Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic – The Sundays". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 January 2016. David Gavurin met Harriet Wheeler at Bristol University and soon became intertwined. He was reading Romantic Languages; she, English Literature. So, if The Sundays were an archetypal ‘student band’ that’s because they were, indeed, archetypal students. I realised we were going to lose them. No hard feelings at all, they had no choice really, but it was heartbreaking.” Hannaham, James (1995). "Cranberries". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp.96–97. ISBN 0-679-75574-8. Canadian Summertime Position". RPM. Archived from the original on 17 September 2009 . Retrieved 3 May 2009.

Of course, whether The Sundays were ‘pop’ very much depends on one’s definition. The Sundays weren’t even that popular: only one Top 20 single, Summertime, from their swansong album and they were barely recognisable as stars, other than to those who adored them. But they were very ‘pop’ in that alternative/indie way, and one of the most melodically beautiful bands of their era. The music they played that night was mesmerising. The 500 fans present realised they were witnessing something quite amazing. Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdfed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p.271. Your Not The Only One I Know was a one-two punch combined with Here’s Where the Story Ends here were two phenomenally catchy and beautiful songs that drove the disc’s success. The song itself examines our inner embarrassments and habits, from talking to ourselves to reading horoscopes on the lav. Only Harriet and David could turn this song about rationalizing our neurotic tics into a thing of such beauty that it is timeless. The lovely acoustic guitar treatment and Harriet’s transcendent voice take this song to another level. The vocals are just barely tethered to the ground by Gavurin’s swirling guitar. It all sounds so very effortless, pure sonic goodness. Robbins, Ira (14 June 1990). " Reading, Writing and Arithmetic review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008 . Retrieved 30 March 2011.

Companies, etc.

Ah, some levity. Barmy lyrics about joining The Salvation Army, the Civil Service and going to Piccadilly Circus (“I took the first bus home”) reiterate ‘outsider’ status, but well-knowing: “My hopeless youth it’s just so uncouth” echoes the notion that wisdom, as in Can’t Be Sure, will come later. Gavurin’s scratchy jangle is very mid-80s indie and Paul Brindley’s bassline is a close relation of Hollow Horseby The Icicle Works, early ‘dream pop’ explorers of 1983-84. They also recorded an utterly fabulous cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Wild Horses’ but Wheeler and Gavurin (a couple) had other more major projects to work on: a family. a b "Gold & Platinum: The Sundays". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 26 June 2020. There is a peculiar tension between the everday mundanity, dreariness and weariness expressed by the lyrics and Harriet Wheeler's yearning, keening delivery that provides a unique bittersweet personailty to the songs; the guitarist and rhtyhm section have been oft-compared to the Smiths, which is neither innacurate or a bad thing. In any case the instrumentation is above average.

Dutchcharts.nl – The Sundays – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2022. Settled down with 20-something children, and with a reliable heating system, maybe they’ve now just run out of things to write about. A Certain Someone is a daydream of sorts that many of us use to get us through our day. Speculating about how we would spend our imaginary lottery winnings or windfalls. The thought follows through to trying to figuring out who we would take along on our ride to fame and riches. Reality steps in when we realize that we would probably mess everything up if our boat ever arrived. The rhythm section does a stellar job on this song. Here's Where the Story Ends": "ARIA Singles Chart w/c 6-8-1990". Imgur.com . Retrieved 25 May 2019.Can’t be Sure is a pithy enumeration of the internal discussions that face someone with a major life decision. Expounding on the pressures to choose correctly and immediately when it might be best to take a pause. “ …And though I can’t be sure what I want anymore it will come to me later.” The range of Harriet’s voice is shown to great advantage on this song and you could miss the internal dilemma of the lyrics because of her delightful vocal. It is an engaging clever song. In Neil Taylor’s 2010 book, An Intimate History Of Rough Trade, Gavurin argued – possibly joked – that The Sundays chose to sign to Rough Trade because “it was near our flat.” When the band first met RT’s co-directors Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee, who had only joined the company in 1987, immediate impressions were positive. Alas, The Sundays would only release three albums with Reading Writing and Arithmetic being the strongest commercial performer. Hobbled by their record company Rough Trade’s financial troubles and the commitment to managing themselves may have undercut the band. The Sundays would go on to release Blind in 1992, with the singles Goodbye and the scintillating cover of the Rolling Stone’s Wild Horses, the album would go to 15 on the UK charts. Their last recording Static and Silence would yield Monochrome and Summertime with longtime fan producer Nigel Godrich aiding on the song She. Blind would also reach into the UK top 15. Harriet and Matthew would eventually marry and have two children. They decided to put the band on hiatus to raise their family, but they are still writing, so who knows what the future holds. Hope springs eternal. One of the last songs written for the album, closer Joy is The Sundays at their most abstract. Again led by a circular bassline, it sounds more like a loose jam. The lyrics – it begins with “The Lone Ranger sold his wardrobe/ The Lone Ranger sold his bad dog” and ends with “work harder, work harder, you say” – fit what Gavurin called the band’s ‘impressionism’. It ends the album with a harder, droning squall of electric guitars, more reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine than the other-worldy folkiness of the rest of the LP. “They originally wanted to call the album Joy,” says Jeannette Lee, “but someone else had used it, I can’t remember who.” Joy was still performed as an encore during The Sundays’ final 1997 tour. They knew what they were doing was good. But they were very careful not to seem smug or overly confident. They’re both self-deprecating and you can hear that in the words. They’re both the funniest people, and we had such a laugh making that record. Obviously, they are a couple but they’re a very good working couple as well. A very solid double act.”