Sleepless Nights
Adam Faith Cliff Richard & Billy Fury Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sleepless nights, restless days
Empty hours when you're away
Oh, hungry yearning, crying too
Endless longing for the rhapsody of you

Every moment I’m away I keep remembering
How your kisses make me soar to paradise
Now it’s so hard for me

To shake the hours unending
No use pretending oh I realise

So because I know for sure
How much I love you
And because my aching heart will ever yearn
I’ll be reconciled to empty arms without you
Those sleepless nights and rеstless days
Till your return
(sleepless nights, rеstless days)

So because I know for sure
How much I love you
And because my aching heart will ever yearn
I’ll be reconciled to empty arms without you

Those sleepless nights and restless days
Till your return sleepless nights

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Sleepless Nights" by Adam Faith, Cliff Richard, and Billy Fury capture the intense longing and yearning one feels when their beloved is away. The singer expresses the emptiness and restlessness that comes with the absence of their loved one. The sleepless nights and restless days represent the agony and longing that consume them while their partner is gone.

The lyrics convey a deep sense of longing and desire. The singer describes how every moment away from their loved one is a constant reminder of their absence. Memories of their passionate kisses and the joy they bring linger in their mind, making it hard to move on and find solace in the empty hours. There is a recognition that pretending to be fine is futile; the singer has come to the realization that they truly yearn for their partner's return.

The chorus reveals the depth of the singer's love. Despite the pain of separation, they acknowledge their unwavering commitment and unconditional love. They are willing to endure sleepless nights and restless days until their partner comes back because their heart aches for their presence. The lyrics convey a sense of resignation, accepting that they must reconcile themselves to the empty arms until their love returns.

Overall, "Sleepless Nights" captures the intense emotions and longing associated with being separated from a loved one. It speaks to the profound impact that love can have on one's life and the difficulty of enduring the loneliness that accompanies their absence.

Line by Line Meaning

Sleepless nights, restless days
I can't sleep or find peace during the nights, and the days are filled with anxiety and unease.

Empty hours when you're away
The hours feel empty and meaningless when you're not here with me.

Oh, hungry yearning, crying too
I have a deep and intense longing for you, to the point where I feel like crying.

Endless longing for the rhapsody of you
I constantly yearn for the enchanting and overwhelming experience of being with you.

Every moment I’m away I keep remembering
Whenever we're apart, I can't help but constantly reminisce about our time together.

How your kisses make me soar to paradise
Your kisses have the incredible power to make me feel ecstatic and transported to a state of bliss.

Now it’s so hard for me
Presently, it has become extremely difficult for me

To shake the hours unending
To overcome the endless and tedious passage of time.

No use pretending oh I realise
There's no point in pretending anymore, and I've come to the realization of it.

So because I know for sure
Therefore, because I am certain

How much I love you
About the immense love I have for you

And because my aching heart will ever yearn
And recognizing that my heart will always long for you

I’ll be reconciled to empty arms without you
I will come to terms with the feeling of emptiness when I'm without you

Those sleepless nights and restless days
Enduring the sleepless nights and anxious days

Till your return
Until the moment you come back

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Halia Eetus

3y↑1

@GuranjiNoHamusuta I can never forget the funniest rocking radio jingle out of my head. Jimi Hendrix for Radio One:
Radio one
You're the only one, for me

Just turn that dial
Make the music worth while
Radio one
You stole my gal
But I love ya just the same
🤣

All comments from YouTube:

Trash Theory

4y↑43

What before-The-Beatles British rock'n'roll tracks did I miss out? Comment below:

Trash Theory playlists - Spotify: tinyurl.com/yxp32pjf Deezer: tinyurl.com/y2mdp8h2
Also if you want to help out, here's my patreon link: patreon.com/trashtheory

Gary Spinelli

@Ann Nee I cannot remember what exactly I commented on. Refresh my memory please. Yes the Beatles formed in 1958.

Ann Nee

@Gary Spinelli The Beatles did form in the 50s?! I'm not sure what you're on about

joneshugh

Have y done surfing music??

J. Marinelli

3y↑1

“Telstar” by the Tornados

Lisl Chester

Beatles were first heard in 64 in USA.

