Cliff Richard and The Shadows - Bachelor Boy

An in-depth song analysis

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Comments and Observations

The song Bachelor Boy was recorded on November 16, 1962 beginning at 7:00PM at Abbey Road Studios in London. The Shadows provided backing vocals and played all instruments, with Hank Marvin on piano. The producer was Norrie Paramor and the engineer for both the mono and stereo recordings was Malcolm Addey. Recording was completed on November 16, however the final mono and stereo single/album mixes were completed a few days later on November 19. An alternate mix for the USA market, from the original recording sessions was done on March 25, 1963

The song required at least 11 recording takes to complete, 9 with the full band and two additional vocals takes. Subsequent take numbers were given to new mixes of those recordings. The final single/album release was an edit of vocals takes 10 and 11 with backing from Take 9, and the alternate USA mix was Take 12 (although it was derived from the original Take 9). There has been quite a bit of confusion over the years about the releases and takes used for the song, with varying takes being released. Given information provided by Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall in several of their Cliff related books, as well as audible evidence from the vinyl releases, it is thought that this is finally sorted out. Here is a chart that displays the sequence of events that created the released versions of Bachelor Boy.

Seq.
Date
Take
Comments
Release(s)
1 November 16, 1962 Take 9 Drums, bass, piano, guitar recorded on one track and Cliff's vocals concurrently recorded on another track of the 4-track tape  
2 November 16, 1962 Take 9 Lead guitar recorded on one track of the 4-track tape  
3 November 16, 1962 Take 9 Backing vocals recorded on one track of the 4-track tape  
4 November 16, 1962 N/A A decision is made that Cliff's vocals are unsatisfactory  
5 November 16, 1962 Take 10 A new lead vocal recording is recorded.  
6 November 16, 1962 Take 11 Another new lead vocal recording is recorded.  
      Work done on November 16, 1962 is stopped  
7 November 19, 1962 Take 10/11 The rhythm, lead guitar and backing vocals of Take 9 are mixed to one track of a 2-track tape and Cliff's vocals from Takes 10 and 11 are spliced together (one take is the beginning to the third verse and the other take is the third verse to the end) on the other track of the 2-track tape. This is mixed together to become split stereo Take 10/11. This is now the original stereo master
8 November 19, 1962 Take 10/11 The Take 10/11 stereo is reduced to mono This is now the original mono master
      Work done on November 19, 1962 is stopped  
9 March 25 1963 Take 12 All tracks from the Take 9 4-track are mixed to stereo for the USA market with Cliff's original Take 9 vocals brought to the center This is now the USA stereo master
10 Between March 25 1963 and September 1963 Take 12 Take 12 stereo is reduced to mono This is now the USA mono master
      Takes 10/11 stereo, 10/11 mono, 12 stereo and 12 mono are used on various releases up until the 1994 The Hit List collection  
11 1993 -OR- 1994 Take 12 (Remaster) Keith Bessey uses the Take 12 stereo mix to create a new mono master This is now the The Hit List mono master
      The Take 12 mono remaster has been used on all collections since 1994  

Although the arrangements are basically the same on all versions, it's clear that the Take 10/11 version and Take 12 version are the same backing track on both versions and the lead vocals are completely different. The lead vocals are remarkably similar with only very slight variations up until the third verse (beginning "As time goes by...") where the vocal splice occurs. A sample of this splice transition can be heard HERE with the first sample being the original recording (what eventually saw release as Take 12) and the second sample is the edited recording (which saw release as Take 10/11). Those with really sharp ears can hear a clipped sound on the Take 10/11, possibly Cliff's vocals from the original recording, just as Cliff sings the "as" in "as time goes by"). A much more overt sample showing the difference is at the beginning of the fourth and final chorus. On the original recording (what became Take 12), Cliff sings the first line as "Yeah, I'll be a bachelor boy". On the newer recording (used for Take 10/11), he sings it as "But until then I'll be a bachelor boy". A sample demonstrating this can be heard HERE. As a final note, it may be a bit confusing to call the earlier recording "Take 12" and the later recording "Take 10/11". It seems backwards, but this is the way engineers at the time did things, thus the Take 12 version is taken from an earlier recording and was given a new take number, even though it was only a new mix.

