Sunshine on Leith

Sunshine on Leith may refer to:

Leith

Coordinates: 55°58′48″N 3°10′12″W / 55.980089°N 3.170049°W / 55.980089; -3.170049

Leith /ˈliːθ/; Scottish Gaelic: Lìte; is a district to the north of the city of Edinburgh at the mouth of the Water of Leith.

The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of Holyrood Abbey in 1128. The medieval settlements of Leith had grown into a burgh by 1833, and the burgh was merged into Edinburgh in 1920.

Leith is sited on the coast of the Firth of Forth and lies within the council area of the City of Edinburgh.

The port remains one of its most valuable enterprises, handling over 1.5 million tonnes of cargo a year in 2003.

South and North Leith

Previous to the bridge being built in the late 15th century, Leith had settlements on either side of the river, lacking an easy crossing.

South Leith was larger and was controlled by the lairds of Restalrig: the Logan family. It was based on trade and had many merchants' houses and warehouses. This was where ships offloaded their cargoes at The Shore where they were collected by Edinburgh merchants. Leithers were explicitly forbidden by statute to participate directly in the trade at the port, to ensure that landed goods were not sold elsewhere.

The Proclaimers

The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid (born 5 March 1962). They are best known for the songs "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", "Sunshine on Leith", "I'm On My Way" and "Letter from America", and their distinctive singing style with a Scottish accent. The band tours extensively throughout the world. They have released ten studio albums from 1987 until the present, as well as three compilation albums and a DVD.

History

Career

Craig Reid and Charlie Reid were born in Leith on 5 March 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. When they lived in Auchtermuchty they attended Bell Baxter High School. After several punk rock bands at school they formed the Proclaimers in 1983.

The pair came to public attention when an Inverness-based fan sent their demo to the English band the Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite the Proclaimers on their 1986 United Kingdom tour. The exposure of the tour won them a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube on Channel Four; "Letter from America" peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart, while the album This Is the Story went gold. The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "I'm On My Way". They had a hit with their EP King of the Road, which reached number nine in the UK in 1990. After seven low-profile years, they released their comeback album Persevere in 2001.

Sunlight

Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon. When the direct solar radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a combination of bright light and radiant heat. When it is blocked by the clouds or reflects off other objects, it is experienced as diffused light. The World Meteorological Organization uses the term "sunshine duration" to mean the cumulative time during which an area receives direct irradiance from the Sun of at least 120 watts per square meter.

The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight has both positive and negative health effects, as it is both a principal source of vitamin D₃ and a mutagen.

Summary

Researchers may record sunlight using a sunshine recorder, pyranometer, or pyrheliometer.

Sunlight takes about 8.3 minutes to reach Earth from the surface of the Sun. A photon starting at the centre of the Sun and changing direction every time it encounters a charged particle would take between 10,000 and 170,000 years to get to the surface.

My Way

"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" co-composed, co-written and performed in 1967 by Claude François. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the original French song.

Background

Paul Anka heard the original 1967 French pop song, Comme d'habitude (As Usual) performed by Claude François, while on holiday in the south of France. He flew to Paris to negotiate the rights to the song. In a 2007 interview, he said, "I thought it was a bad record, but there was something in it." He acquired adaptation, recording, and publishing rights for the mere nominal or formal consideration of one dollar, subject to the provision that the melody's composers would retain their original share of royalty rights with respect to whatever versions Anka or his designates created or produced. Some time later, Anka had a dinner in Florida with Frank Sinatra and "a couple of Mob guys" during which Sinatra said "I'm quitting the business. I'm sick of it; I'm getting the hell out."