1. The Factory were a trio of 17-year-olds from Surrey in England at the height of flower power in 1967. Originally named Souvenir Badge Factory, the line-up consisted of Ian Oates (guitar), Jack Brand (vocals, bass) and Bill MacLeod (drums).
"Why don't you come and see us play" said The Factory to Brian Carroll at a party during the summer of love. The group were lucky. Brian and his friend Damon Lyon Shaw worked for IBC, the leading independent recording studios in London and they were looking for a band to record for their newly formed production company, Homegrown Music. They were both recording engineers who had worked with such legends as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Status Quo and many more. Surrounded by all this talent the engineers decided they had to find a raw young group that could use the knowledge they had learnt. Brian went to see the band and although only 21 himself, he was impressed by the energy from these teenagers.
Time was spent searching for a debut single and finally they came upon an obscure track by Clifford T. Ward called "Path Through The Forest". Backed by the B-side "Gone", a cover version of a track by Paul Revere & The Raiders, the record was released by CBS.
Their second single "Try A Little Sunshine" came from a meeting of the band with John Pantry, a talented writer who was also an engineer at IBC and ended up doing lead vocals on both tracks of the single. The words to "Try A Little Sunshine" was a peaceful message that worked against the band in an anti-drug society. With the ballad "Red Chalk Hill" as the B side, and released on MGM records, "Try A Little Sunshine" took many years to be appreciated as a statement of the times.
Both singles failed to chart. Disillusioned, the young group disbanded shortly afterwards. Its members went on to other things and today are all successful in their own careers.
2. The Factory were a sixties band from L.A. featuring Lowell George before he was in Little Feat. The band released two singles in 1967, "Smile, Let Your Life Begin" and "No Place I'd Rather Be", the latter together with percussion legend Emil Richards. The archival compilation "Lightning-Rod Man" contains two tracks produced by Frank Zappa.
3. Much like predecessors New York Dolls, Stooges and Dead Boys, The Factory burned like a roman candle, then disappeared into the night. The Washington D.C. band ruled the roost for a stint in the late 80's/early 90's, opening for Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Public Image, Ltd., and Johnny Thunders - turning the heads of both fans and music industry reps along the East Coast.
Led by Vance Bockis (formerly of The Obsessed, 9353 and doom metal gods Pentagram), The Factory ratcheted through songs of juvenile lust, drugs and working class bravado. They were a brash extension of late 1970's Rolling Stones, picking up where the strut and sneer of Some Girls and Tattoo You left off, creating an explosive concoction of straight ahead Rock n' Roll, Glam, Punk and R&B.
4. A UK 80's Goth rock band on Strike Back Records.
5. Tennessee-based funk-cover band originally comprising of two members Paramore (Hayley Williams and Jeremy Davis) .
6. Some British house producers.
7) The Factory are a Japanese rock four piece band from Japan.
http://www.audioleaf.com/thefactory/
Try A Little Sunshine
The Factory Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This one who loves the ground you tread,
The sounds of love are in my head.
In my eyes the only sign
That I can see, the only light
Is outta sight and far from me.
It takes a little rain to see.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
It takes a little rain to see.
Just look at me, a fool you see,
This one who loves the ground you tread,
The sounds of love are in my head.
And in my eyes the only sign
The only light that I can see
Is outta sight and far from me.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
It takes a little rain to see.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
It takes a little rain to see.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
It takes a little rain to see.
The lyrics of The Factory's song "Try A Little Sunshine" tell the story of a person who is deeply in love but not reciprocated. The first verse focuses on the singer's love for the person they are addressing in the song. The line "This one who loves the ground you tread" is a metaphor that suggests the extent of their love for her. The second verse sets the scene where the singer's world is dark, with no hope for love: "the only light that I can see is outta sight and far from me."
However, the chorus of the song offers a silver lining to the singer's heartbreak. "Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there, it takes a little rain to see" implies that hope is not lost, and that the sad times will pass. It suggests that it only takes a little sunshine, a little happiness, to make everything better. The song is a plea to the one who the singer loves, asking her to "Try a little sunshine." In a way, he is asking her to show him a little love, and everything will be alright.
Overall, Try A Little Sunshine is a song that describes the pain of unrequited love and the need for a ray of hope to brighten up one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Just look at me, a fool you see,
I am aware that I look foolish in your eyes.
This one who loves the ground you tread,
I am hopelessly in love with you.
The sounds of love are in my head.
I only hear love in my thoughts and dreams.
In my eyes the only sign
The only indication I have
That I can see, the only light
The only hope I have
Is outta sight and far from me.
Is unreachable and far away from my grasp.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
Just a little bit of happiness is all it takes for you to be with me.
It takes a little rain to see.
Sometimes it takes experiencing hardships to appreciate the good things in life.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
A glimmer of hope can bring you closer to me.
It takes a little rain to see.
Only after going through struggles can you truly realize the value of happiness.
Try a little sunshine and you’ll be right there,
Even a small amount of happiness can make a big difference.
It takes a little rain to see.
We need to experience difficulties to appreciate the good times in life.
Contributed by Colin J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@walterfechter8080
This one's like stepping through a doorway and into eternal Summer -- where true love awaits. I remember this one very well. For My Eternal Beloved, Barbra. I pray she can hear this from her rose garden in Heaven.
@christopherfreed8872
This sound is eternal, it transcends all and reverberates always
@canucklehead11
This is a masterpiece, one of the greatest songs of the late 60's.
@christopherfreed4966
cant get this one out of my head, and thankfully i dont want to. its like a dream
@thomassmith8721
U K EXCELLENCE
No doubts. No ifs,ands or buts about it
@hellishmland1530
Heard this when I was small. And it gave me the biggest smile ever when I just heard it. THANKYOU. X
@Fuzzbrain61
This is FAB. Brilliant production - love echoey guitar break and vocals sublime.
@mrkimberley92
A beautiful record awzum and released the Day I was Born October 1969 wow! one of the best song's I've ever heard I would love to have it even if on CD.
@joegongora2200
This song takes way beyond the Cosmic Journey...
@janfromnycsavesmoney8723
Oh wow-- this sound sticks! Amazing!