Bachelor Boy was recorded late in the sessions for the Summer Holiday soundtrack. Apparently the film was mostly complete when the producers realized that it was running a little short. The decision was made to record two additional songs, which turned out to be Big News and Bachelor Boy. With only about two months until the film's release, they were written(both with Cliff as co-writer) and recorded very quickly. Shortly after, the song was recorded again in Elstree studios and Cliff and the Shadows filmed the movie's scenes for the song. The liner notes by Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall in the 2003 special edition CD of Summer Holiday implies that the song was recorded first at Elstree, then later the single/album version at Abbey Road, but this is most likely incorrect. Evidence for this being that certainly the studio would not approve the money for filming an unknown and unproven song, but also the song was obviously in the formation stages while being recorded at Abbey Road and by the time they got to Elstree to record, they had polished up the song to its final format.

This structure and melody of the song are a bit unusual for such a hit song. The beat and melody are a simple waltz, with its usual 1-2-3 structure. Unlike most pop songs of the era, it's also completely missing any sort of instrumental or vocal bridge. There's certainly nothing wrong with the song, but its structure is unusual for the era, given that it was such a big success.

The chord structure is simple, the song proper being in D major and using only the three most common chords - D, G and A. The verse is rigidly structured, twice through an eight bar phrase: two bars of D, then two of G, two of A then two of D. Likewise the melody contains little that is unique: each chord change is accompanied by an on-beat tone contained in the chord. The melody is strictly diatonic (i.e. all notes are natural to the D major scale) and the range encompasses exactly one octave (from D below middle C to middle D).

Virtually all the above holds for the chorus: same chord sequence and pattern, and (different) diatonic melody encompassing the same octave. The one exception is that the last bar is omitted. The most interesting part of the song from a musicological point of view is the introduction/link/coda. The introduction consists of an irregular nine bar phrase, the first and fifth of which revolve around a mixolydian C major chord that introduces the only non-diatonic element in the recording. Each bar of C is followed by three bars of D, which primes the listener to expect a perfect cadence in G major. Instead, on the second time through an additional bar of D is accompanied by a diatonic, on-the-beat run from A (through B an C#) that subverts the expectation of resolution to the G chord and resolves instead to the tonic (D). This theme is repeated in compressed form (without the diatonic run) as a 3 bar interlude of C, D and C prior to the second and third verses, and modified as the coda, which comprises a 6 bar alternation of D and C prior to the concluding D chord.

Originally recorded for the Summer Holiday soundtrack (Columbia 33SX 1472 (Mono) / SCX 3462 (Stereo)) released in January 1963, the initial December 1962 release was a little over a month prior on the The Next Time single (Columbia DB 4950 (Mono)). There was no stereo issue of the The Next Time/Bachelor Boy single. The original single is a double A-side, meaning that both sides are considered hit songs and are marketed as such. However in reality, the records are pressed with an A and B side no matter how they are marketed and The Next Time is the actual A-side of the UK single.

Bachelor Boy, paired with The Next Time, entered the UK Record Retailer Top 30 chart on December 6, 1962, reached #1 for three consecutive weeks from January 3 to 17, 1963 and spent a total of 18 weeks in the chart. It's Cliff's sixth Record Retailer chart #1. On the UK New Musical Express Top 30 chart, where The Next Time was tracked separately, it entered on December 5, 1962, reached #3 for two consecutive weeks from January 16 and 23, 1963 and spent a total of 15 weeks in the chart.

Also of interest is that Cliff co-wrote the song with Shadow Bruce Welch. Cliff's primary involvement was in writing the lyrics, with Bruce handling the music. Cliff didn't write many of his own songs and of those he did, very few were hits. So for Bachelor Boy to be such a massive chart success and a song written by Cliff is a bit unusual. Certainly, given the conditions and time constraints under which the song was created for the Summer Holiday film, it was probably simple luck that Cliff be involved in the process. He and Bruce were present when the song was requested by Elstree Studios so they immediately set to work on a song.

Finally, is a note about the lyrics. It appears that on the original recordings, Cliff is singing the choruses as "I'll be your bachelor boy", but on the film version and all subsequent live versions he sings them as "I'll be a bachelor boy". Is this the case or not? Given the context of the song, that a son is singing to his father, it would make sense that he heeds his father's advice and says "I'll be your bachelor boy." Either lyric makes sense. So did Cliff slightly alter these lyrics after the original recording? Or is this simply Cliff's British accent creeping into the song, where he adds the "r" sound a the end of a word that ends in an "ah" sound (such as "Donna" becoming "Donner" and "Maria" becoming "Mari-er")? This remains unclear, but it's probably a safe bet that it's simply Cliff's British accent showing through. One sample to demonstrate this, taken from the second chorus, is from the alternate early take, Take 10/11, the film version and a live performance from 1974. It can be heard HERE. Another sample, which can be heard HERE, is from the alternate early take, Take 12, Take 10/11, the film version and a live performance from 1974.