12 More Replies...

John Fugazzi

3y↑56

Impressively researched and beautifully written and edited, this is one of the most professional rock documentaries I've seen on YouTube.

Martin Williams

3y↑2

Sorry john, one mistake is that jerry lordan wrote apache, not jack london.

Rob T

4y↑192

“Shakin’ All Over” is superior to all British music that predates the Beatles.

Johnny Kidd and the Pirates 🤟🏻

Mariann Watt

I still remember hearing shakeing all over here in lis angeles i was like six but man that rocked still love it

Philippe DeBasquette

Please Don’t Touch, Restless, Feelin’, So What, I Can Tell, A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues, Don’t Make The Same Mistake As I Did,

I'm going to count down from thirteen.

@james In Bradford I'll never get over you, by Johnny Kidd and the pirates is another great song.

james In Bradford

3y↑1

@Sean Magee yeh true but they all needed each other. Epstein would have continued selling records and George Martin would have continued making only comedy records.

Sean Magee

@james In Bradford yea, "push" unfortunately so. Perhaps if they had had Epstein or Martin it may have been different.

26 More Replies...

James Drynan

3y↑13

The instrumentals " Apache " and " Telestar " sound of that time are nostalgic. All music is derived from previous genres. The Beatles' tight and unique sound was a synthesis of Motown, country and American rock. What was extraordinary was the direction they took that blend of styles and created a new approach. They were the vanguard of change.

timoteo quiaoit

its acher bilk,first british to hit the us chart,with instrumental song stranger in the shore

Richard Becker

4y↑114

Oh man, Joe Meek deserves a whole episode not just for his influence, but for his life.

Mariann Watt

@Fink Stinger Richie Blackmore being just one

David Rowlands

There's a film called the joe meek story.

PC No

2y↑1

@David Rowlands He and Phil Spector were doing somewhat similar things 8,000 mile apart. Ironically, Spector gave Meek a call in 1965, trying to be friendly and complimenting Meek on his work, but Meek was off the deep end and accused him of plotting to steal his ideas. It's hard to imagine Spector being "the sane one" in any encounter, but that he was.

river euphrates

YES

ballhawk387

3y↑1

There is a movie, but I've not seen it yet. I surmised those eerie backing wails on "Johnny Remember Me" were sped up, and confirmed that with some internet searching. Very innovative, probably the first non-novelty (chipmunks) use of that effect.

6 More Replies...

The Virtual Traveler

4y↑27

As a Beatlesphile I was aware of this history, but it was really nice to get hear artists/songs I've only ready about as inspirations to the Beatles before.

Canes Venatici

@HG No the f**king BAND.

HG

beatles👀
You mean little grubby insects ?

Tony P

3y↑26

I still sense a bit of a sneer at Cliff Richard when you point out that his first #1 was the easy going Living Doll. Wasn't Tommy Steele's first #1 a similar genre? Back then, musicians did what they were told by their manager, record producer or agent. Between Move It and Living Doll Cliff released four further British rock and roll hits, Livin' Lovin' Doll, High Class Baby, Mean Streak and Never Mind. It was clear though that R&M style of music both in the US and here was going out of fashion. So in order to have a career, Cliff and many artists changed tack. The B side of Living Doll is the fantastic Apron Strings, an American written song and originally recorded by Billy the Kid, but Cliff and The Drifters' version is pure rock n roll. The B side of another Cliff Ballad, Traveling Light was home grown, 'Dynamite' and if Move It was the first British rock n roll song, then Dynamite was the second. Every Cliff Richard Ballad between 1960 - 1962 had a rock n roll number as the B side and Cliff still managed to sneak in a few rock songs as A sides. Please Don't Tease, Nine Times Out Of Ten, It'll Be Me and Gee Whizz It's You. It annoys me when the media ignore British music's output that preceded the Beatles, as if it was a musical wasteland - it wasn't, The Beatles were just a lot better. Even so, from their first album, Please Please Me until Revolver, there were many tracks on every albums which were either covers or, had they not been written by the Beatles, easily forgotten

Sean Magee

3y↑1

Think Steel was more skiffle/country orientated - "Singing the Blues": "Rock with the caveman" jazzy Bill Haley type. Cliff was influenced, at most, by Elvis and Little Richards RnR/RnB, respectively. Cliff is rightly regarded as the first Brit ROCK star.

