Living Doll (song)

Last updated

"Living Doll"
Cliff Richard Living Doll.jpg
Single by Cliff Richard and the Drifters
from the album Serious Charge (EP)
B-side
  • "Apron Strings"
  • (Weiss/Schroeder)
Released10 July 1959
Recorded28 April 1959
Studio EMI Studios, London
Genre
Length2:35
Label Columbia DB4306
Songwriter(s) Lionel Bart
Producer(s) Norrie Paramor
Cliff Richard and the Drifters singles chronology
"Mean Streak"
(1959)		"Living Doll"
(1959)		"Travellin' Light"
(1959)

"Living Doll" is a song written by Lionel Bart made popular by Cliff Richard and the Shadows (then still known as 'the Drifters') in 1959. It was the top selling single in the UK in 1959. [4] It has topped the UK charts twice: in its original version in 1959 (their first number 1 single) and a new version recorded in 1986 in aid of Comic Relief. It is one of the few songs released by a British singer to chart on the American Billboard charts before the British Invasion occurred.

Contents

Worldwide sales

Background and composition

"Living Doll" was written for the film Serious Charge . Lionel Bart had been approached by film producer Mickey Delamar to write songs for the film. The idea for the song came on a Sunday morning in October 1958 while reading a newspaper and seeing an advert for a child's doll. The doll was said to "kneel, walk, sit and sing". Bart recounted, "I was looking at the back pages and there was a small advert for a doll which could apparently do everything. I wrote the song in ten minutes." The song was written as an up-tempo light rock and roll song (rather than a ballad), and this is how Cliff Richard performs the song in the film. [1] [6]

Unbeknown to Richard, his contract to appear in the film required that there would be a single of one of the film's songs released. Richard recounts, "I remember passionately refusing to record 'Living Doll'. There was a day of telephone calls from Norrie Paramor, with me saying I hated the song and that it wasn't right for us." Richard did not like what he called its "pseudo-rock" beat. "It did not sound like real American rock 'n' roll to us" said Richard. Paramor told Richard "Change it. Do it any way you like, but do it". While sitting around one afternoon before a show, thinking about what they could do with the song, Bruce Welch (rhythm guitarist for Richard’s backing band, then known as The Drifters before renaming themselves The Shadows), while strumming a guitar, suggested they do it like a country song. Richard and the other band members agreed and duly rerecorded the song with the slower tempo. [1] [2] [3]

1959 version

The song was recorded in April 1959 by Cliff Richard and the Drifters and produced by Norrie Paramor. It was first released in the UK in May 1959 on the Serious Charge (EP) soundtrack before being released as a single in July 1959. It was number 1 on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks from July, becoming the biggest selling single of 1959 in the UK with sales of 770,000. [7] Richard was awarded a Silver Disc on 1 November 1959, on the television show Sunday Night at the Palladium . [8]

It was a number 1 hit in several European countries, including Ireland, Norway and Sweden and top ten hit in numerous countries. In the US, it was Richard's first hit single, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It went on to sell over a million copies worldwide and earned the record company's internally awarded Gold Disc for the achievement. [5] [9] [10] [11] The Gold Disc was awarded to Richard on 17 January 1960, on the Sunday Night at the Palladium again, the night the show achieved its biggest audience and broke previous UK viewing records. [8] [12]

It was the first number 1 in the UK Singles Chart for Cliff Richard and the Drifters; although their debut single "Move It", released the previous year, is often cited as their first number 1, in fact that peaked at number 2.

The song also won writer Lionel Bart an Ivor Novello Award for best song. [13]

Legacy

Paul McCartney found this song inspirational and referenced it in connection with his song, "Michelle." He wrote, "We'd just put out 'Michelle' and I remember one night at the Ad Lib club David Bailey hearing it and saying 'You've go to be joking - it is tongue in cheek, isn't it?' My reaction was: 'Piss off! That's a real tune,'....It came a bit out of left field, but those are often my favorites. I mean, one of Cliff Richard's best ones was 'Living Doll.' When he came out with that it was quite a shock, with its acoustics; but it was a well formed little song."

Personnel

1986 version

"Living Doll"
Livin Doll.jpg
Single by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank Marvin
B-side "(All the Little Flowers Are) Happy"
Released8 March 1986
Recorded29 January 1986 at Master Rock Studios, London
Genre Pop/Novelty song
Length4:18
Label WEA YZ 67
Songwriter(s) Lionel Bart
Producer(s) Stuart Colman
Cliff Richard singles chronology
"It's in Every One of Us"
(1985)		"Living Doll"
(1986)		"Born to Rock 'n' Roll"
(1986)

In 1986, 27 years after the first release, alternative comedy group The Young Ones approached Richard to record a comic version of "Living Doll" for the Comic Relief charity. Despite the apparent contrast between the anarchic comedians and the clean cut Richard, he agreed and their version again topped the UK Singles Chart, for three weeks from March 1986. [14] [15] The single was certified gold in the UK by the BPI in April 1986. [16] Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin was reunited with Richard on this recording for the first time since 1975.

