For a time, Cliff Richard sold more records in England than the Beatles, yet he couldn't buy a hit in America. Most of his material wasn't even released over here, including this UK #1 from April 1965. His label said his style didn't fit the US market, to which Cliff said, "How do you know when you won't even put out my records in the States?" Even though he had over 40 British Top 10 singles by 1976, nine of which reached the top of the pops, it wasn't until "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore" that he broke through in America.
Cliff Richard - The Minute You're Gone
4 comments:
Actually BACHELOR BOY got a bit of airplay here in the U.S., in---I believe---the spring of 1964, although it never made the top-40.
I remember my babysitter really liked this song (I was 9-years-old at the time and had a 1-year-old sister. The babysitter was a classmate's older sister).
I have a copy of that song myself and don't see why it wouldn't "fit in" as well as all the other songs getting airplay at the time.
"Bachelor Boy" did make it onto the Billboard Hot 100 - for one week at #99. I'll try to find the specific week. I'm sure the lack of marketing in the US had to be frustrating to Cliff.
Found it! "Bachelor Boy" only charted on Billboard the week of 8/1/1964. "A Hard Day's Night" was #1 that week. Cliff and the Shadows only had a handful of chart records in America prior to "Devil Woman."
And "Bachelor Boy" had been at #1 in the UK for three weeks in January of '63.
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