TONY ORLANDO - Halfway To Paradise / Bless You - stereo

[@sonnysoldies5288]

Two of my favorites by Tony early in his career.

[@cjcasey7540]

Absolutely and bless you !!!

[@annamassek9064]

TWO OF MY FAVORITE TONY ORLANDO SONGS THANKS FOR PLAYING THEM

[@johnhughes8466]

Billy Fury had a big hit with this in GB! Both versions are world class! Tony Orlando what a voice!

[@ldsdane]

My first favorite record of Tony Orlando when he was 13 years old.Loved his voice and music!!❤

[@samuelgriffin4167]

Tony Orlando has one incredible singing voice especially as a teenager

[@l.russellbrown9732]

Without doubt one of the greatest singers of all time

[@bernardrubin5816]

Yes 2 great songs early in Tony’s career as a teen idol.

[@edsauer2931]

I just love this old song. So well done by Tony Orlando. Great lyrics and instrementation !!

[@rogerquintanilla863]

Great singer and wish he had recorded more songs. I remember these two great ones as well as the ones with the beautiful girls.

[@eleanorreyes512]

Luv Tony Orlando!! An American Legend. THERE WILL NEVER EVER BE SINGERS LIKE THIS AGAIN🙏🙏💕💖👍✌

[@edwardvelez2926]

BEAUTIFUL EARLY HITS!! 😊

[@LayanMalhamrani]

Elvis’s favorite song

[@MsBonnieBlue]

My sister liked this! R.I.P Betty ❤️🌹

[@miketheshanmanmangan]

Tony Orlando long before his groups WIND and DAWN with two very good 1961 singles on EPIC written by Carole King & Gerry GOFFIN and Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann and suddenly it is 1961 all over again.

[@howardgoodman3536]

I believe he was 16 at the time.

[@hectormorales8685]

Tony Orlando, good songs, good sounds of the 60's. Biees him

[@cjcasey7540]

Mike absolutely

[@cjcasey7540]

Mike he was better off without dawn his voice was amazing !!!

[@adolfojuarez3654]

I looked up what was Elvis Presley favorite song and this came up

[@nealgordon3712]

Hi Sonny I now accidentally came to this outstanding segment simply by putting the song into the KZbin request for this song and your segment came up, wow I wish I would have found this as I was scrolling the KZbin page a lot sooner. Glad to know you put this this here. Thank you Sonny for posting this wonderful segment. Again I got up with the feeling to hear this particular song and KZbin got me to your post

[@sonnysoldies5288]

Better late than never my friend...thanks for commenting.

[@tabithaedie]

Elvis wrote to a very young Tony and told him how he loved this song and put it in his Jukebox at home.

[@gotchamusic]

Great song,and a great job by Tony

[@josephpotamkin7416]

Both great songs, I remember hearing them both in 1961 as I was already 15 years old

[@sonnysoldies5288]

Nice to remember the good times.

[@josephpotamkin7416]

Yes Sonny, it brings back memories some beautiful some not so beautiful but memories all the same, Thanks for posting

[@gracecalifano9775]

I loved this as well, was 14 yrs old!

[@eleanorreyes512]

So CUTE!!! He was only 16 years old!! Always luv Tony Orlando, AMERICAN LEGEND!!#!🙏🙏💕💖

[@lorensr.bingham5217]

Bought these songs on the 45-records👀👍👍👍👍

[@sonnysoldies5288]

Me too...and still have them.

[@coffeeicecream1]

Thanks, great to hear this again.

[@Fargosportsmassage]

I love the original Billy Furry...but man Tony is a bomb...good job Tony ..so nice..

[@music-e5e]

Love this song! Tony Orlando sang it perfectly. I think this song could also have been sung well by Gene Pitney.

[@keeshond8]

Good voice, I agree, but it was better orchestrated in the very successful recording by U.K. singer Billy Fury

[@winemeister]

@@keeshond8 I agree with you about the orchestration, the US version was more voice oriented whereas Billy's voice was slightly lost in Paramour's arrangement. However it makes me realise Billy Fury had a better voice.

[@keeshond8]

@@winemeister I believe it was orchestrated by Ivor Raymonde, rather than by Norrie Paramor who was contracted to EMI at the time (although he had recorded for other labels and was to eventually set up his own.) What you’re saying is that you liked the tone of Billy Fury’s voice, preferring it to Tony Orlando’s, not that it was necessarily that strong, and I tend to agree with you. The orchestral arrangement with those cutting strings at the beginning of Billy’s version was a master stroke, although the overuse of echo and balance of the backing singers did seem to overwhelm his voice a couple of times later in the song.

[@winemeister]

@@keeshond8 Thanks so much for that info. Billy had a very special voice, powerful when he needed it to be so. Halfway to Paradise was a perfect example, and you've clearly thought through the effect that the orchestra in the back had on the song. Thank you.

[@lisachapman4160]

This was Elvis favorite song! He called Tony and told him!

[@kathlinetaylor8526]

Love this song thank you for this song 👍👍👍 Tony Orlando all of them and bless you a 💎💎 of a song all CD is fab got it.

[@delam1970]

Two great songs,two great songwriting duos,one great singer. Halfway To Paradise written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin hit number 39 back in the late spring/early summer of 1961 and Bless You written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil hit number 15 back in the late summer/early fall of 1961 and the artist is Tony Orlando before Tony Orlando and Dawn!!!

[@danielmoroff6179]

Did Carole ever record this song, herself? I will look it up!

[@delam1970]

@@danielmoroff6179 Carole King didn’t record Halfway To Paradise. British pop singer Bill Fury recorded the song at the same time Tony Orlando’s version was on the Billboard charts and Bill’s version hit number three on the British charts. Seven years later in 1968,American pop balladeer Bobby Vinton remade Halfway To Paradise and his version hit number twenty-three on the Billboard charts.