When the song was performed in the 1986 television broadcast for Comic Relief, The Young Ones announced to the audience that Richard could not make the show and that well-known BBC presenter John Craven would be taking his place. They then introduced Craven, but it was Richard who appeared.[ citation needed ]

Personnel

Performers:

Musicians:

Chart performance

1959 version

Weekly charts

Chart (1959)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [17] 9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [18] 16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [19] 26
Canada (CHUM) [20] 37
Finland (IFPI Finland) [21] 11
France (IFOP) [22] 34
Germany (GfK) [23] 19
Ireland ( Evening Herald ) [24] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [25] 2 [A]
Norway (VG-lista) [26] 1
Spain (Promusicae) [27] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [28] 1
UK Singles (OCC) [14] 1
US Billboard Hot 100 [29] 30

1986 version

Notes:
  • A ^ Before the Netherlands official charts began in 1965, there were numerous independent charts. In 1959, when "Living Doll" was charting, there were four singles charts. "Living Doll" hit number one in the Songwereld monthly top ten chart for October, number 2 on the Muziek Express and Elsevier charts, and number 3 on the Muziek Parade chart. [46]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [47] Gold10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [48] Gold709,000 [49]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Richard</span> British singer and actor (born 1940)

Sir Cliff Richard is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Marvin</span> English musician; guitarist for the Shadows

Hank Brian Marvin is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is known as the lead guitarist for the Shadows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shadows</span> English instrumental rock group

The Shadows were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard from 1958 to 1968, and have joined him for several reunion tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Move It</span> 1958 single by Cliff Richard and the Drifters

"Move It" is a song written by Ian Samwell and recorded by Cliff Richard and the Drifters. Originally intended as the B-side to "Schoolboy Crush", it was released as Richard's debut single on 29 August 1958 and became his first hit record, reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It is often described as Britain's first authentic rock and roll song. It is credited with being one of the first authentic rock and roll songs produced outside the United States. "Schoolboy Crush", written by Aaron Schroeder and Sharon Gilbert, had already been recorded in the US by Bobby Helms. Cliff Richard and the Drifters recorded their own version, which was intended to be the A-side of their debut single. However, when producer Jack Good heard "Move It", he insisted that Richard would have to sing that if he was to appear on Good's TV show Oh Boy! On the planned single, "Move It" was flipped to be the A-side and it went to number 2 in the charts, starting Cliff Richard on a career which included British hits through six decades.

<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">Mean Streak (song)</span> 1959 single by Cliff Richard and the Drifters

"Mean Streak" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Drifters, released in May 1959 as their fourth single. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travellin' Light (Cliff Richard song)</span> 1959 single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

"Travellin' Light" is a UK No. 1 single recorded by Cliff Richard and The Shadows and released in 1959. It was the follow-up single to Richard's first No. 1, "Living Doll" and remained at No. 1 for five weeks. "Travellin' Light" was also a Number 1 hit in Ireland and Norway, selling 1.59 million copies worldwide. It was Richard's last single of the 1950s and his first release after the Shadows had changed their name from the Drifters.

<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.

<i>Cliff</i> (album) 1959 live album (live in the studio) by Cliff Richard and The Drifters (The Shadows)

Cliff is the 1959 debut album of British singer Cliff Richard and his band the Drifters.

<i>The Young Ones</i> (album) 1961 soundtrack album by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

The Young Ones is a soundtrack album by Cliff Richard and the Shadows to the film of the same name. It is their first soundtrack album and Richard's sixth album overall. It was produced by Norrie Paramor, with music by Ronald Cass and Stanley Black. The album topped the UK Albums Chart for six weeks and charted for 42 weeks in total when the chart was a top twenty. The album became the first UK soundtrack to sell more than one million copies in total, combining UK and international sales.