Bill Scherer

3y↑13

Thanks for this. As a guy who grew up in the states, we didn’t hear much of what went on in Britain before the Beatles other than a little bit of Cliff Richard here and there. I remember lucky lips and bachelor boy. They didn’t do great over here but they did make the radio stations. Again thanks for this great little musical tutorial on the pre-British invasion

PC No

@timoteo quiaoit There were others; didn't Lonnie Donnegan have a top 10 hit with that "bubblegum on the bedpost" thing? Also "I remember you." by Frank Ifield. But I think Telstar was the first #1, or at least the first rock #1.

timoteo quiaoit

3y↑2

it is acher bilk ,first british to hit the us chart

Cory Allen

4y↑25

Absolutely phenomenal content. On par with the BBC and anything else out there. Thanks so much. You’re a legend.

Michael Walman

3y↑15

Thank you for educating another American on The History of British Rock&Roll! Love The Beatles, but didn’t realize what came before them in England. Excellent Job!

PANTECHNICON Recordings /Guy Hatton

4y↑61

Radio Luxembourg wasn't a pirate station. They just had a powerful enough transmitter to be heard in the UK, and chose to run an English-language service.

Verity Treacle

@Randy Jordan that has nothing to do with the post

dunruden

@Jouni Tennilä Luxembourg

GuranjiNoHamusuta

3y↑1

@Halia Eetus Good times. Yes, I remember that one now you mention it. I have forgotten so much.

Halia Eetus

3y↑1

GuranjiNoHamusuta

3y↑6

Luxembourg was not a pirate. It was a legit commercial station operating on mainland Europe. Like Radio Normandy and others it targeted UK consumers, because advertising. Its English pop programming was great... where I first heard Sgt Pepper, played all the way through. The Marine Offences Act 1967 made our offshore pirates properly illegal and forced the Beeb to shake up its out-of-date image. Radio 1 was born the same year, with Radio 2 (Light Program), 3 (Third Program) and 4 (Home Service) all re-named.

4 More Replies...

Kurt Baird

3y↑9

Born and raised in America, but I think British rock is the most creative. There are American bands on my faves list, but most of them I think got their style and sound from the Brits.

Rashotcake

The Brits dominated the 60s and 70s in terms of rock but i’d say the US owns the 80s and 90s of rock

Douglas J. Arcuri

The Brits not only modernized Rock but all of Popular Music.True the States created Rock but the Brits took it to heights that was unbelievable

Ryan Billing

4y↑77

I was in a skiffle band a few years ago for a college project, and it was great learning songs that my grandad used to play in his youth with his bands

yichengyi

3y↑2

This is so amazing! I didn't even know "Skiffle" existed until today. Keep that tradition alive, my friend!

Mike the Spike

3y↑6

Fantastic documentary on a part of British music history that has been gravely ignored for far too long. I was a very young kid in the 1950s with a mother who was totally obsessed with rock music. That's why I remember most of the songs in the video. Personally I always found - and still do - most of the music by Presley clones up to the end of the 1950s boring and their acts on stage rather embarrassing and cringe worthy. I found Presley the same much of his career, his music only started to interest me later. His rendition of Unchained Melody is absolutely fantastic though.
Otherwise I'm a Beatles and Stones guy myself, that's when British pop took off and never looked back.

Darby Sagala

4y↑67

George Bellamy, father of Matt Bellamy of Muse, played guitar in the Tornados. You can hear the influence of Telstar in Knights of Cydonia.

