11 January 1963
The first full year of the official Irish singles chart brings us three number ones from Cliff Richard. What’s more, one of those three will be Cliff’s first Christmas Irish number one. I’m amazed they didn’t give up on the new charts after that, just re-think the clearly ill-starred enterprise.
For those of us whose formative Cliff experience was as the religious cult leader spoiling our Winterval celebrations with ‘Mistletoe And Wine’, this double-A-side single shows he always had something of the smarmy creep about him. ‘Bachelor Boy’ is now impossible to hear without an eyebrow arching wryly. The wistful breeziness of ‘The Next Time’ makes it a better song, but Cliff’s innate blankness as a singer just boils it down to the same simpering molasses mush. I’ve referred to early-’60s Elvis here as an American Daniel O’Donnell, but at least he’s not an American Cliff Richard. Anyway, more of Cliff to come, you lucky people.
