About The Song
“Walk On By” was written by Kendall Hayes and recorded by Leroy Van Dyke for Mercury Records. Produced by Shelby Singleton, the single was released in 1961 as the title track from the album of the same name. Initially issued as the B-side to “My World Is Caving In,” radio stations preferred “Walk On By,” and it quickly became the focus of promotion.
The record reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and remained there for nineteen weeks. It spent a total of thirty-seven weeks on the country chart. The single also crossed over strongly to the pop market, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the same position in the United Kingdom and performed well in other international markets.
In its 100th-anniversary issue, Billboard magazine identified “Walk On By” as the biggest country music record of the modern chart era up to that point. The nineteen-week run at number one stood as a record for more than fifty years until it was equaled and then surpassed by Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” in 2013.
The lyric describes a couple involved in a secret relationship. They agree that if they encounter each other in public, they will simply walk on by and act as strangers to avoid discovery. Van Dyke’s clear delivery and the polished arrangement, featuring distinctive guitar work from Nashville session players including Hank Garland, gave the song both narrative clarity and commercial polish.
By 1961 Van Dyke had already scored an earlier hit with “The Auctioneer.” “Walk On By” elevated his profile significantly and became the defining recording of his career. The success of the single demonstrated the growing potential for country material to reach broader audiences during the early years of the Nashville Sound period.
Within the history of country music, Leroy Van Dyke’s version of “Walk On By” remains one of the most commercially dominant singles of its time. Its extended stay at the top of the charts, crossover performance, and lasting recognition have secured its place among the landmark recordings of the early 1960s.
Video
Lyric
If I see you tomorrow
On some street in town
Pardon me if I don’t say hello
I belong to another
And it doesn’t look so good
To know someone I’m not supposed to know
Just walk on by
Wait on the corner
I love you but we’re strangers when we meet
Just walk on by
Wait on the corner
I love you but we’re strangers when we meet
In a dimly lit corner
At a place outside of town
Tonight we’ll try to say goodbye again
But I know it’s not over
I’ll call tomorrow night
I can’t let you go so why pretend
Just walk on by
Wait on the corner
I love you but we’re strangers when we meet
Just walk on by
Wait on the corner
I love you but we’re strangers when we meet