C T

3y↑2

Yes awesome track btw

Darby Sagala

3y↑3

@The Mersey Sound That one came to mind too! Its a really good song, more somber than Telstar but very cool in more of a surfy/western way. The first time I heard Knights I started laughing and couldn't stop, it was amazing. I had to have my dad listen, and he immediately said this is pretty much a Tornadoes song and couldn't believe what he was hearing. I'm in my 30's but grew up with older parents so I learned to play guitar to The Ventures, Dick Dale, and The Tornadoes. Ridin was one of the first songs I got to use a tremolo bar for.
Its almost as if Matt fused that song and Telstar together. In the intro towards the end the more somber tone of Ridin is mixed in with the futuristic majesty of Telstar. The type of reverb in Knights is in there. You can hear a lot of the texture of the middle of KoC in Ridin as well. Its almost as if he filled in the blanks in a sort of musical mad lips book of these two songs for the first half and then tacked on the heavier second half, and it works to perfection.
A lot of Muse songs are like that though, song that for other bands might be multiple songs stapled together like Butterflies and Hurricanes, Citizen Erased, United States of Eurasia. Muse quote a lot of classical works, B&H is Rachmaninoff, USoE has Chopin, Plug in Baby is Bach. Knights combines a few Tornadoes songs, some Morricone, and the heavy second half.
Matt does that same here but with his fathers band which is a lovely tribute. I think he must have listened to those songs so much in his life that it was only a matter of time before they crept into his writing. Perhaps that's why Muse struck a chord with me when I was younger, because while Matt was obviously influenced by 90's alt rock, there was a dash of that as well. Pretty much my early teens musical experience in a nutshell.

The Mersey Sound

4y↑3

George wrote ‘Ridin The Wind’ which The Tornadoes released which really resembles ‘Knights Of Cydonia’.
Interested to hear your thoughts on it

Otávio Werson Yago

4y↑2

HOLY SHIT THAT'S SO FUCKING COOL

3 More Replies...

Daniel Leyshon

3y↑10

Fury had a heart condition, told he would die young by doctors but to still give electrifying stage performances, strange to turn out as such a respectful, kind animal lover. What a legend!

Ann Nee

@PC No Infected teeth can damage your heart... or give you septicaemia

PC No

The same was true of Bobby Darin, who eventually had to keep an oxygen tank backstage to keep going. Ironically, his death in 1973 was more due to a neglected tooth ache than to his heart problems. .

Peter D

3y↑3

The great guitar riff on Johnny Kidd's Shaking All Over was played by Scottish Guitarist Joe Moretti, on the record only, didn't tour with them. I saw The Pirates at Aylesbury town hall, 1960, and without Moretti's guitar work it was .... oh dear!

farpointgamingdirect

3y↑2

Excellent video! In the US, Skiffle bands are traditionally referred to as "Jug Bands"; Johnny Kid and The Pirates are my favorite early British Rockers; The Tornados used the Jennings Univox on stage, but Geoff Goddard played the Clavioline (the forerunner to the analog synthesizer) on the recording

A. NOCKS

3y↑2

Great content! And I love the new knowledge that I get. Gerry and the Pacemakers were great but a group of kind of quiet guys. Then the Beatles make the scene with their hair on fire, itching for success and able to write their own songs which were if not totally all hits at least mostly all hits. Let's face it I think everybody thought the Beatles were the first British band to jump the pond. Rip Gerry Marsden , you were a great frontman.

nigel cuthbertson

3y↑3

I was born in the late forties, so a lot of those singers were around in my teenage years. Great tracks, and many of them were showcased on Six Five Special. It even had a rock and roll theme song.
"Six Five Special's coming down the line,
The Six Five Special's right on time!
Fire in the boiler, burning up bright,
Rocking and a-rollin' through the night...."

Can't remember the rest, but it was a really great intro!

E M

3y↑1

For some inexplicable reason, this popped up in my list. Absolutely loved it and so glad I watched it.
I really love watching histories about the time before the trailblazers, basically the ones who had to see the road and map before it was ever built.

B50Stevie

4y↑7

Enjoyed the video, this was the era I grew up in, and my teenage years were dominated by the Beatles, Stones and another band you failed to mention who had as many hits as the Beatles, and that was the Hollies, towards the end of the video you mention the Who, Searchers, Kinks, Zombies etc.. but absolutely no mention of the Hollies, who had more hits than any of those bands. They rarely get a mention in videos such as this and they deserve a lot more respect than they get.

Verity Treacle

Like the Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, and Dave Dee, Dozy, Mick and Tich, they weren't quite cool enough to be celebrated in the same way and don't resonate as much with subsequent generations

This Is Rosie!!!

Very cool to learn about this. Some of the songs I've heard in passing through the years. Maybe in television shows or something, but I've never heard many of them. I really liked this a lot. I'm an American, so it was nice to hear about some of the inspirations for a lot of British musicians that I admire (David Bowie, Brian May, etc.).