<i>Reunited – Cliff Richard and The Shadows</i> 2009 studio album by Cliff Richard & The Shadows

Reunited is a 2009 studio album by British pop singer Cliff Richard and his original backing band the Shadows. The album celebrates the 50th anniversary of Cliff's first recordings and performances with The Shadows, and is their first studio collaboration for forty years. It features re-recordings of their hits from the late 1950s and early 1960s, plus three rock and roll era songs not previously recorded by them; "C'mon Everybody", "Sea Cruise" and the album's only single "Singing the Blues".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart</span> 1961 single by Cliff Richard

"When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart" is a 1961 hit by Cliff Richard written by the songwriting team of Sid Tepper and Roy Bennett who would contribute fifteen songs to the Cliff Richard canon including his career record "The Young Ones". Produced by Richard's regular producer Norrie Paramor, "When the Girl in Your Arms..." featured backing by the Norrie Paramor Orchestra. Richard's own group the Shadows backed him on the B-side "Got a Funny Feeling".

<i>Wonderful Life</i> (Cliff Richard album) 1964 soundtrack album by Cliff Richard with The Shadows

Wonderful Life is a soundtrack album by Cliff Richard with The Shadows to the 1964 film Wonderful Life. It is their third film soundtrack album and Richard's eleventh album overall. The album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 8 weeks in the top 3 and 23 weeks on in the top 20, but was a marked decline from their previous soundtrack album Summer Holiday that had spent 14 weeks at number 1.

<i>Serious Charge</i> (EP) 1959 EP by Cliff Richard and The Drifters

Serious Charge is the first EP by Cliff Richard and The Drifters, released in the UK in May 1959 as the soundtrack for the 1959 film of the same name and produced by Norrie Paramor. The EP is a 7-inch 45 RPM vinyl record, released in mono with the catalogue number Columbia SEG 7895. All four tracks were recorded on 28 April 1959 at Abbey Road Studios. It was released nearly a year before the first UK EP Chart was published.

<i>Cliff Richard</i> (1965 album) 1965 studio album by Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard is the seventh studio album by Cliff Richard, released by Columbia Records on LP in 1965 and available in both mono and stereo. It is Richard's thirteenth album overall. The album peaked at number 9 in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Times Out of Ten</span> 1960 single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

"Nine Times Out of Ten" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in September 1960. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livin' Lovin' Doll</span> 1959 single by Cliff Richard and the Drifters

"Livin' Lovin' Doll" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Drifters, released in January 1959 as their third single. Unlike their previous two top-ten singles, it only peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>The Hit List</i> (Cliff Richard album) 1994 compilation album by Cliff Richard

The Hit List, released with the subtitle The Best of 35 Years, is a compilation album by English singer Cliff Richard. Released in October 1994, the album reached number 3 in the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum in the UK. The album celebrates Richard's 35th anniversary in the music industry and compiled all of Richard's top 5 UK hit singles, which coincidentally totalled 35 at the time. Two bonus tracks were also chosen by Richard for the album – "Miss You Nights", at the request of fans for a re-release, and "Green Light" a favourite of Richard's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Time in Between (song)</span> 1965 single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows

"The Time in Between" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in August 1965. It peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Richard singles discography</span>

