Billy Fury from Liverpool, England began music lessons, on the piano, at age 11. He got his first guitar at age 14. By 1955, the skiffle music boom had begun in England and Fury was leading his own local group, while still working on a tugboat and/or as a stevedore. By 1958, he had won a talent competition and had begun to write his own songs.
In a story which was legend among the British youth of the period, Fury was discovered by impressario Larry Parnes on October 1, 1958. That night, Fury attended a performance of The Larry Parnes Extravaganza, hoping to offer his songs to Marty Wilde, one of the featured performers and a well-known rock-&-roll star because of his appearances on the television series, "Oh Boy!" Fury did get backstage, and was seen by Parnes while performing one of his own songs for Wilde. Parnes booked Fury to appear on the Extravaganze that same night and the rest, as they say, is history - the applause which Fury received earned him a permanent spot on the tour and Parnes as his agent. Parnes' established proceedure was to give his singers stage names representing emotions and attributes: Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, Vince Eager. Thus, Ronald Wycherley became Billy Fury.
By the British standards of the day, Fury's early performances were so suggestive that a curtain was brought down on one of his shows. This forced Fury to restrain himself from his more overtly sexual stage moves. Fury's recording career began in early, 1959, with "Maybe Tomorrow," a song which he had written and which charted soon after its release. Fury's television debut came soon after in "Strictly For Sparrows." After that, Fury became a fixture on musical showcases such as "Oh Boy!"
After a string of hit singles, Fury cut his debut album, "The Sound of Fury," in 1960. Fury's back-up players included Joe Brown, one of England's few serious rockabilly players at that time, and drummer Andy White, who later played on the original release version of The Beatles' debut single "Love Me Do." The album sold well and has been re-released a half-dozen times since, including a CD version in the early 1990s. In an interview during the '70s, Keith Richards declared "The Sound of Fury" one of the greatest rock 'n roll albums of its era.
In 1960, DECCA Records decided to soften Fury's sound, at least on his singles, and Fury's early 60's recordings took on a more sophisticated air. "Talkin' In My Sleep" and "Don't Worry," backed by The Four Kestrels, were two results of this change. "Halfway to Paradise," in 1961, began Fury's brief assault on the top of the charts. The orchestrated "Halfway to Paradise" hit #3. A few months later, "Jealousy" reached #2; "I'd Never Find Another You" reached #5. By 1962, Fury was England's top rock-n-roll attraction, backed by the legendary Tornadoes of "Telstar" fame, appearing regularly on television. During this time, he also ventured to America where he got to meet Elvis Presley on the set of "Girls, Girls, Girls." (Many considered Fury to be the closest that England came to producing its own Elvis Presley, capable of dark, brooding, sexual performances, as well as gentle, vulnerable ballads.)
It was the arrival of another group from Liverpool, The Beatles, which ended Fury's dominance of the British teen music scene. (Interesting aside - The Beatles had tried, and failed, to become Fury's back-up during one of his tours.) Nonetheless, Fury continued to chart records into 1964. During that summer, he starred in a semi-autobiographical movie, "I've Got a Horse." Later the same year, he got his own television show. By 1965, however, Fury's health had begun to deteriorate and his records seldom charted better than the mid-20s.
Fury left DECCA Records in 1966 and signed a five-year contract with EMI's Parlophone Records. During those five years, Fury saw some very modest success but nothing like the frenzied stardom of his first seven years in music.
Fury underwent heart surgery in 1970 and in 1971, but resumed performing in 1972. England's rock-n-roll revival during the mid-70s saw the re-release of "The Sound of Fury," as well as other parts of Fury's catalog. During those years, Fury toured England with his one-time idol Marty Wilde. When he wasn't performing, Fury looked after his other interests, including wildlife preservation.
Another heart operation, in 1976, essentially ended Fury's musical career although there were still occasional recordings and television appearances. In 1978, Fury re-recorded his classic songs for K-Tel; in the early '80s he recut his old hits yet again for Polydor, which, by that time, owned DECCA Records. In 1981, a single, "Be Mine Tonight," just missed the British charts.
On March 4, 1982, Fury collapsed and nearly died while working on his farm. Nonetheless, that summer, he again went back on tour and placed the singles "Love Or Money" and "Devil Or Angel" on the English charts. Plans were made for a new album and a national tour, but Fury was found unconscious in his home on January 28, 1983. He died that same day in hospital.
A posthumous single, "Forget Him," charted in England later that same year. Numerous re-issues, as well as releases of previously unreleased material, have continued to appear in the compact disc era, most recently the "40th Anniversary Anthology," a double CD set and Beat Goes On's two-on-one CD of "We Want Billy" and "Billy."