Jon Allanson

4y↑2

Billy Bragg has written a great book on this period of British music called Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World. It is a really good read, and should be of interest if you like this video.

nongthip

Brilliant, thanks so much for this pre-Beatle docco. So often the story of British rock and roll begins with the Fab Four, but this fills in a lot of gaps in the story. I knew about skiffle, but there's so much more to the evolution of 50s and early 60s UK pop music.

Patrick Holt

4y↑71

Apart from the fact that British musicians had the benefit of a wider range of musical influences for guitar band sounds by virtue of the UK being the home of the Folk music revival and by virtue of more ready access to black music, soul as well as rhythm and blues because of not having racially segregated radio stations and music venues, the factor you mustn't forget is the Marshall company. The Marshall Amp was developed here, evolving in hand crafted iterations in response to the wishes of British guitarists walking in the shop, steadily asking for more fuzziness, more blare, more distortion, and more heavyness. British musicians had first access to the leading edge of guitar sound technology, and stage amplification in general. Never ignore the Material Conception of History. Culture evolves with technology, especially in music, once technology becomes a variable. US guitarists had the best electric guitars to hand, from Gibson, Fender and Rickenbacker, but they needed to play them through Marshall amps, and we had first dibs.

Chris R

2y↑1

@Mike the Spike Yes I agree with what you say but there was a few Black musicians who were popular like Winifred Atwell and you had the Melodisc Record Label and the one hit wonder Alone by The Southladers.
Maybe we should have a Black British music pre 60s ?

Mike the Spike

2y↑2

@Chris R My comment relates to the fact that the UK didn't have a large enough black minority population to make a "black" radio station worthwhile and does not negate the influence of black musicians on music in the UK. The influx of black people from abroad into the UK in the 1950s was still very limited. The Windrush generation numbered just a few hundred, a miniscule figure in comparison to later immigration figures. The majority of the British knew of black music only from the US if art all. Also, radio broadcasting in 1950s UK was reserved for the BBC. You couldn't just start your own private radio station and broadcast your own programmes.
This only changed when stations such as "Radio Caroline" in the early 1960s started broadcasting privately from ships just outside of British waters and so skirted the necessity for permission from British broadcasting authorities. These "illegal" stations forced the BBC to concede bandwidths for private enterprises to broadcast with.

Chris R

@Mike the Spike England had a small but strong Black music scene since Windrush generation and immigration from West Africa and lot these went into the Modern Jazz scene alongside Ronnie Scott,. Tubby Hayes like Joe Harriot with etc but also started there own scenes like Calypso from Trinidad like Lord Kitchener and Highlife music from Ghana with E.T. Mensah amongst others.

Russ

@Mike the Spike he has drastically altered this comment since I originally responded to it

Patrick Holt

3y↑1

@ve 3re That's the usage of the word virtue as a synonym for reason. By virtue of = by the reason that.

5 More Replies...

Gareth Mattison

4y↑1

I really love your channel and this is one of your best. Your videos are always superbly crafted and never fail to inform, educate and entertain. I think you’re at the point where your work is so excellent it more than competes with the best of traditional broadcast TV.

New Falconer Records

4y↑7

Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' debut single 'Please Don't Touch' (1959) was another corker, and an original composition too. Later covered by Motorhead with Girlschool, as well as the Stray Cats.

Frances Kronenwett

3y↑4

One of the most interesting films I have ever seen. I remember all these groups and their wonderful music. I am so glad to have grown up in the fifties, sixties and seventies. Bert Weedon was a marvellous guitar player. I have a question though. When I was a very little kid I used to watch a show called Pussycat Willum which also featured Wally Whyton. I believe Bert Weedon also appeared on this show. Is this correct?

