| "Mean Streak" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cliff Richard and the Drifters | ||||
| B-side | "Never Mind" | |||
| Released | 1 May 1959 | |||
| Recorded | 14 November 1958 [1] | |||
| Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor | |||
| Cliff Richard and the Drifters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mean Streak" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Drifters (who would later become the Shadows), released in May 1959 as their fourth single. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. [2]
"Mean Streak" was written by former Drifters member Ian Samwell and producer Norrie Paramor under the pseudonym Joseph Seener. [3] However, the latter is not originally credited on the release of the single. [4]
Despite reaching a respectable number 10 position on the singles chart, "Mean Streak" would have fared better were it not having to compete in the charts with its flip side "Never Mind", which peaked at number 21. [5]
"Mean Streak"
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [2] | 10 |
"Never Mind"
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norway (VG-lista) [6] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [2] | 21 |
Sir Cliff Richard is an English singer who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and is the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
The Shadows were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre-Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard from 1958 to 1968, and have joined him for several reunion tours.
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is in AABA form.
"Living Doll" is a song written by Lionel Bart made popular by Cliff Richard and the Shadows in 1959. It was the top selling single in the UK in 1959. It has topped the UK charts twice: in its original version in 1959 and a new version recorded in 1986 in aid of Comic Relief. It is one of the few songs released by an English singer to chart on the American Billboard charts before the British Invasion occurred.
"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 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.
"True Love Ways" is a song attributed to Norman Petty and Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly's original was recorded with the Dick Jacobs Orchestra in October 1958, four months before the singer's death. It was first released on the posthumous album The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2, in March 1960. The song was first released as a single in Britain in May 1960, reaching number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released the following month in the US, but did not make the charts. In 1988, a UK re-release of the recording by MCA, the single reached no. 65 on the UK singles chart in a 5 week chart run.
"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 the following year.
"It's Now or Never" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single in 1960.
"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele to The Shadows while on tour, and liking the song, the group released their own version which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks in mid 1960. The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin developed the song's distinctive echo and vibrato sound. After hearing the Shadows' version, Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released a cover of the song in November 1960 which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
"The Savage" is a song by British group the Shadows, released as a single in November 1961. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"A Voice in the Wilderness" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in January 1960. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales.
"Throw Down a Line" is a song by Cliff Richard and Hank Marvin, released as a single in September 1969. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.
"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.
"Fall in Love with You" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in March 1960. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales.
"High Class Baby" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Drifters, released in November 1958 as their second single. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.
"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.
"Help It Along" is a song by British singer Cliff Richard, released as a four-track maxi single. It peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Dynamite" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, first released in October 1959 as the B-side to the number one hit "Travellin' Light".