 | Halfway To Paradise
Billy Fury
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Billy Fury was one of early British pop’s most charismatic performers and his 1960 LP, The Sound Of Fury, is still recognised as one of the best albums of the era. But Fury had based his career on covering American hits, and the songs of Lennon & McCartney soon put a stop to that. Ironically, although it was fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles who effectively ended Fury’s career, earlier in their career the Fabs had actually failed an audition to become Fury’s backing band!
Just one of ten UK Top 10 hits that he enjoyed between 1960 and 1965, Fury’s cover of ‘Halfway To Paradise’ (which had been an American hit for Tony Orlando, a decade before his success with Dawn) reached #3 on the British charts. The song is a classic pop big-ballad with a massive orchestral backing to elevate it. Fury’s may not have been the best voice in the world, but its plaintive tone struck just the right note for this song’s theme of a love that remains “so near, yet so far away”.
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Billy Fury talks about choosing a stage name and how he was nearly called Steen Wade! |
 | This cracking little number kicks off with a Bolero motif, and the carefully crafted vocal melody and string figures contain Iberian flourishes. All of which may subconsciously have brought a little extra Matador machismo to Billy’s engaging, but basically lightweight delivery. There is an artfully crafted middle section, the backing vocals highlight the title hook, Jordinaires-style, and this paean to teenage frustration brings back the Presley/Holly era in an instant. Dominic King
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In the wake of The Beatles, Billy Fury quietly slipped from the spotlight. He later appeared in various rock’n’roll revival shows, but had always suffered from poor health, and died aged only 43 in 1983.
‘Halfway To Paradise’ was only one of the brilliant early 60s hits crafted by husband and wife team, Gerry Goffin and Carole King (‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’, ‘Up On The Roof’, ‘One Fine Day’) - and these two did survive the British Invasion: their song ‘Chains’ appeared on The Beatles’ debut album, while Carole went on to record Tapestry, the best-selling album ever released by a woman.
Songwriting tips You can start writing your own classic today.
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