Alan Karr

3y↑2

Frances, you are correct in your recollection of ITV affiliate Associated-Rediffusion's production of a children's show entitled SMALL TIME, which introduced Pussycat Willum (a cat hand puppet) in 1959 and ran for many years into the sixties broadcast in the early evening.
Wally Whyton of The Vipers was featured (voicing "Ollie Beak", an owl) as was the comely Muriel Young. Bert Weedon appeared on this show as well, said to have given guitar pointers; Weedon's PLAY IN A DAY and PLAY EVERY DAY instruction books were a boon to budding British guitarists. Weedon, who lived to the age of 92 and played on hundreds of radio and recording sessions, to my ears was a very skillful but mannered guitarist not given to flourishes (Jerry Lordan felt he did not capture the excitement of Apache in his original version, which made it into the UK Top 30) . His cover of Guitar Boogie Shuffle did reach the British Top 10 and could be considered the 1st guitar artist "instro" hit of the British RnR Era. John Lennon famously complained to Kenny Lynch about the politeness of Weedon's tone on Lynch's cover of Misery, which was meant for Helen Shapiro but was rejected by her management/production team.

Sean Magee

3y↑1

Cliffs "Move It" is a Brit rock classic. To myself that back in the day, It didn't sound "American". But, it's excellent RnR. Deserves a lot more credit. I'm not a Cliff fan as such but I dig this song. It ROCKS

Joanne Beauchamp

4y↑2

This was a VERY entertaining video! The history of British rock from the late 50’s thru the early 60’s is, unfortunately, an era that is often overlooked, even having played a HUGE role in inspiring so many of the singers and musicians hitting the charts from The Beatles on...The Who, Jimmy Page, The Big 3, The Stones, etc.

Dean Nilvalli

3y↑2

Great stuff, as usual! I see Morrissey clearly modelled himself after Billy Fury, and it looks as if Elvis Costello tool after Hank Marvin. I had not known this before.

I'm going to count down from thirteen.

Morrissey has always been quite vocal in his love of pre-Beatles music, especially Billy Fury.

margus kiis

3y↑2

Still, its amazing how tough and intense The Beatles sounded after all the greased rocknroll.

horst baur

This is a brilliant project you put together. Well done and thank you!

james reynolds

3y↑1

Billy Fury laid the foundation stone for singer/songwriters and was also his own producer on Sounds of Fury.

redheron

4y↑10

I think this has become my favorite video of yours. Close second would the one about Goth music history. Really dig your channel. Keep up the good work.

scott lowson

3y↑1

I loved this little documentary ❤ I love music 🎶 and always like to learn more about it.

Dave Wood

So well put together, thanks. It makes you wonder how British pop/rock n roll could have developed if the stifling, mediocre BBC radio didn't have a stranglehold on what kids could listen to at that time.

foxyshabazz

3y↑2

'Telstar' must have been on the jukebox in my local pub for over thirty years. And it would get regularly played right up until they took the machine out in the 1990s.

Wayne Chapman

4y↑1

Love these "History of Rock" videos, and I think this might be my favorite so far. I knew about skiffle, Cliff Richard, and Joe Meek, but this definitely puts everything in perspective for me. Now I'm gonna listen to some of this stuff on YouTube!

Livid Imp

4y↑25

I swear, it is like you go through my music collection in order to make your videos. It is so bizarre because in the decades of listening to this stuff I've known just a couple people that listen to all this stuff (as a collection), then all the sudden some guy on the other side of the planet is playing clips of every obscure tune I own. I guess all have to say is....you've got good taste man. ;)

RunningFromABear

@Livid Imp It's obscure to you. I wouldn't say this is special taste. My Nan has a lot of this stuff from when she was a teen.

Livid Imp

4y↑2

What part of "on the other side of the planet" you guys having trouble with? I obviously don't live in Britain, and yes this stuff was obscure here until maybe 20ish years ago when that Rock'n Bones comp made it available to non-collectors.

Mister The Geoff

4y↑2

Yeah every one of these songs was a regular on Capital Gold (1548 AM) back in the 80s and 90s when my parents wouldn't dream of tuning their radio to anything else.

chaosof99

4y↑4

For the past year I've been fascinated by a british band, IDLES. While I've seen them around in my personal circles, but being in mainland europe and mostly on the internet, I don't really know their overall footprint. I do know that they are adored by critics to an extend. Are they on your radar? I would love to see an episode on them.

reuireuiop0

Boi, that's quite different stuff from this - them boomers will be in for a surprise when the Google Idles up !

1 More Replies...

Matthew S

3y↑2

This is the best channel by far for the history of musical culture movements. Keep up the great work!

Anthony Monaghan

Thanks you for taking the time to research this excellent essay on the roots of British Rock N Roll. Much appreciated.

