz and drummer Alex Cooper.

They recorded a bunch of albums, but the only song that everybody knows is their upbeat 1985 hit single "Walking on Sunshine". They had a few more singles chart, technically saving them from being a One-Hit Wonder, but nobody remembers them. They suddenly became big again when their song "Love Shine a Light" won the 1997 Eurovision contest and became their biggest hit in the UK, but dissolved a few years later.

Apart from the fact that "Walking on Sunshine" is Fry's favourite song, there really isn't anything else to say about them.


Katrina and the Waves provides examples of the following tropes:
  1. When Hurricane Katrina and its storm surge devastated much of the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005, the MSNBC news program Countdown with Keith Olbermann dubbed its coverage of the hurricane, "Katrina and the Waves"; the name also appeared in numerous headlines and blog postings. A New York Times reporter contacted Katrina Leskanich, who said: "The first time I opened the paper and saw 'Katrina kills 9,' it was a bit of a shock. ... I hope that the true spirit of 'Walking on Sunshine' will prevail. I would hate for the title to be tinged with sadness, and I will have to do my own part to help turn that around."