"Bachelor Boy" is a song by Cliff Richard and 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, excluding the US. Both sides of the single were included on the accompanying soundtrack albumSummer Holiday. "Bachelor Boy" was written by Bruce Welch and Cliff Richard. 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". 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!" The song is about some advice a father passes to his son, to "remain a bachelor boy until dying day". Richard later commented when he wrote this song he "never expected it to be prophetic". While Richard has himself never married, the song itself does not rule out marriage, with the final verse stating "I'll get married, have a wife and a child... but until then I'll be a bachelor boy...".
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".
Chart
Peak position
Australia
9
Canada
2
Denmark
1
Hong Kong
3
Notes:
' In Canada, the week "Bachelor Boy" peaked at number 2, Richard's "Summer Holiday" was at number 1.
' 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 competingNME singles chart listed the two tracks separately with "The Next Time" peaking at number 1 and "Bachelor Boy" peaking at number 3.