[@philwification]

great singer - great songs

[@jimday233]

By far...one of my favorite artists...

[@davidgibbs7232]

This is lovely. I was only aware of Billy Furys Uk version which I also liked a lot. Fury did it in a Presley style.

[@mariahussain7341]

wow amazing song. l not heard this for years.

[@billarroo1]

Great TUNE I like it. Thanks

[@frdjr2527]

Both were huge hits in NY. "Halfway To Paradise" reached #6 on WMGM 5/15/61. "Bless You" equaled that success, also #6 on WMGM 9/12/61.

[@laurenitsme3646]

No wonder Elvis loved this song!!!!

[@sunsuz98]

Elvis Presley’s favorite song

[@Mercy_Chanter]

My favorite (as he called himself), Greek A Rican! ❤🌹

[@jerrymays2607]

The two best songs

[@robdobson5056]

Elvis’s favorite song…

[@trafikuty]

These early songs sounds to be better for me.

[@kathlinetaylor8526]

I bought the album the picture 📷 where sat in a big red car it's awesome album

[@MsBonnieBlue]

So good!!!!!!

[@laurareinoso8442]

Elvi’s favourite song 💋

[@janetbates5832]

My favorite Tony Orlando sonp

[@larryjohnson6385]

Some of the first of my favorites 😎😎😎

[@marksheiman1538]

Bless you.

[@4battis]

Great song

[@nealgordon3712]

I just can't imagine clean shaven Tony without his mustache.

[@samuelgriffin4167]

What an era of great music

[@timholt9948]

His first hit

[@samuelgriffin4167]

In the seventies he formed Dawn featuring Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent first hit was Candida and more hits to follow

[@Velvetblubonee]

OH OH DREAMY BEAUTIFUL 🌹VELVET BLU BO'NEE🌈

[@teomy5531]

👍❤️❤️❤️

[@aprillear4537]

Im from the uk i love Billy furys cover of this but this is nearly as good sorry USA

[@MsBonnieBlue]

For you Betty I hope your up heaven with Joe ❤️

[@total.stranger]

I gotta say that I like Billy Fury's version better than Tony's - but that's no slight to Tony. Fury's version was released in the UK around the same time as Tony's was in the US (April-May-June 1961), but Fury's got to #3 and stayed on the charts there for 23 weeks - which is Beatles-level chart performance. It's an excellent Gerry Goffin-Carole King song, done well by both performers, but Carole arranged Tony's record, so you'd have to suppose that that was the way she meant it to be performed.

[@sonnysoldies5288]

To each his own, I guess. Billy's voice isn't as powerful but I have to admit this stereo mix on KZbin sounds pretty good. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3TYfJ99rcahjZY

[@total.stranger]

@@sonnysoldies5288 Sometimes, it can come down to which version you heard first. If you like the song, it'll stick with you, no matter whose version it was - I guess.

[@SuperAnimelover100]

I totally agree 100%. I love the Scouser Billy Fury's version the Best. Tony's is nice but Richie sends me to the moon. :)

[@danielmoroff6179]

There are those who would say that Billy Fury's version of this song was better, but not me. This version by Tony Orlando is the best! Just sayin'!!! Yet, another winner by the writing team of Carole King and Jerry Goffin! Wow!!!

[@sonnysoldies5288]

I agree...Fury just didn't have a strong voice although he chose to remake U.S songs that used strong voices.

[@stevenmorris8325]

​@@sonnysoldies5288Fury didn't have a strong voice😂 He blows this version out the water and listen to When Will You Say I Love You and It's Only Make Believe. Nearly every song Billy covered he bettered although he was a good song writer and should have gone down that route.

[@sonnysoldies5288]

@@stevenmorris8325 No one compares to Conway Twitty on "It's Only Make Believe"...just anyone in America's opinion I guess.

[@josephpotamkin7416]

Half Puerto Rican, half Greek

[@genek4151]

His 2 greatest songs. Notice who wrote them!! Too bad he morphed into singing that sleazy crap later on. May I NEVER hear that yellow ribbon thing again.

[@sonnysoldies5288]

My feelings exactly...

[@samuelgriffin4167]

Trio known for the old PSA Ad Council Careers

[@doreenpeto8659]

Not as good as Billy Fury but what a great voice singing Bless You. What a fab voice

[@sonnysoldies5288]

You must be from the UK...no one in the U.S. would say that but I like Fury's version as a remake.

[@doreenpeto8659]

Yes

[@mickthompson584]

As good as Billy Fury i reckon.

[@sonnysoldies5288]

You think?

[@doreenpeto8659]

I love Tony Orlando but this song can not compare to Billy Fury’s version but Bless You is his best song I love it

[@sonnysoldies5288]

@@doreenpeto8659 You must be from England because hardly anyone in the U.S. has even heard of Billy Fury let alone his version of any song.. I do agree he had quite a career over there along with Cliff Richard.

[@susanmccann8005]

Me to 💃🏼

[@mariacanavan3305]

Sorry... But Billy Fury still wins....

[@faith6363fully]

Billy fury’s version is much better

[@sonnysoldies5288]

You must be from England...no way is Fury's version even close to Tony's but we are all entitled to our opinions. I have Fury's version and his voice can't compare.

[@faith6363fully]

@@sonnysoldies5288 Why must I be from England? Because Billy fury was British? Britain had some great singers.. Billy fury had a great voice unfortunately he had bad management, but I stand by what I say Billy fury’s voice was much better

[@sonnysoldies5288]

@@faith6363fully You stand alone my friend...

[@tomspires823]

@@sonnysoldies5288 Not Alone. Billy Fury all the way

[@randomelvis3359]

Elvis’ favourite song….