Bachelor Boy

Last updated
"Bachelor Boy"
Cliff Richard Bachelor Boy.jpg
Song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows
from the album Summer Holiday
A-side "The Next Time" [1]
Released30 November 1962
Recorded16 November 1962
Studio EMI Studios, London
Genre Pop
Length2:02
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Norrie Paramor [1]
Cliff Richard and the Shadows singles chronology
"It'll Be Me"
(1962)
"Bachelor Boy"
(1962)
"Summer Holiday"
(1963)

"Bachelor Boy" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, written by Richard and Bruce Welch (from the Shadows). It became a hit when it was released as the B-side of Richard's single "The Next Time". Both sides of the single were regarded as having chart potential so both sides were promoted and in many markets "Bachelor Boy" became the bigger hit. The single spent three weeks at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1963 [1] and was a major hit internationally, although it only reached No. 99 in the US. Both sides of the single were included on the accompanying soundtrack album Summer Holiday . On the soundtrack album the Michael Sammes Singers were credited as backing singers, although they were not credited on the single.

Contents

In the UK, the single was the first of three number 1 hit singles from Richard's musical film, Summer Holiday , the other two being "Summer Holiday" and "Foot Tapper". [1] The film was the most successful box-office attraction of the year.

The single was followed at number one by the Shadows' own single "Dance On!" [2]

The song is about some advice a father passes to his son, to "remain a bachelor boy until (his) dying day". Richard later commented when he wrote this song he "never expected it to be prophetic".[ citation needed ] While Richard has himself never married, the song itself does not rule out marriage, with the final verse stating "I'll get married, have a wife and a child... but until then I'll be a bachelor boy...".

Chart performance

The below table only includes countries where "Bachelor Boy" was listed separately on the chart, or where it was listed first when both were listed together on the chart. For a more complete list of countries where the single made the singles chart, refer to the article for "The Next Time".

Chart (1963)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [3] 9
Canada (CHUM) [4] [5] [*] 2
Denmark (Tracklisten) [6] 1
France (SNEP) [7] 31
Hong Kong [8] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9] 1
Norway (VG-lista) [10] 8
South Africa (SARMD) [11] 1
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [12] 2
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [13] 1
UK (NME ) [14] 3 [*]
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] 99

Notes:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Had a Hammer</span> 1949 song by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays

"If I Had a Hammer " is a protest song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and was first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. It was a #10 hit for Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962 and then went to #3 a year later when recorded by Trini Lopez in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Stop Loving You</span> 1957 song by Don Gibson

"I Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter, and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 3, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of "Oh, Lonesome Me", becoming a double-sided country hit single. At the time of Gibson's death in 2003, the song had been recorded by more than 700 artists, most notably by Ray Charles, whose recording reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Want to Dance</span> 1958 song by Bobby Freeman

"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States Billboard Top 100 Sides pop chart, No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart, and No. 1 in Canada. Cliff Richard and the Shadows' version of the song reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in 1962, despite being a B-side. The Beach Boys notably covered the song in 1965 for their album The Beach Boys Today!; retitled "Do You Wanna Dance?", their version reached No. 12 in the United States. A 1972 cover by Bette Midler with the original title restored reached No. 17.

"Hawaii" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was recorded in July 1963 and released on their 1963 album Surfer Girl. It is one of the first Beach Boy songs that Hal Blaine played on, contributing timbales, but regular drummer Dennis Wilson still played. In January 1964, it was released as a single in Australia, becoming a top-10 hit. "Hawaii" made its way into the Beach Boys repertoire almost 50 years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get Off of My Cloud</span> 1965 single by The Rolling Stones

"Get Off of My Cloud" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for a single to follow the successful "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California, in early September 1965, the song was released in September in the United States and October in the United Kingdom. It topped the charts in the US, UK, Canada, and Germany and reached number two in several other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?</span> 1966 song by the Rolling Stones

"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in the late summer of 1966 during early sessions for what would become their Between the Buttons album. It was the first Stones single to be released simultaneously in both the UK and the US, and reached number five and number nine on those countries' charts, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackberry Way</span> 1968 single by The Move

"Blackberry Way" is a 1968 single by British band The Move. Written by the band's guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood and produced by Jimmy Miller, "Blackberry Way" was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band's most successful single, reaching number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Next Time</span> 1962 single by Cliff Richard, The Shadows and the Norrie Paramor Strings

"The Next Time" backed with "Bachelor Boy" was the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical, Summer Holiday. Both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, and the release is viewed retroactively as a double A-side single. However, technically double A-sides were not regarded as such until 1965, so "The Next Time" was pressed as the A-side, with "Bachelor Boy" the B-side. The song was succeeded at number one by The Shadows' "Dance On!".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blame It on the Bossa Nova</span> 1963 single by Eydie Gormé

