THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

268-Billy Fury-In Summer

1963-Number 5 single.

Best Bit-At 0.38. If I had my way I would invent a new genre of music which I would call ‘Summer Music.’ There are many great songs in this countdown that make you dream of the sun beaming down on you on a lovely summers day (see also best songs 25-74-176-231-344-433-643-811-911-930 and 1000.)

The famous tale is that in 1958 Billy Fury went to the Essoldo Theatre in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England, hoping to meet the singer Marty Wilde in order to try to get him interested in some of the songs he had written. Instead in an episode that has now become Pop legend, Wilde’s manager Larry Parnes (1929-1989) pushed the young Ronald Wycherley up onto the stage and made him perform right away. He was such a success that Parnes signed him up immediately, and chose the stage name Billy Fury for him. It has been suggested that Fury’s rapid rise to fame was due in some part to his Elvis Presley influenced hip swivelling, and at times highly suggestive stage act. His performances were considered too sexual and provocative, leading to censure, and forcing him to tone down his act.

Billy Fury was one of the first British Rock N’ Roll acts, competing with contemporaries such as Cliff Richard (see also best songs 709) and Marty Wilde. His 1960 Album ‘The Sound of Fury’ on which he wrote all 10 tracks has been described as ‘The best Rock N’ Roll Album to come out of England’s beat boom of the late 1950’s.’ Billy Fury released six studio Albums between 1960-1983, he also released two Live Albums, with the 1963 ‘We Want Billy!’ being one of the first live Albums in UK Rock history. He also released 49 singles, and 10 EPs, he achieved 26 top 40 hits in the UK, with ‘Jealousy’ from 1961 charting the highest when making Number 2.

‘In Summer’ was the 19th single release from Billy Fury in July 1963, and became his 17th hit single, and his seventh to make the UK top 5. The song was written by Valerie Murtagh, along with her sister in law Elaine Murtagh, and Elaine’s husband Ray Adams. The three of them had previously tasted chart success in 1959 as ‘The Avons’ with their cover of ‘Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat’) which had reached Number 3 in the UK. The Avons are not to be confused with the 1950’s American Doo-Wop’ group of the same name, or the girl group The Avons from Nashville, Tennessee whose 1960’s output is sought out by the ‘Northern Soul’ fraternity. The trio also co-wrote ‘Dance On’ which was a UK Number 1 for The Shadows in 1963, and Number 11 for Kathy Kirby when recorded as a vocal version in the same year. Valerie Murtagh was also one of the co-writers of ‘Long Live Love’ which was the British entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, which tied for fourth place in the competition before going on to make Number 11 in the UK chart for Olivia Newton-John.

‘Walking with the boys, talking with girls, laughing with the boys and kissing all the girls in summer.’