"Half a Photograph" is a popular

Popular music

Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...

 song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

.

The music was written by Harold Stanley, the lyrics by Bob Russell

Bob Russell (songwriter)

Sidney Keith "Bob" Russell, was an American songwriter born in Passaic, New Jersey.In 1968, Russell along with songwriting partner Quincy Jones was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category...

. The song was published in 1952

1952 in music

-Events:*February 26 - Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.*March 21 - First reported Rock and roll riot breaks out at Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio...

 (or 1953; sources differ).

The biggest hit version was recorded by Kay Starr

Kay Starr

Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....

. This recording was released by Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

 as catalog number

Catalog numbering systems for single records

This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...

 2464. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 6, 1953 and lasted 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at #10. This was one side of a two-sided hit; the flip side was "Allez-Vous-En

Allez-Vous-En

"Allez-Vous-En" is a popular song. It was written by Cole Porter and was published in 1953.The song was featured in the musical Can-Can.A recording by Kay Starr was the biggest hit. This recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 2464. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best...

," which also charted that year.