EDDIE FISHER – ‘I’m Walking Behind You’
I’m genuinely pleased that Eddie Fisher got a second big hit, especially as it establishes the winning notion that if you’ve had one smash your second should be as like it as legally possible. ‘Outside Of Heaven’ saw Eddie standing in the crowd at his ex-love’s wedding: ‘I’m Walking Behind You’ ups the masochistic ante still further ‘ Fisher is walking behind his former girl up the aisle! The singing this time is almost as morose but twice as creepy, Fisher giving the title line an unpleasant twinkle even as he chokes back the tears. Sadly the somewhat pedestrian tune lets a grand performance down (i.e. I can’t remember how it goes, a deadly sin in the days when hooks were actually things like choruses. It might go ‘I’m walking be-HIND youuu!’ panto style but I fear that’s wishful thinking.)
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Dorothy Squires also had a Top 20 hit with this at the same time, but hers was actually the original version; written for her by her ex Billy Reid. An unusual event in the general trend of American original/Brit covers.
I don’t know the DS version but the lyric makes more sense from a female perspective. From a male perspective there is a definite creepy stalking quality. It is though a more relaxed performance from Eddie and better for it.
You’re right Tom, Eddie’s delivery is very much that of the panto stalker. All he needs to do to totally freak the poor bride is paint his face Pierrot style, like matey from Alex Harvey’s band.
This is absolutely one of the creepiest things I’ve ever heard.
The label credit is “Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra and Sally Sweetland”. None of your fancy “featuring” for Sally, just a solid “with”.
Seemingly fated to lurk in the shadows, Sally also sang in two movies – The Hard Way and Thank Your Lucky Stars – with the toothsome Joan Leslie miming to her voice in both instances.
So schmaltzy, it probably had every ingredient required for a smash-hit in 1953. Enjoyable, solid ’50s pop – and I certainly prefer it to Dorothy’s original (I think he was on her lengthy hit-list because it outsold hers!).