I'm Walking Behind You

The original version was by British singer Dorothy Squires, who had previously been in a relationship with the song's composer, Billy Reid. In 1952, she had met an aspiring actor, Roger Moore. The lyrics of "I'm Walking Behind You" concern a protagonist walking behind a former lover on their wedding day, and were written by Reid upon his learning that Squires had begun a relationship with the younger Moore. She wanted to record Reid's composition, but her A&R man at Columbia Records, Ray Martin, did not like it, and refused to record the song. Squires discovered that she was not under contract to Columbia, and hired a studio to record the song, paying for the session – scheduled for 27 February – herself.{{Cite news|date=27 February 1953|title=The Alley Cat|work=The New Musical Express}} Her recording manager, Alan A. Freeman of Polygon Records, and publisher Jimmy Phillips, were unsure about the song, as Eddie Fisher had turned it down already. Squires' recording of "I'm Walking Behind You", reached No. 15 in the UK charts in May 1953.

Phillips sent an acetate copy of Squires' recording to America, however, resulting in Fisher changing his mind and recording the song, which became a hit for him. Squires was furious, and flew to America to confront James Franks, the president of Coral Records, the company responsible for releasing her version in the States. A contemporary American reviewer wrote, "As far as I'm concerned it's the best etching of the song. Sung with lots of heart, reminiscent of Vera Lynn."Radio Daily-television Daily. (1953). United States: Radio Daily Corporation. (Lynn herself recorded the song as part of a contemporary medley.){{Citation|title=78 Record: Vera Lynn - Vera Lynn Popular Medley, Side 1 (1953)|url=http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/f10164|access-date=2021-07-15}} In June 1953, Squires and Moore were married in New Jersey.

Squires re-recorded the song for her 1958 Pye Nixa album Sings Billy Reid, a collection of Reid's compositions. She featured the song in her concert repertoire. These performances commercially released on three albums:{{Cite web|last=White|first=Chris|title=Discography|url=http://www.webfantastic.co.uk/dorothylps.html|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Dorothy Squires}}

• This is My Life on Ace of Clubs (subtitled as "her one-woman show recorded 'live' in Llanelli, South Wales") in 1967, as part of a medley
• At The London Palladium, made at the venue of the same name on Sunday, December 6, 1970 (issued on President in 1971)
• Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane, from a concert at the venue of that name (Pye, 1974)

Eddie Fisher's rendition of the song, featuring soprano Sally Sweetland, became a No. 1 hit single on both the Cash Box and Billboard record charts in 1953 in the United States, as well as reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart.{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=David|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|year=2006|isbn=1-904994-10-5|edition=19th|location=London|page=19}} The recording by Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter's orchestra and chorus was made at the Manhattan Center in New York City on 7 April 1953, also being produced by Winterhalter.{{Cite book|last1=Kutner|first1=Jon|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/978493833|title=1,000 UK Number One Hits.|last2=Leigh|first2=Spencer|date=2010|publisher=Music Sales|isbn=978-0-85712-360-2|location=London|oclc=978493833}}{{Cite AV media notes|title=The Very Best Of Eddie Fisher|title-link=|first=|last=|others=Eddie Fisher|date=1998|page=|type=booklet|publisher=Taragon Records|id=TARCD-1031|location=}} It was released by RCA Victor on both 78 and 45 rpm single formats (catalogue numbers 20-5293 and 47-5293) in the United States that same month.{{cite web|title=RCA Victor 20-5000 - 5500 78rpm numerical listing discography|url=http://www.78discography.com/RCA205000.htm|access-date=2014-04-02|publisher=78discography.com}}{{Cite magazine|date=April 18, 1953|title=New Records to Watch|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQ0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=eddie+fisher+i%27m+walking+behind+you+april+1953&pg=PA30|access-date=16 July 2021}} Fisher's single entered the Billboard Best Selling Singles chart on 9 May 1953, and reached No. 1 on 25 July 1953, staying there for two weeks.{{Cite web|last=Kowal|first=Barry|date=Nov 15, 2016|title=#1 Billboard Singles 1940-1999|url=http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=40|access-date=16 July 2021|website=Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits}} It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts for Most Played by Jockeys (on 11 July, for three weeks) and Most Played in Juke Boxes (on 27 June, for seven weeks).{{Cite web|last=Kowal|first=Barry|date=Aug 14, 2016|title=EVERY NUMBER ONE SINGLE ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S (USA) DISC JOCKEYS PLAYS CHART|url=http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2637&Itemid=40|access-date=16 July 2021|website=Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits}}{{Cite web|last=Kowal|first=Barry|date=Sep 13, 2016|title=EVERY NUMBER ONE SINGLE ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S (USA) JUKE BOX PLAYS CHART|url=http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2635&Itemid=40|access-date=16 July 2021|website=Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits}}