Structure and Lyrics

Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released song as available on the standard issues of the original Summer Holiday album.

-Piano Intro
-Verse 1
   When I was young my father said
   Son I have something to say
   And what he told me I'll never forget
   Until my dying day

-Chorus 1
   He said son you are a bachelor boy
   And that's the way to stay
   Son you'll be a bachelor boy
   Until your dying day

-Verse 2
   When I was sixteen I fell in love
   With a girl as sweet as can be
   But I remembered just in time
   What my daddy said to me

-Chorus 2
   He said son you are a bachelor boy
   And that's the way to stay
   Son you'll be a bachelor boy
   Until your dying day

-Verse 3
   As time goes by I probably will
   Meet a girl and fall in love
   Then I'll get married have a wife and a child
   And they'll be my turtle doves

-Chorus 3
   But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
   And that's the way I'll stay
   Happy to be a bachelor boy
   Until my dying day

-Chorus 4
   But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
   And that's the way I'll stay
   Happy to be a bachelor boy
   Until my dying day

Variations

Not counting the mono/stereo variations and remixes, there are four studio takes of Bachelor Boy released over the years. These include Take 12 (which is actually a remixed Take 9), an edit of Takes 10 and 11, an unknown early take with a false start, and the take used for the Summer Holiday film. All versions are arranged the same, but there are some slight variations in lyrics and delivery.

The Take 10/11 version uses Take 11 up until the third verse, where the rest of the track is a tape splice from Take 10. At this edit, at about the [1:08] mark, can be heard a quick clip of Cliff starting a vocal before it is cut off. The most notable difference in the rest of the track is the first line of the fourth chorus. On Take 12, Cliff shouts "Yeah" and sings the rest of the line. On Take 10/11, he drops the "Yeah" and sings it straight as "But until then". The unknown early take with a false start shows Cliff experimenting with different lyrical delivery as he seems to flub a few lines and sings somewhat lazily. It is also completely missing the backing vocals and Hank's lead guitar. The movie version was likely recorded in Elstree Studios some time after the filming of Summer Holiday and is mostly the same arrangement as the Take 10/11 version. The song had to be re-recorded for the film as the music unions at the time forbid the use of studio recorded music from being used in a film. All of Cliff's film music pre-Wonderful Life is this way.

Song Section Lyric/Part Bachelor Boy (Take 10/11) Bachelor Boy (Take 12) Bachelor Boy (Alternate Take With False Start) Bachelor Boy (Movie Version)
Studio Banter and False Start Studio Banter and False Start
-
-
YES
-
Piano Intro Piano Intro
YES
YES
YES
YES
Verse 1 When I was young my father said
YES
YES
YES
YES
Son I have something to say
YES
YES
YES
YES
And what he told me I'll never forget
YES
YES
YES
YES
Until my dying day
YES
YES
YES
YES
Chorus 1 He said son you are a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES, but the line is flubbed a bit
YES
And that's the way to stay
YES
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to That's the way to stay
YES
Son you'll be a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES
YES
Until your dying day
YES
YES
YES
YES
Verse 2 When I was sixteen I fell in love
YES
YES
YES
YES
With a girl as sweet as can be
YES
YES
YES
YES
But I remembered just in time
YES
YES
YES, but the lyrics are almost shouted
YES
What my daddy said to me
YES
YES
YES
YES
Chorus 2 He said son you are a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES
YES
And that's the way to stay
YES
YES
YES
YES
Son you'll be a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES
YES
Until your dying day
YES
YES
YES
YES
Verse 3 As time goes by I probably will
YES, but note that the Take 10 edit begins here
YES
YES
YES
Meet a girl and fall in love
YES
YES
YES
YES
Then I'll get married have a wife and a child
YES
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to And we'll get married have a wife and a child
YES
And they'll be my turtle doves
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to And they'll be my turtle dove
YES, but the lyric changed to And she'll be my turtle dove
YES, but the lyric changed to And they'll be my turtle dove
Chorus 3 But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES
YES
And that's the way I'll stay
YES
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to Until my dying day
YES
Happy to be a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES
YES
Until my dying day
YES
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to That's what my daddy did say
YES
Chorus 4 But until then I'll be a bachelor boy
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to Yeah, I'll be a bachelor boy
YES, but the lyric changed to Yeah, I'm gonna be a bachelor boy
YES
And that's the way I'll stay
YES
YES
YES, but the lyric changed to Until my dying day
YES
Happy to be a bachelor boy
YES
YES
YES
YES
Until my dying day
YES
YES
YES
YES

