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.
I'll Never Quite Get Over You
Billy Fury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That time can always heal the wound
I’d like to think they’re right
But the way I feel tonight
I’ll never quite get over you
And it’s at moments such as this
I think of how we used to kiss
If my broken heart should mend
I’ll never quite get over you
No other girl I meet
Can make my life complete
The way that you once used to do
For love may come and go
But in my heart I know
I’ll never quitе get over you
You werе so much a part of me
That from now on I can’t be free
And as the days go by no matter how I try
I’ll never quite get over you
I’ll never quite get over you
The lyrics to Billy Fury's song "I'll Never Quite Get Over You" express the singer's inability to move on from a past love. The opening lines reveal that others may believe time heals all wounds and that eventually the singer will forget about their former lover. However, the singer admits that despite this hope, they still feel a deep emotional connection to the person and doubts they will ever truly be able to get over them.
The second stanza reminisces about the intimate moments shared with the ex-lover, particularly the memories of their kisses. The singer reflects that even if their broken heart were to mend in the future, they would still carry this lingering attachment and never fully recover from the loss. No other person they meet can fulfill the role that their previous lover once played in making their life complete.
The final stanza emphasizes the profound impact the ex-lover had on the singer's life. They were such an integral part of their identity that moving forward will be a constant struggle. No matter the passing of days or the singer's attempts to move on, they acknowledge that they will always carry the feelings and memories of their past love. The repetition of the line "I'll never quite get over you" reinforces the depth of the singer's emotions and their belief that they will forever be haunted by the love they have lost.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that I’ll forget you soon
According to others, I should be able to move on from you in no time
That time can always heal the wound
The passing of time is believed to bring healing to emotional pain
I’d like to think they’re right
Although I hope their words hold true
But the way I feel tonight
However, the intense emotions I experience at this moment
I’ll never quite get over you
I will never fully recover from the impact you've made on me
And it’s at moments such as this
During times like these
I think of how we used to kiss
I reminisce about our past affectionate moments
And even in the end
Even if eventually
If my broken heart should mend
The possibility of my heart healing from its current state of brokenness
I’ll never quite get over you
I will still never completely let go of you
No other girl I meet
Out of all the other girls I encounter
Can make my life complete
None can bring fulfillment to my life
The way that you once used to do
In the same way you used to do
For love may come and go
Romantic relationships may enter and exit
But in my heart I know
However, deep inside my heart, I'm aware
I’ll never quite get over you
That I can never fully move past you
You were so much a part of me
You played a significant role in my being
That from now on I can’t be free
From this moment onwards, I cannot experience true freedom
And as the days go by no matter how I try
Despite my attempts as time passes
I’ll never quite get over you
I will always struggle to fully let go of you
I’ll never quite get over you
I will never completely move on from you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS ARNOLD, DAVID MARTIN, GEOFFREY MORROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pipkin Hopkins
Just when you'd thought you'd herd all that Billy has done, then comes another great great song. So sorry he ain't with us,yet he always will be : ) RIP BILLY FURY !
John Robertson
billy was a fantastic singer..this is one of them songs that get better with every listen...the writers struggled to get themselves a huge hit..respects all round
Liz Doyle
🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟
POWERFUL SONG
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
sapphiretaurus
I played this song five times in a row. That's how good it is! Thanks for sharing it.
John Robertson
only 5
liz simmonette
I love this song ..Also Billy Fury ..Sang the most beautiful love songs ..Sadly missed
Philip Morris
RIP Billy. I just wish you were here to see how admired and loved you are.
arriesone
Never heard this one before. Such a beautiful melody with the key changes.
wally a
i'm 34 and was brought up listening to billy through my dad who still is a teddy boy who loves billy,a fantastic singer who could be a rocker or a balladeer,very underated,RIP billy
hippie dylan
first time of hearing,another classic from the great billy fury.