In the UK, the Fisher recording was issued by EMI's His Master's Voice label (catalogue number B 10489) in May 1953.{{Citation|last1=Eddie Fisher|title=I'M WALKING BEHIND YOU|date=April 1953|url=http://archive.org/details/78_im-walking-behind-you_eddie-fisher-hugo-winterhalter-and-his-orchestra-sally-sweet_gbia0196778b|others=Internet Archive|publisher=RCA Victor|language=English|access-date=2021-07-15|last2=Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra|last3=Sally Sweetland|last4=Billy Reid}}{{Citation|last1=Eddie Fisher|title=I'm Walking Behind You|date=1953|url=http://archive.org/details/78_im-walking-behind-you_eddie-fisher-hugo-winterhalter-and-his-orchestra-sally-sweet_gbia0044793a|others=Internet Archive|publisher=His Master's Voice|language=English|access-date=2021-07-15|last2=Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra|last3=Sally Sweetlander|last4=Billy Reid}} It first entered the UK chart for the week ending 16 May 1953, and reached No. 1 on 26 June, its sixth week on the listings. The single spent a week at No. 1, and 18 weeks on chart in total.{{Cite book|last1=Henson|first1=Brian|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/19389211|title=First hits, 1946-1959|last2=Morgan|first2=Colin|date=1989|publisher=Boxtree|isbn=1-85283-268-1|location=London|oclc=19389211}}{{Cite web|title=Eddie Fisher: UK Top 10 hits|url=http://www.chartwatch.co.uk/TopTen/acts/ACT02354.htm|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Chartwatch}}

A stereo re-recording by Fisher was later released. Arranged and conducted by Jerry Fielding, it was made at United Recorders in Las Vegas, and issued on Fisher's 1965 Dot Records album When I Was Young, produced by Randy Wood.{{Cite web|title=Eddie Fisher - When I Was Young|url=https://www.discogs.com/Eddie-Fisher-When-I-Was-Young/master/630563|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Discogs|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2014-08-11|title=EDDIE FISHER|url=https://musicfinder.online/eddie-fisher/|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Music Finder|language=en-US}}

"I'm Walking Behind You" entered the UK's sheet music sales chart on 4 April 1953. It peaked at No. 2, and spent 31 weeks on the chart in total. The song spent five weeks at No. 2, kept off the top spot by "In a Golden Coach" and "The Moulin Rouge Theme".{{Cite web|title=The Britburn Project - Spreadsheet File Server (UK Charts 1939-1995)|url=http://www.britburn.co.uk/files/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Britburn|ref=See "UK Charts 1939-1995".}} Prior to its chart debut, the earliest released versions were by Dorothy Squires and Gary Miller in March that year. Further contemporary versions issued in the UK were by Billy Cotton and his Band (with vocal by Doreen Stephens), Jimmy Young (recorded on February 3), Frank Sinatra, Donald O'Connor, Vic Damone and organist Ethel Smith. Damone's version was re-issued on Mercury in June 1954, following the end of their agreement with Oriole, who had originally released the recording in the UK.{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=John|title=i|url=http://members.optusnet.com.au/johnhrogers/i.htm|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Popular recordings from 1 August 1942}}

Sinatra's version of the song was the second title from his first recording session at Capitol Records in Los Angeles on 2 April. This recording, with backing led by Axel Stordahl (Sinatra's musical director from his early years as a solo artist), was issued as a single by Capitol (catalog number 2450) and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard pop charts.{{Cite web|title=I'm Walking Behind You (song by Frank Sinatra) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts|url=https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=I%27m+Walking+Behind+You+by+Frank+Sinatra&id=16169|access-date=2021-07-15|website=MusicVF}}{{Cite web|title=Frank Sinatra - The Capitol Years|url=https://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Sinatra/capitol1.php|access-date=2021-07-15|website=JazzDiscography.com}}

• List of number-one singles of 1953 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)

{{Reflist}}

{{Eddie Fisher}}

{{Frank Sinatra singles}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1953 songs

Category:1953 singles

Category:Dorothy Squires songs

Category:Frank Sinatra songs

Category:Eddie Fisher (singer) songs

Category:Number-one singles in the United States

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles

Category:Songs written by Billy Reid (British songwriter)