Counting the mono/stereo variations and remixes, there are even more variations. The original 1963 releases of Bachelor Boy used Take 10/11 and it was released in both mono and stereo. The stereo version was a split stereo version which has Cliff and the backing vocals hard right, and everything else on the left. Nothing in the center! When the album was released in the US under the slightly retitled Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday album, the Take 10/11 edit was not used. It is thought that because of the greater prevalence of stereo in the US market, and the fact that the US market was not appreciative of split stereo mixes, that the split stereo of Take 10/11 was unacceptable. Instead, a new mix, called Take 12, was remixed from the 4 track tape. The rhythm track is still panned hard (right), but Cliff's vocal is now in the center, disentangled from the backing vocals (which are hard left, along with the lead guitar). It should be noted that although this Take 12 version was mixed for the USA market, it did not first appear on the USA Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday LP in late 1963 but the June 1963 release of the UK stereo EP entitled Hits From Summer Holiday. While the UK stereo EP used the Take 12 version, the UK mono EP of the same title used the Take 10/11 version. The USA LP used the Take 12 version for both the stereo and mono releases. For whatever the reasons the Take 12 was used, it started a long chain of variable releases and confusion over the song. This USA mixed Take 12 was also used on the 1965 UK album More Hits, the 1977 LP of the 40 Golden Greats album and several other compilations. Then for a few years the original Take 10/11 version was used again, as on the 1989 CD issue of the 40 Golden Greats album. Then when Keith Bessey did work on Cliff's catalog for the 1994 The Hit List compilation, he apparently took the USA remixed mono Take 12 and remastered it. It is this version that has appeared on all compilations and Summer Holiday releases since.

Here is a chart that attempts to show the variations in chronological order. All are UK issues unless otherwise noted.

Year Format Title Mono/Stereo Take
1962 Single The Next Time (Mono issue) Mono Take 10/11
1963 LP album Summer Holiday (Mono issue) Mono Take 10/11
1963 LP album Summer Holiday (Stereo issue) Stereo Take 10/11
1963 EP Hits From Summer Holiday (Mono issue) Mono Take 10/11
1963 EP Hits From Summer Holiday (Stereo issue) Stereo Take 12
1963 Summer Holiday Film Summer Holiday Film Mono Film Take
1963 LP album Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday (Mono USA issue) Mono Take 12
1963 LP album Hits From The Original Sound Track Of Summer Holiday (Stereo USA issue) Stereo Take 12
1965 LP album More Hits - By Cliff (Mono issue) Mono Take 12
1965 LP album More Hits - By Cliff (Stereo issue) Stereo Take 12
1977 LP album 40 Golden Greats Stereo Take 12
1983 LP album Summer Holiday (EMI reissue) Stereo Take 10/11
1984 LP album Cliff In The 60's Stereo Take 12
1988 LP album Summer Holiday (MFP reissue) Stereo Take 10/11
1988 CD album Summer Holiday (MFP reissue) Stereo Take 10/11
1989 CD album 40 Golden Greats Stereo Take 10/11
1994 CD album The Hit List Mono Take 12 (Remaster)
1996 CD album Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974 Mono Take 12 (Remaster)
2000 CD album The Whole Story - His Greatest Hits Mono Take 12 (Remaster)
2002 CD album The Singles Collection Mono Take 12 (Remaster)
2003 CD album Summer Holiday: Special Edition CD Mono Take 12 (Remaster)
2003 CD album Summer Holiday: Special Edition CD Mono Alternate Take (with false start)
2003 CD album My Songs Mono Take 12 (Remaster)
2005 CD album Platinum Collection Mono Take 12 (Remaster)

Also of interest are some alternate mixes that have appeared worldwide. The 1978 Australian LP, 20 Golden Greats has another remaster of the stereo Take 12 USA mix, providing a very pronounced (although not complete) separation between tracks: Bass, drums, piano and acoustic guitar are right, Cliff's vocal is center and backing vocals and lead guitar appear on the left. The 1983 Australian 25 Years Of Gold LP has yet another remaster of the stereo Take 12 USA mix, so that it sounds much more modern, adding lots of top end and narrowing the stereo image somewhat.

