Pitney, a pop rock pioneer, had his greatest success overall in Britain, first travelling there after his first self penned hit in 1961. "I Wanna Love My Life Away" hit #26 on the UK singles chart & just broke into the top 40 in the US.
His early music recorded for the "musicor" label was romantic, lonely and dramatic, fitting in alongside contemporaries like Buddy Holly, Neil Sedaka, Roy Orbison & serves as an audio time capsule of a more innocent time.
Gene Pitney - Yesterday's Hero...
Gene was a Brill Building songwriter who even before his singing career took off, had written one of Ricky Nelson's biggest hits "Hello Mary Lou". He had been helped out initially in his career by Burt Bacharach & Hal David, and later recorded some of their songs which became big hits like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and the classic "Only Love Can Break A Heart". At the time his "Only Love..." recording was a #2 chart hit, he had written the number 1 song that week; "He's A Rebel" (A Phil Spector production recorded by The Crystals). All in all Pitney himself recorded 16 top 40 songs in the US from 1961 to 1968.
Gene's biggest popularity was in England, where he used the Rolling Stones publicist Andrew Loog Oldham to get his fame established, which lasted there to the day of his death. In the UK, Gene had 40 top-40 charting hits through 1974. He finally hit #1 in the UK in 1990, performing a duet with Marc Almond of Soft Cell. Pitney died April 5 on tour in 2006. He was found by his tour manager fully clothed on his bed at a Hilton Hotel in Cardiff , shortly after performing a concert.
Little Betty Falling Star
Gene Pitney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So far above me
An angel star
Just meant to love me
`Till something happened to you
You used to shine in the blue
And the world was under your spell
Little Betty falling star
No star was ever so bright
And we would meet every night
Now my empty arms long for you
I just can`t believe we`re through
Little Betty falling star
I put you up there
So far above me
An angel star
Just meant to love me
Well you made me cry
Would you please tell me why
I turned out to be so wrong
Where is my star, why has it gone
There`s no quarrel we cannot patch
So I`m waiting her to catch
Little Betty falling star
The lyrics of the song Little Betty Falling Star by Gene Pitney are about a love that was once strong but has now come to an end. The singer describes the girl, Betty, as a star that he had put up so high, above himself, just meant to love him. However, something happened to her and she fell from the sky, losing her charm and no longer shining as bright as before. The singer reminisces about the times they spent together, under her spell, but now he is left with empty arms and cannot believe that they are over.
The singer then addresses Betty, asking her why she made him cry and why his star has gone away. He admits that he was wrong but is willing to patch things up with her. He wants to catch her again and put her up high where she belongs. The song is a melancholic ballad about lost love, unfulfilled promises, and a longing to make things right once again. The message is that love can be fragile, and once it's gone, it can leave a person lost and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
I put you up there
I held you in high regard and thought the world of you
So far above me
You were way beyond my reach and out of my league
An angel star
You were perfect and pure, just like an angel
Just meant to love me
As if it was your destiny to love me
Till something happened to you
Until something unpleasant occurred in your life
You used to shine in the blue
You were once very happy and full of life
And the world was under your spell
Everyone was captivated and enchanted by your charm
Till down from the sky you fell
Until something bad happened to you and your life took a turn for the worse
Little Betty falling star
Referring to you as Little Betty, like a nickname given with affection and the sadness of seeing you fall apart
No star was ever so bright
You were once the brightest, most beautiful thing he had ever seen
And we would meet every night
We used to spend a lot of time together, and it was wonderful
Now my empty arms long for you
I miss you terribly, and I feel incomplete without you
I just can`t believe we`re through
I am still in denial over how our relationship came to an end
Well you made me cry
You hurt me so badly that I cried
Would you please tell me why
Could you explain what went wrong?
I turned out to be so wrong
I was at fault and made a mistake
Where is my star, why has it gone
What happened to the love of my life, where did they go?
There's no quarrel we cannot patch
No disagreement is so big that we cannot resolve it
So I`m waiting her to catch
I remain committed to trying to fix our relationship and to catch a glimpse of the person you once were
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB HILLIARD, BURT BACHARACH, BURT F. BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
stewdoran2
I used to play this song from my older brothers albums. This wasn't one of GP's most popular songs, but certainly was a good one. Thanks for posting.
Alex Zambra
What a gorgeous song. My personal favorite from him.
debyok
Thank you for posting this lovely song, this version is the best in my opinion. May he RIP, he is greatly missed.
leslie oliver
just love this song brilliant!
Eloisa Montana
Piacevole ascolto, voce incantevole, Gene bravo.
Jenifer Holmes
Beautiful song 🎶❤️👏👏👏👏👏👏
Christian Landaeta Torres
Childhood 45 singles lot listening sessions.