The Young Ones (song)

This article is about the Cliff Richard and The Shadows song. For the film, see The Young Ones (1961 film). For the sitcom related to the song, see The Young Ones (TV series).

"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"
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
"Outsider" (1962) "The Young Ones" (1962) "I'm Looking out the Window" (1962)

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)[10][11]	5
Denmark (Quans Musikbureau)[12]	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13]	6
Germany (GfK)[14]	16
Hong Kong[6]	3
Ireland (Evening Herald)[15]	1
Israel (Kol Israel)[16]	1
Japan (Utamatic, Tokyo)[17][18]	6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19]	1
New Zealand[20]	1
Norway (VG-lista)[21]	2
South Africa (Radio of South Africa)[22]	1
Spain (Promusicae)[23]	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24]	4
UK Singles (OCC)[25]	1

In popular culture

In the 1980s, it became the theme song to the alternative comedy sitcom The Young Ones.^[2]

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)