Music Chart

These are the known statistics for the various country's music charts. If you can fill in the missing information or know of charting information in other countries, please let me know at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18
UK Record Retailer Top 30 Chart Entry Date: December 6, 1962
Paired on this chart with The Next Time
18
5
2
2
1
(January 3, 1963)
1
(January 10, 1963)
1
(January 17, 1963)
2
2
2
5
9
16
?
?
?
?
?
UK New Musical Express Top 30 Chart Entry Date: December 5, 1962
13
13
13
9
5
4
3
(January 16, 1963)
3
(January 23, 1963)
4
6
9
16
22
23
26

Releases

Here are all the known UK releases of the song:

Bachelor Boy (Standard Release)
  • Running Time: 2:02
  • Released On: The Next Time 7" single (1962 December — UK — Columbia 45-DB 4950) [mono]
    Summer Holiday LP album (1963 January — UK — Columbia 33SX 1472) [mono]
    Summer Holiday LP album (1963 January — UK — Columbia SCX 3462) [stereo]
    Hits From Summer Holiday EP (1963 June — UK — Columbia SEG 8250) [mono]
    Summer Holiday LP album (1983 April — UK — EMI EMS 1009) [stereo]
    Summer Holiday LP album (1988 April — UK — Music For Pleasure MFP 5824) [stereo]
    Summer Holiday CD album (1988 — UK — Music For Pleasure MFP 6021) [stereo]
    40 Golden Greats CD album (1989 July — UK — EMI CDS 7924252) [stereo]
    Do You Want To Dance With Cliff Richard CD album (2000 June — France — Magic Records 5270942) [stereo]

Bachelor Boy (USA Remix Version)

  • Running Time: 2:02
  • Released On: Hits From Summer Holiday EP (1963 June — UK — Columbia ESG 7896) [stereo] USA LP might be October of 1963!@#
    More Hits - By Cliff LP album (1965 July — UK — Columbia 33SX 1737) [mono]
    More Hits - By Cliff LP album (1965 July — UK — Columbia SCX 3555) [stereo]
    40 Golden Greats LP album (1977 October — UK — EMI EMTVS 6) [stereo]
    Cliff In The 60's LP album (1984 May — UK — Music For Pleasure MFP 41 5656 1) [stereo]
    The Hit List CD album (1994 October — UK — EMI 7243 8 30917 2 0) [mono]
    Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974 CD album (1996 August — UK — EMI 7243 8 52790 2 7) [mono]
    The Whole Story - His Greatest Hits CD album (2000 October — UK — EMI 7243 5 29322 2 1) [mono]
    The Singles Collection CD album (2002 August — UK — EMI 7243 5 37551 2 6) [mono]
    Summer Holiday CD album with 7" presentation (2003 January — UK — EMI 543 9992) [mono]
    Summer Holiday CD album (2003 January — UK — EMI 543995 2) [mono]
    My Songs CD album (2003 August 18 — UK — EMI 7243 5 90965 2 0) [mono]
    Platinum Collection CD album (2005 November 14 — UK — EMI 0946 3 33803 2 5) [mono]

Bachelor Boy (Alternate Take With False Start)

  • Running Time: 2:36
  • Released On: Summer Holiday CD album with 7" presentation (2003 January — UK — EMI 543 9992) [mono]
    Summer Holiday CD album (2003 January — UK — EMI 543995 2) [mono]

Bachelor Boy (Movie Version)

  • Running Time: 1:58
  • Released On: Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974 CD album (1996 August — UK — EMI 7243 8 52790 2 7) [mono]
    Summer Holiday CD album with 7" presentation (2003 January — UK — EMI 543 9992) [mono]
    Summer Holiday CD album (2003 January — UK — EMI 543995 2) [mono]

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan 10/18/1967)

  • Running Time: 2:05
  • Original Release Date: May 1968
  • Originally Released On: Cliff In Japan album (Japanese issue only)
  • Also Released On: Cliff In Japan Remaster CD album (2007 March 12 — UK — EMI 0946 3 81962 2 8)

Bachelor Boy (Korea 10/1969)

  • Running Time: 2:08
  • Original Release Date: March 1970
  • Originally Released On: Cliff Live In Korea album
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan September 1972)

  • Running Time: 1:53
  • Original Release Date: February 1973
  • Originally Released On: Cliff "Live" In Japan '72 album (Asian countries only)
  • Also Released On: Cliff Goes East album (1973) (Asian countries only)

Bachelor Boy (The Cliff Richard Show Version)

  • Running Time: 1:14 (approximate)
  • Original Release Date: Unreleased
  • Originally Released On: Unreleased (The Cliff Richard Show TV show performance)
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan 10/1974)

  • Running Time: 2:16
  • Original Release Date: July 1975
  • Originally Released On: The Japan Tour album
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (London Palladium, 3/4/1978)

