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.
Colette
Billy Fury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Half past eight
Don't be late
Don't forget we have a date Colette
How I love you Colette
Oh be on time and say your mine Colette
Believe me honey when I say
How I need you Colette
Don't let us part you'll break my heart Colette
So you're walking close by
Didn't start talking cause I was so shy
Then you looked into my eyes
Don't whisper any goody byes
Colette Colette
Don't forget Colette
I need you so don't ever go Colette
Half past nine in on time
Guess you played me down the line
Colette how I love you Colette
You broke the vow im lonely now Colette
You broke the vow im lonely now Colette
You broke the vow im lonely now Colette
The lyrics of "Colette" by Billy Fury revolve around a love story with an emphasis on punctuality. The song’s protagonist urges Colette not to be late for their date, as they do not want to miss the chance to be together. The song is filled with passion and desperation, as the singer expresses his love and need for Colette, pleading with her not to let them part and to stay by his side.
The song is also reflective of the era it was written in, with its themes of courtship and traditional romance. The nervousness and shyness displayed by the singer are reminiscent of the societal expectations of the time. The lyrics of "Colette" detail the importance of being on time, something that was seen as a virtue in the post-war era of the 1950s.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Colette
The singer is addressing a woman named Colette
Half past eight
The time of the scheduled meeting
Don't be late
An instruction for Colette to arrive on time
Don't forget we have a date Colette
A reminder to Colette about their planned meeting
How I love you Colette
The singer is expressing his love for Colette
Oh be on time and say your mine Colette
The singer is urging Colette to arrive on time and become his
Believe me honey when I say
The singer is telling Colette to trust him
I think about you night and day Colette
The singer is saying he constantly thinks about Colette
How I need you Colette
The singer is expressing his need for Colette
Don't let us part you'll break my heart Colette
The singer is pleading with Colette not to leave him
So you're walking close by
The singer is describing Colette's close proximity
Didn't start talking cause I was so shy
The singer was too shy to start a conversation with Colette
Then you looked into my eyes
Colette made eye contact with the singer
Don't whisper any goody byes
The singer doesn't want Colette to say goodbye
Colette Colette
Repeating her name for emphasis
Don't forget Colette
Reiterating the importance of their meeting
I need you so don't ever go Colette
The singer is expressing his desire for Colette to stay with him
Half past nine in on time
The scheduled meeting time has passed
Guess you played me down the line
The singer feels like he has been led on
Colette how I love you Colette
Despite feeling betrayed, the singer is still in love with Colette
You broke the vow im lonely now Colette
Colette has broken a promise and the singer is now lonely without her
You broke the vow im lonely now Colette
A repetition of the previous line for emphasis
You broke the vow im lonely now Colette
A repetition of the previous line for emphasis
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BILLY FURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@citizen9378
Fabulous! I’d forgotten just what a great song this is.
@MarieCRoberts
my mum always sang this to me and now i know she loves me and why she chose my name.never forget you mum.xx
@billywilson5276
🤔 but your called Marie Roberts..
@colettewoods93
I have waited my whole life to find a song with my name in it!!! LOVE IT!! :D xxxxxxxx
@timmcooke
me too
@colette2379
SAME I LOVE IT
@TabPatterson
There's another on youtube...just look for Colette poop. :)
@lispererasmrstories2051
I absolutely love seeing all the comments from other Colette's
@paulmccartney7ElvisP
He was amazing at everything he sang! R.I.P Billy <3 your'll never be forgotton :')
@patjones631
Hey so did I call my daughter Colette~~~ Billy Fury was great, its a shame he died soooo young.