Bachelor Boy

Album: Summer Holiday (1962)
Charted: 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Released in November 1962, "Bachelor Boy" was the B-side of "The Next Time," both of which appeared in the 1963 musical Summer Holiday - a vehicle for Cliff. Co-written by the man himself and Shadows guitarist Bruce Welch, it turned out to be prophetic: Cliff never married, although Bruce did twice - and divorced twice! >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • This was listed as a double A-side with the chart topping "The Next Time" from January 1963, making it Cliff Richard's only self penned #1.
  • Bruce Welch recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: "Cliff was becoming a family entertainer and I thought 'Bachelor Boy' would be a great title for him. I wrote most of it and when I got stuck on one of the verses I got Cliff to help me out."
  • The song was only added as an afterthought to Summer Holiday. Remembered Welch: "The producers decided to add it to the film and so we did it in a mock-up of a roadside in Greece, which was done in the Elstree studios. That awful little dance is almost as embarrassing to me as hearing 'a wife and a child' because we had the stress on the wrong syllable."

Comments: 1

  • Zabadak from London, EnglandThe version in the film has a different vocal take.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."