  • Running Time: Unknown
  • Original Release Date: Unreleased
  • Originally Released On: Unreleased
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (Wembley Stadium, London, June 16 & 17 1989)

  • Running Time: Unknown
  • Original Release Date: Unreleased
  • Originally Released On: Unreleased
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (Knebworth, 6/30/1990)

  • Running Time: Unknown
  • Original Release Date: Unreleased
  • Originally Released On: Unreleased
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (Wimbledon, 7/3/1996)

  • Running Time: 2:07
  • Original Release Date: January 1997
  • Originally Released On: Be With Me Always single
  • Also Released On: N/A

Bachelor Boy (Live And Kicking Tour April/May 2004)

  • Running Time: Unknown
  • Original Release Date: Unknown
  • Originally Released On: Unknown (bootlegged)
  • Also Released On: N/A

Tours

Information on Cliff's performance of Bachelor Boy on tour and various live performances will be determined at a future date.

Pictures

UK vinyl single * Columbia * 45-DB 4950 UK mono vinyl LP * Columbia * 33SX 1472 UK stereo vinyl LP * Columbia * SCX 3462
Image used with kind permission of John Panteny Image used with kind permission of John Panteny Image used with kind permission of John Panteny

Cover Versions

Use in movies and TV programs

Sheet Music

   
Sheet music as published in the UK.

Please note that because this is published and copyrighted material, the full sheet music cannot be shown here.

Quotations

Bachelor Boy (Standard Release)
The original single/LP version of Bachelor Boy is an edit of takes 10 and 11.

"When Summer Holiday was completed, it was found to under-run by several minutes and when the phone rang in Norrie Paramor's office in Upper Harley Street, Bruce heard a panic-stricken voice on the other end saying another song would be required - but pretty quickly."
Bruce Welch (1983 - The Story Of The Shadows)

"Bachelor Boy was written to order, several weeks after the movie had been completed and the crew and cast disbanded. The film was being edited at Elstree Studios at the time, when the producer discovered, to his dismay, that it was too short and under-ran by several minutes. The easiest solution to the problem - and the cheapest - was to include another song on the soundtrack, and Norrie Paramor was contacted. Fortunately, Cliff and I were sitting in his office when a frantic call came through from the producer. We started work immediately and the song was completed in less than two hours. The we had to troop back to Elstree to film an extra sequence on the studio lot that doubled up as Greece."
Bruce Welch (1989 - Rock'N'Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life - A Life In The Shadows)

"Well Bruce wrote most of .... Bachelor Boy was his musical thing. I did lyrical content and Don't Talk To Him I did lyrics on that too. So I was the lyricist on both those occasions."
Cliff Richard (June 3, 1991 - The Cliff Richard Collection interview CD)

"Cliff was there with me, so we just sat down for a couple of hours and by tea-time we'd written Bachelor Boy."
Cliff Richard (June 3, 1991 - The Cliff Richard Collection interview CD)

"The years 1962 and 1963 were particularly successful, with When The Girl In Your Arms [sic], The Young Ones, Summer Holiday, The Next Time and Bachelor Boy, all lifted from the movie soundtracks."
Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall (1994 - liner notes for The Hit List)

"The Next Time/Bachelor Boy did even better with both sides reaching the No.1 spot... [...] Work began in April [1962], and continued at a series of recording dates through the year to November, producing such classics as Summer Holiday, The Next Time, Bachelor Boy and Dancing Shoes. Some mystery surrounds the song Bachelor Boy, however. The version that was originally recorded for the [Summer Holiday] film is slightly different to the version that was eventually released and, according to one tape box, there is also a special version for the USA, which seems likely to be a remix of the record version. [...] November 16 1962: Bachelor Boy is an edit of takes 10 and 11. [...] December 7 1962: The Columbia label releases Cliff's 19th single The Next Time backed with Bachelor Boy. It's another chart topping smash for Cliff, and stays in the best seller lists for eighteen weeks. [...] December 1962: The Next Time/Bachelor Boy sells 250,000 copies in one week. [...] January 3 1963: The first Number One of the New Year is The Next Time/Bachelor Boy, which stays on top until deposed by Dance On from the Shadows! [...] January 4 1963: Pop singer Kenny Lynch reveals that his favourite single is Bachelor Boy. [...] January 11 1963: As the NME chart listed Bachelor Boy and The Next Time as entirely separate chart entries, Radio Luxembourg ran a competition on its Friday Spectacular inviting listeners to guess which side would go higher in the charts. There were 4000 entries. [...] February 20 1963: Cliff has four titles in the Top 30:

