I'm Walking Behind You

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"I'm Walking Behind You"
RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Billy Reid
Producer(s)Hugo Winterhalter

"I'm Walking Behind You" is a

UK Singles charts, but it had previously been recorded by Reid's former partner, Dorothy Squires, who had a hit with the song in the UK.[3][4]

Dorothy Squires recording

The original version was by British singer Dorothy Squires, who had previously been in a relationship with the song's composer, Billy Reid. In 1952, she had met an aspiring actor, Roger Moore. The lyrics of "I'm Walking Behind You" concern a protagonist walking behind a former lover on their wedding day, and were written by Reid upon his learning that Squires had begun a relationship with the younger Moore. She wanted to record Reid's composition, but her A&R man at Columbia Records, Ray Martin, did not like it, and refused to record the song. Squires discovered that she was not under contract to Columbia, and hired a studio to record the song, paying for the session – scheduled for 27 February – herself.[5] Her recording manager, Alan A. Freeman of Polygon Records, and publisher Jimmy Phillips, were unsure about the song, as Eddie Fisher had turned it down already.[4] Squires' recording of "I'm Walking Behind You", reached No. 15 in the UK charts in May 1953.[3]

Phillips sent an acetate copy of Squires' recording to America, however, resulting in Fisher changing his mind and recording the song, which became a hit for him. Squires was furious, and flew to America to confront James Franks, the president of Coral Records, the company responsible for releasing her version in the States.[4] A contemporary American reviewer wrote, "As far as I'm concerned it's the best etching of the song. Sung with lots of heart, reminiscent of Vera Lynn."[6] (Lynn herself recorded the song as part of a contemporary medley.)[7] In June 1953, Squires and Moore were married in New Jersey.[4]

Squires re-recorded the song for her 1958

Pye Nixa album Sings Billy Reid, a collection of Reid's compositions. She featured the song in her concert repertoire. These performances commercially released on three albums:[8]

Eddie Fisher recording

RCA Victor on both 78 and 45 rpm single formats (catalogue numbers 20-5293 and 47-5293) in the United States that same month.[12][13] Fisher's single entered the Billboard Best Selling Singles chart on 9 May 1953, and reached No. 1 on 25 July 1953, staying there for two weeks.[14] It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts for Most Played by Jockeys (on 11 July, for three weeks) and Most Played in Juke Boxes (on 27 June, for seven weeks).[15][16]

In the UK, the Fisher recording was issued by EMI's His Master's Voice label (catalogue number B 10489) in May 1953.[17][18] It first entered the UK chart for the week ending 16 May 1953, and reached No. 1 on 26 June, its sixth week on the listings. The single spent a week at No. 1, and 18 weeks on chart in total.[19][20]

A stereo re-recording by Fisher was later released. Arranged and conducted by Jerry Fielding, it was made at United Recorders in Las Vegas, and issued on Fisher's 1965 Dot Records album When I Was Young, produced by Randy Wood.[21][22]

Contemporary reception and recordings

"I'm Walking Behind You" entered the UK's sheet music sales chart on 4 April 1953. It peaked at No. 2, and spent 31 weeks on the chart in total. The song spent five weeks at No. 2, kept off the top spot by "

Jimmy Young (recorded on February 3), Frank Sinatra, Donald O'Connor, Vic Damone and organist Ethel Smith. Damone's version was re-issued on Mercury in June 1954, following the end of their agreement with Oriole, who had originally released the recording in the UK.[24][19]

Sinatra's version of the song was the second title from his first recording session at Capitol Records in Los Angeles on 2 April. This recording, with backing led by Axel Stordahl (Sinatra's musical director from his early years as a solo artist), was issued as a single by Capitol (catalog number 2450) and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard pop charts.[25][26]

See also

  • List of number-one singles of 1953 (U.S.)
  • List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-250-7
    .
  2. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1953.
  3. ^ a b "Dorothy Squires: UK Top 10 hits". Chartwatch. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  4. ^
    OCLC 975025683
    .
  5. The New Musical Express
    . 27 February 1953.
  6. ^ Radio Daily-television Daily. (1953). United States: Radio Daily Corporation.
  7. ^ 78 Record: Vera Lynn - Vera Lynn Popular Medley, Side 1 (1953), retrieved 15 July 2021
  8. ^ White, Chris. "Discography". Dorothy Squires. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  9. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
  10. OCLC 978493833
    .
  11. Eddie Fisher. Taragon Records. 1998. TARCD-1031.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  12. ^ "RCA Victor 20-5000 - 5500 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  13. ^ "New Records to Watch". Billboard. 18 April 1953. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  14. ^ Kowal, Barry (15 November 2016). "#1 Billboard Singles 1940-1999". Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  15. ^ Kowal, Barry (14 August 2016). "EVERY NUMBER ONE SINGLE ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S (USA) DISC JOCKEYS PLAYS CHART". Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  16. ^ Kowal, Barry (13 September 2016). "EVERY NUMBER ONE SINGLE ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S (USA) JUKE BOX PLAYS CHART". Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  17. ^ Eddie Fisher; Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra; Sally Sweetland; Billy Reid (April 1953), I'M WALKING BEHIND YOU, Internet Archive, RCA Victor, retrieved 15 July 2021
  18. ^ Eddie Fisher; Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra; Sally Sweetlander; Billy Reid (1953), I'm Walking Behind You, Internet Archive, His Master's Voice, retrieved 15 July 2021
  19. ^
    OCLC 19389211
    .
  20. ^ "Eddie Fisher: UK Top 10 hits". Chartwatch. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Eddie Fisher - When I Was Young". Discogs. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  22. ^ "EDDIE FISHER". Music Finder. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  23. ^ "The Britburn Project - Spreadsheet File Server (UK Charts 1939-1995)". Britburn. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  24. ^ Rogers, John. "i". Popular recordings from 1 August 1942. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  25. ^ "I'm Walking Behind You (song by Frank Sinatra) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". MusicVF. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Frank Sinatra - The Capitol Years". JazzDiscography.com. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
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