"(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" is a popular 1968 song. Originally written by the Italian singer-songwriter

Lucio Battisti Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting. Battisti released 18 studio albums from 1969 ...

under the title "" ("The Paradise"), it was first recorded by Italian singer Ambra Borelli and released as a single through under alias . Although her version did not chart, it was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by other artists to much success, most notably by

Patty Pravo Nicoletta Strambelli (born 9 April 1948), known professionally as Patty Pravo, is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in p ...

(in Italian) and Amen Corner (in English) in 1969.

Patty Pravo version

recorded the song under the shortened title "" for her second studio album . The track was released as a single in early 1969 and reached the top 10 in the Italian chart. It was performed at

Festivalbar The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...

. Pravo re-recorded the song on her 2019 album ''Red'' to mark the 50th anniversary of the original version.

Track listing

*7-inch single :A. "" (

, Giulio Rapetti Mogol) – 2:44 :B. "" (

Gianni Meccia Giovanni "Gianni" Meccia (2 June 1931 – 9 April 2024) was an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. He was often associated with Jimmy Fontana. Life and career Born in Ferrara, in 1950 Meccia moved to Rome to pursue a ...

Bruno Zambrini Bruno Zambrini (born 5 April 1935) is an Italian composer and record producer. Born in Francavilla al Mare, Chieti, Zambrini graduated in composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory. In the 1960s he became a successful composer of pop songs, ...

) – 3:03

Charts

Weekly charts

Amen Corner version

The song was translated into English by Jack Fishman. When it was offered to

The Tremeloes The Tremeloes (formerly Brian Poole and The Tremeloes) are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with ...

as a potential single, they rejected it. It was then recorded by Amen Corner as their debut single for their new record label,

Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signe ...

, and was produced by

Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (August 11, 1937 – November 13, 2024) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger, best known for his work in England in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks, and many other artists. Talmy arranged and produced hits ...

. The most successful of the band's six

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

singles, it reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in February 1969, and number 34 when it was reissued in 1976. There are two differing versions of the song by Amen Corner; one with orchestra and a prominent horn through the middle eight, and one version without either. However, the basic track and vocals appear the same in both.

Track listing

*7" single :A. "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" (

, Jack Fishman) – 2:50 :B. "Hey Hey Girl" (

Andy Fairweather Low Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948) is a Welsh guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner (band), Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton ...

) – 3:05

Charts

Other cover versions

The Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...

the song in 1969 and released as a single only in the US. * Christiane Bervoets, known professionally as Samantha, recorded the song in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

as "" in 1969. *The song was covered by Toby Jug and released in Australia in 1970, where it peaked at number 65. *In 1978, Northern Irish pop rock band

Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts ...

recorded the song for their self-titled debut album and released it as a single. It charted at number 20 in Germany. *In 1987,

Bucks Fizz Bucks Fizz were an English pop group, that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and c ...

member

Cheryl Baker Rita Maria Stroud (''née'' Crudgington; born 8 March 1954), known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, which won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and, followi ...

recorded the song and released it as a single. It charted at number 94 in the UK. * covered the song on their 1992 album . *

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...

did a cover with the help of

from Amen Corner for the 1992 compilation album

Ruby Trax ''Ruby Trax – The NME's Roaring Forty'' is a compilation album released by ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') magazine in 1992 to commemorate 40 years of publication. The album features 40 cover versions of classic Number 1 songs by popular ban ...

. *German actress and singer Judith Hildebrandt recorded the English version of the song on her 1999 album ''Judith''. t was released as a single and reached number 90 in Germany. *In 2010, mother and daughter

Norma Waterson Norma Christine Waterson (15 August 1939 – 30 January 2022) was an English singer and songwriter, best known as one of the original members of The Watersons, a celebrated English traditional folk group. Other members of the group included h ...

and

Eliza Carthy Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE (born 23 August 1975) is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. Life and career Carthy was born i ...

recorded a medley of the song with "Ukulele Lady" on their album ''Gift''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:If Paradise Is Half as Nice 1968 songs 1969 singles Patty Pravo songs Amen Corner (band) songs Songs written by Lucio Battisti Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy UK singles chart number-one singles