9 Summer Holiday
16 Bachelor Boy
18 The Next Time
25 Dancing Shoes
He becomes the first artist to get four songs from one film (Summer Holiday) into the chart. [...] March 15 1963: Cliff features in the charts of eight countries simultaneously:
The Next Time Number 2 in Israel
The Next Time Number 6 in France
The Next Time Number 10 in Norway
The Next Time/Bachelor Boy Number 1 in South Africa
Bachelor Boy Number 1 in Holland
Bachelor Boy Number 3 in Sweden
Bachelor Boy Number 5 in Hong Kong
Bachelor Boy Number 26 in Britain
Summer Holiday Number 1 in Britain
[...] March 22 1963: ...it is estimated that Cliff may well earn £6,000 composer's royalties for Bachelor Boy which is to be included in a forthcoming Bachelors LP. [...] April 13 1963: Bachelor Boy enters the Australian charts. [...] May 18 1963: In the Hong Kong charts Cliff's Summer Holiday is No. 2 and Bachelor Boy is No. 6. In Norway Summer Holiday is No. 1, while in South Africa he has three in the Top Ten-- Bachelor Boy at No. 3, Dancing Shoes at No. 4 and Summer Holiday in the No. 10 spot. [...] July 29 1963: In a letter to the music papers, Ron Dennison writes from Ottawa, Canada: 'Cliff Richard has at last broken through in Canada! Bachelor Boy was No. 1 in most Canadian cities, including five unchallenged weeks here in Ottawa... [...] August 10 1963: During the 100th edition of ABC TV's Thank Your Lucky Stars, Cliff receives a gold disc for a million sales of Bachelor Boy/The Next Time. [...] Radio Luxembourg Top 20 Show DJ, Barry Alldis, selects his favourite twenty records of 1963. Top of the list is Cliff's Bachelor Boy."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 The Complete Chronicle)

"Bachelor Boy and Dancing Shoes [achieved] number 3 and 25 respectively."
Author Unknown (August 1996 - liner notes for Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974)

"Maybe it was [Cliff's] uncomplicated image that cause a last-minute song for the [Summer Holiday] movie to be written, recorded and filmed long after filming had been completed. But like most songs in a musical of this nature, it also served to advance the plot and throw light on the characters. Considering it was almost an afterthought, Bachelor Boy, written by Cliff and Shadows frontman Bruce Welch, became Cliff's twentieth single consecutive hit, and coupled with The Next Time was the lead single from the film then 'coming soon to a theatre near you.'"
Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

"This [16 November 1962] session was held after filming and both tracks [Bachelor Boy and Big News] were late additions to the movie. Big News was written a couple of weeks before shooting ended while Bachelor Boy was written to order after it was discovered, during editing of the movie at Elstree, that it was under-running by a few minutes. The song was written in a couple of hours after which they had to return to Elstree to film, and presumably record, the new sequence. The soundtrack recording commenced at 7:00pm with Bachelor Boy being the first track laid down. Several attempts were made, including a rehearsal and several false starts, before 9 was finally as the master for record release. It is interesting to note that this track also features piano and close examination of the session tapes seem to reveal that it may be Hank playing. There is further evidence at the voice of Norrie Paramor, who would normally have taken on this role, can be heard directing the session from the control room. This is obviously speculation as paperwork does not indicate who is responsible, in fact no information exists of a piano being featured on the session, although there clearly is! Mono and stereo mixes of both Bachelor Boyand Big News were done on Monday 19th November as was a stereo remix of All At Once. Released in November 1962 this was the first single to feature material from the [Summer Holiday] film which was still two months away from general release. It entered the charts on 6 December and during a chart run of 18 weeks would reach #1 where it would remain for 3 weeks. It replaced another film soundtrack song at the top of the charts, Elvis Presley's Return To Sender and was knocked off the top spot by his backing group The Shadows with their fourth number one Dance On. Although classed as a double A-side Bachelor Boy was only listed on the charts from 10 January 1963."
Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

Bachelor Boy (USA Remix Version)
This version of Bachelor Boy is the version before Cliff's new vocals were edited on for the originally released single/album version. It is thought that the split stereo of the original version was not satisfactory for the USA market, but no suitable stereo version existed of that edited version existed. Therefore the engineers were forced to go back to the unedited version to create the USA mix. It was is referred to as the "Take 12" mix by engineers that prepared the song in 1963. This version is most notable on the last chorus, when Cliff shouts "Yeah! I'll be your bachelor boy" instead of the more subdued "But until then I'll be your bachelor boy". This version has been released on miscellaneous LP and CD collections over the years, leading to much confusion over which is the original.