On 10 April 1983, a tribute concert for Billy was held at the Beck Theatre in Hayes, Middlesex. All the artists performed for free and the money raised was donated to the Billy Fury memorial fund for research into heart disease. On the bill were such names as Marty Wilde with his daughter Kim Wilde, Joe Brown, Alvin Stardust, Dave Berry, Helen Shapiro, and John Miles.[citation needed]
In 1999 a TV documentary about Billy called Halfway to Paradise was broadcast on the BBC channel. It was narrated by Ian Dury.
Between 1999 and 2000 the song "Wondrous Place", a favourite of Fury's (he re-recorded it at least three times during his career), later received wide airplay on British television when it was used as the theme for a Toyota Yaris car advertisement.
On 19 April 2003 a bronze statue of Fury was unveiled by Jack Good at the National Museum of Liverpool Life. The sculpture, by Tom Murphy, a Liverpool sculptor, was donated by 'The Sound of Fury' fan club after the money was raised by fans.
In 2005 Spencer Leigh from BBC Radio Merseyside published a biography book about Billy Fury called Wondrous Face – The Billy Fury Story.
In 2008 a biographical documentary film Billy Fury His Wondrous Story was released on DVD.
Eight of his EMI recordings remained unreleased on mainstream CD until June 2010, when they appeared on a 29-track issue, The Complete Parlophone Singles, released by Peaksoft (PEA009). The singer's estate licensed the tracks to benefit his memorial fund, which finances equipment purchases for hospital heart units.
In November 2011, further co-operation between the estate and Peaksoft resulted in the issuing of a second CD, The Lost Album (PEA014), which attempted to construct the format of an album recorded by Fury in 1967–71, but which was never released.
In 2010 Camden Council, London, named a small formerly nameless road Billy Fury Way in his honour. It starts just off Finchley Road near Finchley & Frognal station and runs to West Hampstead Station. He had recorded at the nearby Decca Studios. The alleyway was decorated with a large mural of his face (at the West Hampstead end), which was unveiled and blessed on Friday 29 July 2011.
Play It Cool was released for the first time on DVD on 10 February 2014.
Angel Face
Billy Fury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your letter on my bed
And, darling, I recall everything you said
Angel face, angel face, angel face
Darling, I love you
Oh, if you were here once more in my embrace
I'd kiss away each tear from your angel face
Darling, I love you
It's been so long since I held you so tight
It's been so long since
I kissed you goodnight
I don't need a moon to
Thrill to all your charms
Won't you come back soon and
Fill my empty arms?
Angel face, angel face, angel face
Darling, I love you darling, I love you
Darling, I love you
The lyrics to Billy Fury's song "Angel Face" depict a man who is missing his lover who has left him. He reminisces about their time together and longs for her to return to his arms. The first stanza reveals that he keeps a picture of her on his wall and a letter from her on his bed. He remembers everything she said to him and calls her his "angel face," expressing his love for her. In the second stanza, the singer talks about how he would kiss away her tears if she were in his arms again. He longs for her to come back to him, to fill his empty arms. He doesn't need the moon to feel her presence or to be in awe of her beauty. The song ends with a repetition of the line "darling, I love you," emphasizing the singer's deep love for his lost love.
Overall, the lyrics to "Angel Face" convey a sense of longing and heartbreak. The singer is missing his lover and wishes that she would come back to him. His love for her is strong, as shown by his use of the term "angel face" and his repeated declaration of his love for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Your picture on my wall
I have a photograph of you that I keep displayed on my wall
Your letter on my bed
I received a letter from you, and I keep it on my bed as a reminder of your words
And, darling, I recall everything you said
I remember each and every word that you wrote in your letter, and it brings me happiness
Angel face, angel face, angel face
You have a beautiful and innocent-looking face, which I find captivating
Darling, I love you
I have strong feelings of affection for you, and I want you to know how much I care
Oh, if you were here once more in my embrace
I miss holding you close to me, and I wish you were here with me again
I'd kiss away each tear from your angel face
If you were here with me, I would comfort you and wipe away any tears from your face
It's been so long since I held you so tight
I haven't had the chance to hold you in my arms for a long time, and I miss it deeply
It's been so long since I kissed you goodnight
I haven't been able to give you a goodnight kiss in a while, and it's something I long for
I don't need a moon to thrill to all your charms
I am enamored by everything that makes you who you are, and I don't need any outside influence to feel that way
Won't you come back soon and fill my empty arms?
I hope that you come back to me soon so that I can hold you close and feel complete again
Darling, I love you darling, I love you
Just in case it wasn't clear, I want you to know that I love you very much
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF PEARL, FRANK VIGNARI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pledge7
Love it🎤🎤🎤
Gerard van Leeuwen
Wonderfull song !!
simon may
I know right.. it's beautiful.
John Robertson
Miss you Billy
Craig Such
Closest thing to Elvis Britain had
john robertson
This recording makes like its a Joe Meek production, but Billy never did rgm , even though his backing band Tornados were Meeks stable band