"Blame It on the Bossa Nova" is a song written by Cynthia Weil (lyrics) and Barry Mann which was a 1963 hit single for Eydie Gormé, reaching number 7 on the Hot 100 in Billboard in March 1963. The song also peaked at number 32 in the UK, whereas "Yes, My Darling Daughter" became the biggest hit for Eydie there, reaching number 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna (Ritchie Valens song)</span> 1958 single by Ritchie Valens

"Donna" is a song written by Ritchie Valens, featuring the '50s progression. The song was released in 1958 on Del-Fi Records. Written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart Donna Ludwig, it was Valens' highest-charting single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Moving On (Hank Snow song)</span> Country standard written by Hank Snow

"I'm Moving On" is a 1950 country standard written by Hank Snow. It was a success in the record charts and has been recorded by numerous musicians in a variety of styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Young Ones (song)</span> 1962 single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

"The Young Ones" is a single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. The song, written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, is the title song to the 1961 film The Young Ones and its soundtrack album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Holiday (song)</span> 1963 song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

"Summer Holiday" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, written by rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch and drummer Brian Bennett. It is taken from the film of the same name, and was released as the second single from the film in February 1963. It went to number one in the UK Singles Chart for a total of two weeks. After that, the Shadows' instrumental "Foot Tapper"—also from the same film—took over the top spot for one week, before "Summer Holiday" returned to the top spot for one further week. The track is one of Richard's best known titles and it remains a staple of his live shows. It was one of six hits Richard performed at his spontaneous gig at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships when rain stopped the tennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(You're the) Devil in Disguise</span> 1963 song by Elvis Presley

"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" is a 1963 single by Elvis Presley. It was written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, and Florence Kaye and was published by Elvis Presley Music in June 1963. The song peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on August 10, 1963, and No. 9 on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart, becoming his final top-ten single on the Rhythm and Blues chart. The song also topped Japan's Utamatic record chart in the fall of 1963. The single was certified gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Twist Again</span> 1961 single by Chubby Checker

"Let's Twist Again" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, and released as a single by Chubby Checker. One of the biggest hit singles of 1961, it reached No.8 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart in August of that year and subsequently reached No.2 in the UK in the spring of 1962. The song refers to the Twist dance craze and Checker's 1960 single "The Twist", a two-time U.S. No.1 single.

Lucky Lips is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by Ruth Brown in 1956 and was successfully covered by Cliff Richard in 1963.

"I'm Looking out the Window" is a ballad written by Don Raye and John Jacob Niles. Peggy Lee first recorded the song as a B-side for her 1959 single "Hallelujah, I Love Him So". The song is best known as a hit record for Cliff Richard in 1962 in numerous countries, although not in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby's Girl (song)</span> 1962 pop rock single originally performed by Marcie Blane

"Bobby's Girl" is a song and single written by Gary Klein and Henry Hoffman. The original was performed by American teenage singer Marcie Blane, and became a No. 3 hit on the US charts. A near-simultaneous cover by British singer Susan Maughan was a hit in the UK, coincidentally also reaching No. 3 on the UK charts. Both Blane and Maughan are one-hit wonders; for both these artists, "Bobby's Girl" marked their only appearance on a national top 40 chart.

"Crazy 'Bout My Baby" is a song first written and recorded by musician Robert Mosley in 1963. His third solo single, it failed to chart, leading to it becoming his final single released. Initially an obscure single, it was brought to light by mainstream acts such as The Swinging Blue Jeans and Tages, the latter of which charted in Sweden with it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Turn Your Back</span> 1965 single by Tages

"Don't Turn Your Back" is a song written by bass guitarist Göran Lagerberg and guitarist Anders Töpel, first recorded by their band Tages in 1965. Produced by the Violents Rune Wallebom, the song would be featured as the lead track from their debut EP Tages released three weeks later

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 68. ISBN   0-85112-250-7.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 145–6. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  3. Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969 (doc). Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-44439-5.
  4. "CHUM Chart". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2018-06-09.|
  5. 1 2 "CHUM Hit Parade 13 May 1963". chumtribute.com. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  6. "Denmark singles chart - Bachelor Boy". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  7. Select Cliff RICHARD from the drop-down selection box and click OK: "French Singles - Artists R". infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (4 May 1963). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 28. ISSN   0006-2510.{{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. "Cliff Richard – The Next Time / Bachelor Boy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  10. "Cliff Richard – Bachelor Boy". VG-lista.
  11. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. courtesy South African Record Manufacturers and Distributors Association (30 March 1963). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 28. ISSN   0006-2510.{{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 243. ISBN   9163021404.
  13. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 313. ISBN   919727125X.
  14. Read, Mike; Lewry, Peter; Goodall, Nigel (1993). Cliff Richard - The Complete Chronicle. London: Hamlyn. p. 303. ISBN   0600578976 . Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  15. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Cliff Richard | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-26.