About this episode

This episode explores the life and career of Michael Holliday, focusing on his brief success with the hit 'Starry Eyed' and the struggles he faced thereafter.

One week at the top, a lifetime of sadness behind the smile. The first brand new number one of the 1960s belonged to a man from Liverpool with a voice like warm honey and a stage name chosen for its lightness. Michael Holliday. It suited him perfectly. What it didn't tell you was anything about the anxiety and depression that shadowed every step of his career. "Starry Eyed" went to number one on January 24th 1960, held off the blocks for one week before Anthony Newley came along and nudged it aside. One week sounds brief. In a chart as competitive as early 1960s Britain, one week at the top was no small thing. Holliday had built his career on a voice that drew inevitable comparisons to Bing Crosby, warm and unhurried, perfectly suited to the kind of professional pop that Norrie Paramor produced for him at Columbia Records. "Starry Eyed" was exactly that kind of record. Bright, melodically comfortable, performed with a ease that concealed how much work had gone into making it sound effortless. His second number one, following "The Story of My Life" in 1958, and a reminder that before the beat groups arrived, this was what British pop sounded like at its best. The sadder part of…

People in this episode

Host: Scott

Topics covered

• music history
• pop culture
• 1960s music
• Michael Holliday
• British pop

Keywords

• Michael Holliday
• Starry Eyed
• 1960s
• British pop
• music history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Columbia Records

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