“Sun City” barely cracked the Top Forty, peaking at #38 in December 1985, and about half of American radio stations refused to even play it.
And even though it raised over a million dollars for anti-apartheid causes, that wasn’t the point.
“Change, not charity” should be the motto, suggested ABC News reporter Danny Schecter to songwriter and producer Steven Van Zandt.
This was a very different project than “We Are the World,” despite their similarities, and that meant “Sun City’ had to take a more bare-knuckled approach.
By 1985, Little Steven’s songwriting had taken a decidedly political turn, as his world travels with the E Street Band opened his eyes to injustice around the world, and to American complicity. In particular, he became focused on the fight against apartheid in South Africa, and he was an early champion of the cultural boycott called for by the United Nations.
It was a novel idea at the time, and an unproven one: that cultural pressure cold effect change more readily than economic or political pressure. No one knew if it that theory would hold true–until Little Steven proved it.
Van Zandt’s song focused on the tony resort of Sun City, which drew top-tier acts from around the globe to South Africa.
Sun City had strict apartheid policies which barred black citizens from entering the resort town, which meant any concert performed there was for an all-white audience only.
After the U.N. announced their cultural boycott, Sun City sweetened the pot for any entertainer willing to buck the boycott and perform there anyway. And many did, including Elton John, Queen, Cher, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, The Beach Boys, and Frank Sinatra.
The original version of “Sun City” named names, which caused performers like Paul Simon to balk on contributing to the song. (His friend Linda Ronstadt was one of the name-checked artists.)
The final version of the song dropped the list of offenders, but the song was no less powerful for it.
In all, more than fifty artists contributed to the song, an eclectic mix of rockers like Bruce Springsteen and Pat Benatar, rappers like Run-DMC and the Fat Boys, singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, and even jazz icon Miles Davis, who Van Zandt was particularly excited and proud to secure.
Jonathan Demme directed a video gathering together most of the artists, and the result was an MTV cultural moment.
The single and video turbo-charged the cultural boycott movement and galvanized other artists to speak out, and almost overnight Sun City found itself unable to attract major entertainment talent. The success of the cultural boycott lent momentum to economic boycotts, and a fair argument can be made (as Van Zandt often does) that “Sun City” was the watershed moment that led to the elimination of apartheid.
But that wasn’t the end of the road for the song.
Little Steven often added it to his setlists over the years, including a pair of 1987 shows with a famous guest-star.
And in 2014, Bruce Springsteen added “Sun City” to his own setlist and gave Little Steven the spotlight, along with guest artist Mos Def. (I was fortunate enough to be on the rail in the pit that night.)
Five years later, Bruce and Stevie reprised “Sun City” at Van Zandt’s own shows.
It’s too soon to tell if we’ve heard the last of “Sun City.” It may have accomplished its original mission, but it’s too powerful a song for a quiet retirement.
Sun City Recorded: July 1985 Released: Sun City (1985) First performed: August 21, 1987 (Asbury Park, NJ) Last performed: May 8, 2019 (Asbury Park, NJ)
© July 13, 2026