"Like I've Never Been Gone" is a song written by

Paul Hampton Paul Hampton (born August 20, 1937) is an American actor, singer, lyricist and writer. Career While he was a sophomore at Dartmouth College, he was signed to Columbia Records and Columbia Pictures at the same time to write music with Hal Davi ...

and Camille Monte and first released by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer Chase Webster in July 1962. In February 1963, English singer

Billy Fury Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known by his stage name Billy Fury, was an English musician. An early star of rock and roll, he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart. His hit singles include " Wondrous Place", " H ...

released a cover of the song which peaked at number 3 on the ''

Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The ti ...

'' Top 50.

Billy Fury version

Release and reception

"Like I've Never Been Gone" was released with the B-side "What Do You Think You're Doing Of", written by Fury. The phrase 'what are you doing of' was another way of saying 'what are you doing'. Reviewing for ''

Disc Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...

'',

Don Nicholl Donald Nicholl (August 9, 1925 – July 5, 1980) was an English screenwriter and producer who later worked in the United States. Early life Nicholl was born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sunderland, England. He worked as a journalist, columnis ...

wrote that "Like I've Never Been Gone" "is the kind of song I can imagine Presley wishing he'd got his hands on. Instead it's going to make another hit for Fury. A sultry Latin beater which he sings in his most commercial voice. First-class backing, including chorus, is directed by

Ivor Raymonde Ivor Raymonde (born Ivor Pomerance; 22 October 1926 – 4 June 1990) was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s. Life and ca ...

". In ''

New Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album ...

'', the song was described as "a semi-bluesy, semi-ballady thing with a good tune and an especially good lyric. Powerful Presley-type vocalising from Billy – this could be a really big one".

Track listing

7": Decca / F 11582 # "Like I've Never Been Gone" – 2:01 # "What Do You Think You're Doing Of" – 2:59

Charts

References

{{authority control 1963 singles 1963 songs Decca Records singles Billy Fury songs Songs written by Paul Hampton Song recordings produced by Mike Smith (British record producer)