Sun" as a "tribute to good living", and Billboard magazine editor Chuck Taylor noted that the song resembles Crow's earlier works, particularly "All I Wanna Do" (1994), with simplistic instrumentation and lyrics about living with what one already has. Crow has also acknowledged the similarity, explaining that the difference between the two songs is that "All I Wanna Do" is more "sardonic" in its meaning. For "Soak Up the Sun", Crow plays acoustic guitar and an F/X keyboard while Trott plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, and bass. Jeff Anthony plays drums, and he, along with Trott, handled drum programming. At the start of the song, Crow laments her economical issues, revealing that she does not have enough money to pay for her basic needs. However, she decides that the temptation of wanting things is not what matters; rather, it is what she already has that is important. The chorus states that she is going to "soak up the sun", which is a metaphor for "putting on a happy face", and that she will implore others to do the same. She chooses not to blame anyone for her misery and instead looks to the future with a cheerful attitude. The song's overall lyrical meaning is diverse depending on which lines are examined. Crow stated that she believes "Soak Up the Sun" is about trying to live life with a constant smile despite the hardships that people encounter on a daily basis. Abigail Martin of college newspaper The Maine Campus wrote that the song illustrates this theme while also cautioning that nothing lasts forever, as indicated by the post-chorus line "before [the Sun] goes out on me". Music critics have noted that the song is reproachful of consumerism—as hinted by the lyric "while it's still free" as well as the communist mentioned at the beginning of the song—and how it relates to the declining popularities of certain celebrities, including Crow herself. Conversely, other critics believe that the line is literal, stating that the sun does not cost anything and therefore should always be available as a source for optimism. Entertainment Weeklys David Browne wrote that the song is a critique on "information-saturated culture". Critical reception Reviewing the song for Billboard, Chuck Taylor called "Soak Up the Sun" "reassuring" when compared with the changing chart trends of early 2002, commenting that the track is "top-notch, honest-to-goodness musicianship". Steve Wonsiewicz of