"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.[1]
| "The Young Ones" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Cover of the German edition | ||||
| Single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows | ||||
| from the album The Young Ones | ||||
| B-side | "We Say Yeah" (Gormley-Welch-Marvin) | |||
| Released | January 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 11 August & 5 December 1961, EMI Studios, London | |||
| Length | 3:11 | |||
| Label | Columbia (EMI) DB 4761[1] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tepper/Bennett[1] | |||
| Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor[1] | |||
| Cliff Richard and the Shadows singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
With advance orders of over 500,000, it was released in January 1962 on the Columbia (EMI) label and went straight to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the first British single to do so since Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" in November 1960.[1] It held that position for six weeks and spent 20 weeks in the chart.[1] It has sold 1.06 million copies in the UK, and 2.6m worldwide.[2][3][4]
"The Young Ones" was also included on Cliff Richard and the Shadows No. 1 EP Hits from the Young Ones.
The song was reworked and chosen as the lead single on the orchestral release Cliff with Strings in 2023.[5]
Personnel
- Cliff Richard – lead vocals
- Hank Marvin – lead guitar
- Bruce Welch – rhythm guitar
- Jet Harris – bass guitar
- Tony Meehan – drums
- Norrie Paramor - orchestral arrangement (dubbed version for film & mono vinyl)
Chart performance
| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Music Maker, Sydney)[6] | 1 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] | 10 |
| Canada (CHUM, Toronto)[10] | 5 |
| Denmark (Quans Musikbureau)[11] | 1 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] | 6 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[13] | 16 |
| Hong Kong[6] | 3 |
| Ireland (Evening Herald)[14] | 1 |
| Israel (Kol Israel)[15] | 1 |
| Japan (Utamatic, Tokyo)[16][17] | 6 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] | 1 |
| New Zealand[19] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[20] | 2 |
| South Africa (Radio of South Africa)[21] | 1 |
| Spain (Promusicae)[22] | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] | 4 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[24] | 1 |
In popular culture
In the 1980s, it became the theme song to the alternative comedy sitcom The Young Ones.[2]