Cliff's biggest hit to date at the time, this million seller gave him his fourth number one and resided in the UK charts for an unprecedented 21 weeks during January to May 1962. The song featured without exception in his repertoire from January 1962 onwards and received extensive radio airplay. It was officially recorded at Abbey Road on 11 August 1961 with the orchestral overdub added in early December in preparation for its release in January 1962.
Versions of it were performed on BBC Radio's 'Parade Of The Pops' on 17 January and 28 February 1962. Cliff sang it on BBC Radio's 'Saturday Club' on 31 March 1962 and on 'Easy Beat' on 15 April 1962.
Surviving early television footage of The Young Ones also abounds. These include ATV's 'All Kinds Of Music' from 26 December 1961, 'The Rudi Carrell Show' from Dutch television from 8 April 1962, 'The Royal Variety Show' broadcast on 29 October 1962, and 'Cliff and Shadows Live In Concert' in Liège from Belgium television on 8 May 1964.
An abridged version of The Young Ones was also recorded by Pathe News Film on 26 March 1962, when Cliff and The Shadows were introduced to Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon at the Eton College Missions Youth Club at Hackney Wick in the east end of London. Cliff was suffering from laryngitis on this occasion although The Shadows' sound is superb for this live performance.
The Luxembourg version for the 'Me And My Shadows' series was recorded in early 1962 and is fairly good quality, but is without the instrumental solo.
MC: a routine rendition of the blockbuster, hardly a significant addition to the corpus even if it had survived in tip-top condition.