"The Warmth of the Sun" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys.
Wilson and Love began composing the song on November 22, 1963, the day of the assassination of John F. Kennedy,[3] although the two co-authors give different accounts of the timing and whether it was begun before or after the killing.
The melody was so haunting, sad, melancholy, that the only thing that I could think of lyrically was the loss of love, when interest slips and feelings aren't reciprocated…though I wanted to have a silver lining on that cumulus nimbus cloud so I wrote the lyrics from the perspective of, "Yes, things have changed and love is no longer there, but the memory of it lingers like the warmth of the sun."
"[6] Reviewing the song for AllMusic, Donald A. Guarisco stated, "The sublime balance of lush vocals and sensitive songwriting made 'The Warmth of the Sun' one of the Beach Boys' finest and most moving ballads.
"[7] Brian Wilson pioneered the use of adventurous chord changes in pop—"The Warmth of the Sun"'s transitions from C to A-minor to E-flat, were unheard of in 1964.