The singles discography of English singer Cliff Richard consists in excess of 200 singles, of which 159 singles have been released in the UK in varying vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats. Listed alongside the UK singles in the discography below are a further 20 singles which were released in other territories, as well as 22 singles which were sung in German and only released in German-speaking countries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Turner, Steve (1993). The Biography Cliff Richard (First ed.). Lion Publishing plc, Oxford, England. pp. 136–139. ISBN   0-7459-2249-X.
  2. 1 2 St John, Kevin (1991). Cliff Richard in His Own Words (First ed.). Omnibus Press, London. p. 23. ISBN   0-7119-2824-X.
  3. 1 2 Richard, Cliff (26 December 1998). "Musikbutikken (Denmark) - Interview with Cliff Richard". 1998. Season 1. Episode 13. Copenhagen. Retrieved 22 June 2014. Yes, well [the producers of Serious Charge] were doing a movie and they wanted somebody who was a new pop singer. And I guess they wanted a new pop singer because then they would be very cheap. And I was! I was really cheap. I mean, I was so happy to be asked to be in the movie, I would have done it for nothing. and that's what they paid me. [...] We didn't really like [Living Doll] very much. It's just a song. But we recorded it the way Lionel Bart had written it, which was... [Imitates original beat] And it was a sort of pseudo-rock. It didn't sound like real, American rock 'n' roll to us. And we didn't realize that in the contract, there was some small writing and it said there must be a single. And we said, 'Look, we can't release this record like this.' And one day, while we were on tour, Bruce Welch... Well, look, he was sitting by these two big, stone lions in a place called the Sheffield City Hall. And he was just going... [strums acoustic guitar] And he said, 'Why don't we do it like a country and western song?' And yeah, so we just went... [sings song].
  4. ↑ "Biggest Songs of Every Year". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Lewry, Peter; Goodall, Nigel (1996). The Ultimate Cliff (1996 Updated ed.). Simon and Schuster Ltd, London. pp. 206, 379. ISBN   0-684-81696-2.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Dave. Living Doll at AllMusic . Retrieved 2014-06-22.
  7. ↑ Maconie, Stuart. "The golden age of pop (headline) / The UK's bestselling singles by decade (subheading)". The Times / Official Charts Company (UK). Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  8. 1 2 Read, Mike; Lewry, Peter; Goodall, Nigel (1993). Cliff Richard - The Complete Chronicle. London: Hamlyn. pp. 24, 28. ISBN   0600578976 . Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  9. ↑ Omnibus Press; Official Charts Company (4 November 2012). The Million Sellers. Omnibus Press. p. 25. ISBN   978-0-85712-882-9.
  10. ↑ Smith, Alan. "UK First Charts & Silver Discs". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Wedge, Don (25 July 1960). "British Newsnotes". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 8. ISSN   0006-2510.
  12. ↑ 1960, 17 January: Nearly 20 million people watch Cliff Richard and The Shadows perform on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, where the singer is presented a Gold record for his hit, "Living Doll". "Rock 'n' Roll History for 17 January". classicbands.com. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  13. ↑ Stafford Hildred; Tim Ewbank (13 April 2010). Cliff: An Intimate Portrait of a Living Legend. Ebury Publishing. p. 148. ISBN   978-0-7535-3610-0.
  14. 1 2 3 "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  15. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 460. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  16. ↑ Listed as "Livin' Doll" - Cliff Richard & Young Ones. To search for, use keywords: Cliff Richard, Artist, Gold, Singles. "UK certification Database". BPI . Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  17. ↑ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-44439-5.
  18. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Living Doll" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Living Doll" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  20. ↑ "Cliff Richard's Chum Chart Hits (Canadian)". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  21. ↑ Lassila, Juha (1990). Mitä Suomi soittaa?: Hittilistat 1954-87 (in Finnish). Jyväskylän yliopisto. ISBN   95-168-0321-0.
  22. ↑ Select Cliff RICHARD from the drop-down selection box and click OK: "French Singles - Artists R". infodisc.fr (in French). Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  23. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Living Doll" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  24. ↑ "Irish Top Ten". Evening Herald . 20 August 1959.
  25. ↑ (nl) van Slooten, Johan (2005). Top 40 Hitdossier 1965-2005 (inclusief alle 'prehistorische' hits van 1956 to 1965) (in Dutch) (9th ed.). Haarlem: J.H. Gottmer / H.J.W. Becht BV. ISBN   90-230-1144-9.
  26. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Living Doll". VG-lista.
  27. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 1979). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  28. ↑ Johansson, Carl-Owe (1980). Rock Around the Clock - Saturday Night Fever 1955-1978. Vara, Sweden: Dominique muzic-club.
  29. ↑ "Cliff Richard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 251. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  31. ↑ "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin – Living Doll" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  32. ↑ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . 7 June 1986. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  33. ↑ "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin – Living Doll" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  34. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living Doll". Irish Singles Chart.
  35. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  36. ↑ "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin – Living Doll" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  37. ↑ "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin – Living Doll". Top 40 Singles.
  38. ↑ "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin – Living Doll". VG-lista.
  39. ↑ "Cliff Richard & The Young Ones Feat. Hank Marvin – Living Doll". Singles Top 100.
  40. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report . No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2023– via Imgur.
  41. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  42. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986". www.top40.nl. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  43. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1986". www.dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  44. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 1986". Official NZ Music Charts.com. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  45. ↑ "End Of Year Chart – Top 50 Singles of 1986". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  46. ↑ "Dutch Chart positions at hitsallertijden.nl". hitsallertijden.nl. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  47. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Cliff Richards – Living Doll". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  48. ↑ "British single certifications – Cliff Richards & Young Ones – Livin' Doll". British Phonographic Industry.
  49. ↑ Rob Copsey (16 April 2021). "Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1986". Official Charts . Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  50. ↑ Hot 100 adds eleven: "92. Living Doll - David Hill, Kapp" Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (19 October 1959). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. p.  7. ISSN   0006-2510.{{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  51. ↑ "Col Joye and the Joy Boys - Oh Yeah Uh Huh / Living Doll - Festival - Australia - FK-3087". 45cat.com. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  52. ↑ "Living Doll - COL JOYE & THE JOY BOYS (1959) - Pop Archives - Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s". Pop Archives. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  53. ↑ "Discography for W&G Records - OZ - 000 series". Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  54. ↑ "Roger Ruskin Spear - Electric Shocks". Discogs. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  55. ↑ "Roger Ruskin Spear - Living doll". YouTube. 26 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.