When the Sun Comes Out is a 1941 song written by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyrics). It is unusual in Arlen's work in that the tune was not written for a musical or a film, but it quickly became a popular standard later covered by many artists. The first recording and release were by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Helen O’Connell on vocals in 1941 (Decca 3657A). The lyric describes rain giving way to sunshine, bluebirds at the door, and the return of love after a storm.
Notable later versions include Barbra Streisand’s 1962 recording, released as a single with Happy Days Are Here Again on The Second Barbra Streisand Album; it was recorded in October 1962 at Columbia’s Studio C in New York and arranged by George Williams. This was Streisand’s first commercial single, with only 500 copies pressed and no radio promotion; she re-recorded the song in 1963 for the same album.
The tune has been widely recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Peggy Lee and many others, cementing its place as a torchy pop standard.
