Maybe you have heard it in the car, at a graduation or at a funeral: a calm voice reading out advice to a roomful of strangers, ending with “but trust me on the sunscreen.” It sounds like a speech from a wise elder. It is actually a newspaper column, and the real story behind it is better than the myth.
Key Takeaways
- Where it came from: “Wear Sunscreen” began as a column by Mary Schmich in the Chicago Tribune on June 1, 1997, written as a commencement speech she imagined giving.
- The famous mix-up: an email hoax credited it to Kurt Vonnegut at MIT. Vonnegut never gave that speech, and Schmich wrote the words.
- The song: Baz Luhrmann turned it into “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” released as a single in 1999. It reached number 1 in the UK.
- The message: your youth is beautiful, worry is mostly wasted, kindness and friendship matter, and advice is partly nostalgia.
- The spiritual thread: everything changes, so be present with what you have while you have it.
In This Article
The Story Behind “Wear Sunscreen”
In the spring of 1997, Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich sat down to write about graduation season. Instead of a typical column, she wrote the commencement speech she imagined giving: a string of short, funny, tender pieces of advice for people about to step into life. Her opening tip is a joke with a straight face. If she could offer only one piece of advice, it would be sunscreen, because science backs it up and the rest of what she says comes from her own meandering experience.
The column ran on June 1, 1997. Within weeks it was traveling across the early internet by email, and that is where the trouble began.
The Vonnegut Mix-Up
As the essay spread, someone attached a new byline: Kurt Vonnegut, supposedly speaking at an MIT commencement. It was false. MIT’s 1997 speaker was Kofi Annan, and Vonnegut never gave a commencement address there. Schmich wrote a follow-up column on August 3, 1997, to set the record straight. Vonnegut himself said he would have been proud had the words been his.
The mix-up is a small reminder of how easily a good idea outruns its author. It is also a useful practice: when a quote moves you, take a moment to find out who really said it.
From Column to Song: Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”
Director Baz Luhrmann loved the piece and set it to music. The result, “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” features the words spoken by Australian voice actor Lee Perry over a dreamy track, with a chorus sung by Quindon Tarver. The single came out in 1999, and it went to number 1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, reached the Top 50 in the United States and sold in the hundreds of thousands. For many people who were young in 1999, it is still the soundtrack of a graduation.
One note of fairness: Luhrmann produced the song, but the words belong to Mary Schmich. You can read about the history on Wikipedia’s page on Wear Sunscreen, and her original column is the best place to read the full text in her own voice.
What the Advice Is Really About
We will not reprint the essay here, because it belongs to its author. But the themes are worth a closer look, since they quietly echo what many spiritual teachers say.
Your Youth Is Beautiful, and You Cannot See It Yet
Schmich says you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until it has faded. This is the first lesson of impermanence. We often notice what we have only when it begins to change. The practice is to notice it sooner.
Worry Is Mostly Wasted Effort
The essay jokes that worrying is about as useful as trying to do algebra by chewing gum, and that the real troubles tend to arrive from a direction you never guarded. It is a lighthearted version of a deep teaching: the future cannot be controlled by fear, only met with presence.
Do One Thing That Scares You
Courage, in small daily doses, builds trust in yourself. Seekers know this as stepping toward the unknown, again and again, until fear loses its grip.
Be Kind to Your Body and to People
The advice about enjoying your body, keeping your friends and staying close to your family is simple and sincere. It points to something spiritual traditions share: the sacred shows up in ordinary relationships and ordinary mornings.
Advice Is a Form of Nostalgia
The closing idea is the most honest. Giving advice, Schmich suggests, is a way of polishing up the past. That humility is a gift. It invites you to take what is useful, leave the rest and find your own way, because the power is within you.
A Reflection Practice: A Letter to Your Younger Self
The essay works because it speaks to a person who has not lived yet. Try writing your own, in ten minutes.
- Pick an age. Choose a moment when you felt lost, afraid or very young.
- Write three lines of comfort. What would you want that person to know?
- Write one line of humor. A little lightness makes advice easier to hear.
- Add one line of thanks. Thank that younger version of you for getting you here.
- Read it aloud. Notice how your body feels. Often it softens.
For more on turning gratitude into a daily habit, see our guide to the power of gratitude.
Keep Exploring
If this piece touched something, you may enjoy our guide to the signs of spiritual awakening, a gentle look at the dark night of the soul and our meditation guide. For another piece of timeless advice, read the story of the poem Desiderata. You can also try our free masterclasses, or listen to the Next Level Soul Podcast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote “Wear Sunscreen”?
Mary Schmich, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote the essay. It was first published on June 1, 1997, as a hypothetical commencement speech.
Was “Wear Sunscreen” a speech by Kurt Vonnegut?
No. An email hoax falsely credited Kurt Vonnegut with delivering it at MIT, but he never gave that speech. Schmich wrote a follow-up column in August 1997 to correct the record.
Who sings or narrates the “Wear Sunscreen” song?
The song is “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” by Baz Luhrmann. The words are spoken by Australian voice actor Lee Perry, and the chorus is sung by Quindon Tarver.
When was the “Wear Sunscreen” song released?
It was released as a single in 1999 and reached number 1 in the UK and Ireland.
What is the message of “Wear Sunscreen”?
Enjoy your youth, do not waste energy on worry, take small risks, be kind to your body and the people you love, and remember that advice is partly nostalgia. It is a gentle lesson in impermanence.
Where can I read the full “Wear Sunscreen” text?
The original column is Mary Schmich’s work, so the best place to read it is the Chicago Tribune archive. A summary of its history is on Wikipedia.
Where can I watch the “Wear Sunscreen” music video?
You can watch two versions of Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” in the section above, the music video and a live version. Both open on YouTube.
What is the “Wear Sunscreen” speech?
It is Mary Schmich’s essay, written as a hypothetical commencement speech and first published in the Chicago Tribune on June 1, 1997. Baz Luhrmann later turned the words into a spoken-word song.