"The version [of Bachelor Boy] that was originally recorded for the [Summer Holiday] film is slightly different to the version that was eventually released and, according to one tape box, there is also a special version for the USA, which seems likely to be a remix of the record version."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 The Complete Chronicle)

"Almost two months after the films [sic] release, on 25th March 1963, Malcolm Addey remixed a special version of Bachelor Boy for the US market although it is not known if this ever saw the light of day!"
Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

Bachelor Boy (Alternate Take With False Start)
The differences between this and the standard single and Summer Holiday album version is that it's clearly a different take with slight variations in the delivery, in particular in the line "but I remembered" just before the second chorus, where Cliff's voice noticeably goes up in pitch. Significantly, the lyrics near the end of the song are all different. In the standard version, just before the last chorus, Cliff sings: "Then I'll get married, have a wife and a child, and they'll be my turtle dove." On this alternate take, he sings: "And we'll get maried, have a wife and a child, and she'll be my turtle dove." The final chorus is also very different with several different ad-libs, including the unique line: "That's what my daddy did say." Also, this version is missing all backing vocals and includes the count-in and a false start. On the false start, Cliff flubs the opening line: "When I was..." and is heard asking to restart, then a new count-in is heard. On the Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD, this song is subtitled as "Previously Unreleased Alternate Take Including False Start."

"This [16 November 1962] session was held after filming and both tracks [Bachelor Boy and Big News] were late additions to the movie. Big News was written a couple of weeks before shooting ended while Bachelor Boy was written to order after it was discovered, during editing of the movie at Elstree, that it was under-running by a few minutes. The song was written in a couple of hours after which they had to return to Elstree to film, and presumably record, the new sequence. The soundtrack recording commenced at 7:00pm with Bachelor Boy being the first track laid down. Several attempts were made, including a rehearsal and several false starts, before 9 was finally as the master for record release. It is interesting to note that this track also features piano and close examination of the session tapes seem to reveal that it may be Hank playing. There is further evidence at the voice of Norrie Paramor, who would normally have taken on this role, can be heard directing the session from the control room. This is obviously speculation as paperwork does not indicate who is responsible, in fact no information exists of a piano being featured on the session, although there clearly is! The early rehearsal and false start are also included giving an insight into the recording process."
Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

Bachelor Boy (Movie Version)
This version is a different take altogether from the Summer Holiday album version, although it doesn't vary much at all. The backing vocals are a bit more prominent. This song is listed on both the Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974 and Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD sets at Bachelor Boy (Film Version).

"The version [of Bachelor Boy] that was originally recorded for the [Summer Holiday] film is slightly different to the version that was eventually released and, according to one tape box, there is also a special version for the USA, which seems likely to be a remix of the record version."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 The Complete Chronicle)

"From Summer Holiday, we have Bachelor Boy with its alternate vocal..."
Author Unknown (August 1996 - liner notes for Cliff Richard At The Movies 1959-1974)

"The film versions, recorded earlier at Elstree, are also featured on this special release."
Author Unknown (January 2003 - liner notes for Summer Holiday - Special Edition CD)

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan 10/18/1967)
"Bachelor Boy and It's All In The Game were two extra tracks released only on the Japanese issue of the [Cliff In Japan] album."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 The Complete Chronicle)

"What is intriguing, however, is why two of Cliff's biggest hits-- Bachelor Boy and It's All In The Game-- were included on the Japanese version but omitted from the British release. For the first time, these two songs are now included."
Peter Lewry and Nigel Goodall (March 2007 - liner notes for Cliff In Japan Remaster CD)

Bachelor Boy (Korea 10/1969)

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan September 1972)

Bachelor Boy (The Cliff Richard Show Version)

Bachelor Boy (Tokyo, Japan 10/1974)

Bachelor Boy (London Palladium, 3/4/1978)
"There are several songs that still remain unreleased and unmixed, including... from Cliff and his own band Every Face Tells A Story, Up In The World, Melting Into One, The Minute You're Gone and Bachelor Boy."
Peter Lewry & Nigel Goodall (July 2004 - liner notes for Thank You Very Much remaster album)

Bachelor Boy (Wembley Stadium, London, June 16 & 17 1989)

Bachelor Boy (Knebworth, 6/30/1990)

Bachelor Boy (Wimbledon, 7/3/1996)

Bachelor Boy (Live And Kicking Tour April/May 2004)

This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Cliff Richard song Bachelor Boy. If you notice any errors or omissions, please contact me at rlp321@juno.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.

Robert Porter
March 2008