Bachelor Boy
{{Infobox song
| name = Bachelor Boy
| cover = File:Cliff Richard Bachelor Boy.jpg
| alt =
| type = song
| artist = Cliff Richard and the Shadows
| album = Summer Holiday
| A-side = "The Next Time"
| released = 30 November 1962
| recorded = 16 November 1962
| studio = EMI Studios, London
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length = 2:02
| label = Columbia
| writer =
| producer = Norrie Paramor
| prev_title = It'll Be Me
| prev_year = 1962
| next_title = Summer Holiday
| next_year = 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 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.
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".{{cite book
| first= Jo
| last= Rice
| year= 1982
| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd
| location= Enfield, Middlesex
| page= 68
| isbn= 0-85112-250-7}} 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!"{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| pages= 145–6}}
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|date=April 2014}} While Richard has himself never married, the song itself does not rule out marriage, with the final verse stating that as time goes by, the speaker probably will fall in love marry and have a child "but until then I'll be a bachelor boy..." and indicates he would be happy to remain so for life.
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".
|align=center|2
|-
|Denmark (Tracklisten){{cite web |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=1935|title=Denmark singles chart - Bachelor Boy|publisher=danskehitlister.dk|accessdate=2014-04-25}}
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|France (SNEP)Select Cliff RICHARD from the drop-down selection box and click OK: {{cite web|title=French Singles - Artists R|url=http://infodisc.fr/Tubes_Artistes_R.php|website=infodisc.fr|accessdate=2020-12-25|language=French|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018112554/http://www.infodisc.fr/Tubes_Artiste_Choisi.php|archive-date=2020-10-18|url-status=live}}
| style="text-align:center;"|31
|-
|align=center|3
|-
{{single chart |Dutch100|1|artist=Cliff Richard|song=The Next Time / Bachelor Boy}}
|-
{{single chart |Norway|8|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Bachelor Boy}}
|-
|align="left"|South Africa (SARMD){{cite book|author=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. courtesy South African Record Manufacturers and Distributors Association|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|date=30 March 1963|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=28|issn=0006-2510}}
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|Sweden (Kvällstoppen){{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=1993|pages=243|isbn=9163021404|location=}}
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|Sweden (Tio i Topp){{Cite book |last=Hallberg |first=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |location= |pages=313}}
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|align="left"|UK (NME){{cite book |last1=Read |first1=Mike |authorlink1=Mike Read |last2=Lewry |first2=Peter |last3=Goodall |first3=Nigel |title=Cliff Richard - The Complete Chronicle |url=http://nigelgoodall.co.uk/books/cliff-richard-the-complete-chronicle/ |accessdate=1 July 2013 |year=1993 |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |isbn=0600578976 |page=303}}
| style="text-align:center;"|3{{Ref label|note_3|*|}}
|-
|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cliff-richard-mn0000153526/awards |title=Cliff Richard | Awards |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=2014-04-26}}
| style="text-align:center;"|99
|-
|}
Notes:
- {{asterisk}} {{Note|note_2}} In Canada, the week "Bachelor Boy" peaked at number 2, Richard's "Summer Holiday" was at number 1.
- {{asterisk}} {{Note|note_3}} In the UK, although the single peaked at number 1 in the Record Retailer singles chart that was later accepted as the retrospective official chart for the period, the competing NME singles chart listed the two tracks separately with "The Next Time" peaking at number 1 and "Bachelor Boy" peaking at number 3.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.cliffrichardsongs.com/bachboy/ In-depth Song Analysis] at the Cliff Richard Song Database (cliffrichardsongs.com)
{{Cliff Richard}}
{{Cliff Richard singles}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:UK singles chart number-one singles
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Songs written by Bruce Welch
Category:Song recordings produced by Norrie Paramor
{{1960s-single-stub}}