Walkin' Back To Happiness

Album: Helen Shapiro (1961)
Charted: 1 100
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In the early 1960s Helen Shapiro was England's top selling female artist, and this was her biggest selling single. She was 14-years-old when she recorded this.
  • Ironically, Shapiro never wanted to record this as she felt it sounded too corny and old-fashioned to appeal to her fans. Shapiro says in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "I was brought up on blues and jazz and I thought Walkin' Back To Happiness was corny - all that 'woop-bah-oh-yea-yeah.' I still don't like the song but everyone goes mad for it so I've been proved wrong. That kind of rhythm was not my scene and I didn't really want to do it. I preferred the B-side, Kiss And Run, which was written by Norrie Paramour."
  • This was a UK chart topper and it also spent one week at #100 in the US chart - Shapiro's only chart entry in Billboard top 100. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for all above

Comments: 3

  • Bill from Rensselaer, NyJohn and Paul wrote "Misery" for Helen, but her management didn't like the song.
  • Ken from Louisville, KyIn 1963, Helen went on a British tour with the Beatles as one of the opening acts. When "From Me To You" became the group's second #1 song in a row, the positions reversed in mid-tour, with Helen opening for the Beatles. According to John Lennon, she was very gracious about it, and she was quite freindly with Paul McCartney and John. Paul and John would later be guests on Helen's UK TV show from time to time.
  • Michael from Bradford, EnglandI prefer her "Please Don't Treat Me Like a Child" (her first hit) that went to N°3 in the UK in March 1961.
    "You Don't Know" her first N°1 in the UK in June 1961 I thought better too.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.