Parisienne Walkways

"Parisienne Walkways"
Single by Gary Moore
from the album Back on the Streets
B-side "Fanatical Fascists"
Released 1978
Format 7" vinyl
Genre Blues rock
Length 3:08
Label MCA
Songwriter(s) Phil Lynott, Gary Moore
Producer(s) Chris Tsangarides
Gary Moore
Gary Moore singles chronology
"Parisienne Walkways"
(1978)		 "Spanish Guitar"
(1979)

"Parisienne Walkways"
(1978)		 "Spanish Guitar"
(1979)

"Parisienne Walkways" is a song by guitarist Gary Moore that reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1979.[1] The song is featured on Moore's album Back on the Streets and features a vocal from Thin Lizzy frontman, Phil Lynott, who co-wrote the song with Moore. Lynott also played bass guitar on the track, alongside Thin Lizzy drummer Brian Downey, thus reuniting the short-lived 1974 Thin Lizzy line-up which had recorded "Still in Love with You" and the single "Little Darling". The melody of "Parisienne Walkways" is based on the jazz standard "Blue Bossa" by Kenny Dorham.[2] It was Gary Moore's signature song.[3]

According to Richard Buskin [4] the opening line, "I remember Paris in '49,” was an amendment of the line as it appeared in the original sheet music — "I remember Paris in the fall tonight” and refers to Phil's missing father, Cecil Paris and his birth-year, 1949. A lament for the father he never had, dressed up in romantic nostalgia.

The guitarist continued to play the song as an encore at concerts throughout his career. A live version of the track, recorded at The Royal Albert Hall, was released in 1993 as part of a limited edition 4-track CD single entitled "Parisienne Walkways '93" and went on to reach #32 in the UK Singles Chart.[5][6] This version appeared on Moore's 1993 live album Blues Alive and was also included on the 2002 compilation album The Best Air Guitar Album In The World....II. The original single and a (previously unreleased?) 1983 live version feature as the first and final track on the 2006 compilation, The Platinum Collection.

The Shadows covered it on their 1979 album String of Hits.

Brian May and Kerry Ellis covered the song on their 2017 Album Golden Days.

Track listing

1979 UK 7" Single

  1. "Parisienne Walkways" (Lynott, Moore) – 3:08
  2. "Fanatical Fascists" (Lynott) – 2:44

1993 UK 7" Single

  1. "Parisienne Walkways '93" – 5:01
  2. "Still Got The Blues" – 6:54

1993 UK CD Single

  1. "Parisienne Walkways '93" – 5:01
  2. "Since I Met You Baby (with B.B.King)" – 4:40
  3. "Still Got The Blues" – 6:54
  4. "Key To Love" – 2:20[7]

Chart performance

Chart (1979) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[1] 8
Chart (1993)1 Peak
position
French SNEP Singles Chart[8] 9

1 1993 live version

Personnel

Other performances

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan skated to Parisienne Walkways for his short programme at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, obtaining the world record score of 101.45 on 13 February 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 "Chart Stats – Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "Gary Moore and Phil Lynott's Parisienne Walkways sample of Joe Henderson's Blue Bossa". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Gary Moore 'Parisienne Walkways'". Sound on Sound. July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Gary Moore 'Parisienne Walkways'". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  5. ↑ "allmusic (((Parisienne Walkways '93 > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Chart Stats – Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways '93". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "Gary Moore – Parisienne Walkways '93". Discogs. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  8. ↑ "Gary Moore — "Parisienne Walkways '93 [Live]", French Singles Chart" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
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