Bruce15485

4y↑7

I believe that Apache by The Shadows was the land mark record in Britain before The Beatles records. The Shadows 3 guitar and drum line up was so influential, not only in Britain but also the USA.

Peter D

3y↑1

@Bruce15485 Well, Bruce I've given them a play and neither, particularly Spider Juice, could be remotely considered as having a rock and roll beat, great as they are. In any event, these were recorded/issued in 1975. Hardly in place to be there as an early influence!
In ''57, '58, '59 I was buying Buddy Holly 45's, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry - this was rock and roll. When the Shads came along a little later they were never considered as a rock line up behind Cliff Richard.....save for Move it, a stand out one off. Everything else from them was a projection of Cliff as a frontsman with sugarsweet pop for teenage girls. Their later stuff without Cliff was, as said, melodious (and great) but not rock.
Undeniably, Hank Marvin's guitar skills WERE a great influence on aspiring players that followed.

Bruce15485

3y↑2

@Peter D "Spider Juice" and "Honourable Puff Puff" off the Specs Appeal album not bad. The album "Shades of Rock" is worth a listen !

Peter D

@Bruce15485 Don't really need a history lesson as I was there at the time, but willing to be swayed. OK, s'pose you could bop along to FBI but can you name me two rock and roll tracks so I can give a listen. Loved their stuff and all budding guitarists wanted to be Hank but none of the melodious singles would have any influence as a rock and roll go to.

Bruce15485

3y↑3

@Peter D Definitely Rock and Roll ! You would have to listen to their Albums. Yes they did have variance of styles and primarily instrumental. Hank Marvin lead guitar work influenced many artists and bands such as Queen, Eric Clapton, Pete Townsend, The Beatles etc They were the biggest band in the UK prior to the Beatles.

Peter D

3y↑1

None of the Shadows stuff was Rock amd Roll, was it.

steve richards

2y↑1

Right at the start of class came Billy Fury .
So good the Beatles wanted to be his backing group .
A brilliant artist . Sadly missed .

Blastfrom thepast

4y↑15

Apache was written by Jerry Lordan - not Jack London as your v/o states. Also worth noting that F.B.I. was written by Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Jet Harris - not Peter Gormley as it is generally credited to - and this also became a hugely popular and influential tune. I believe that The Shadows were the first UK 'pop group' to have a Greatest Hits album.

Mo-Mutt Music

Thanks for sharing. I was aware of Cliff Richard, The Shadows, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and Vince Taylor (love The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac," and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over"). I didn't know about some of the others, like Tony Crombie & His Rockets. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular #Music4URSpirit

Ian Fielding

4y↑9

Thank you for that great mini doco, so glad to see Cliff and the Shads get their due.

John Szczybor

Cliff Richard may have been the English Elvis but he had no impact on the American scene. The Beatles were not impressed by him either. The Shadows were a good instrumental band.

Ray Smith

This was a great video! The only exposure to early British pop music was accidentally stumbling on to Lonnie Donegan when he did the chewing gum song. It hit U.S. radio as a novelty song when I was about 8 years old (1958). After that I had no exposure to British rock & roll that I knew of. Until you let us know about "Apache" and "Telstar", two of my very favorite instrumental tracks from the period. At that time I was around 11 or 12 years old. Them, of course, when I was 14 in 1964 everything changed to n a very big way. I was a Beatles fan from the git. The very first album I bought was "Meet the Beatles". So, so many decades ago. Thanks for mentioning Jerry and the Pace Makers. Jogged my memory about "Don't Let the Sun Catch you Crying". One of my all-time favorite songs. Cheers!

Simon Hodgetts

4y↑3

My dad’s always very passionate about the pre-Beatles era.......so this is a fascinating film.

ParsifalChannel

4y↑2

They never mentioned Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan. Sullivan is England's greatest composer, 1842 to 1900. The Mikado is one of the greatest operas ever written. As is The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore. Masterpieces Supreme.

Refined Retro Reviews

4y↑3

The Vince Taylor you mentioned eventually went totally insane. I mean really really actually insane. He showed up to play a concert literally declaring himself to be Jesus himself or some say the 'son of Jesus.' He in turn tried to convert the entire concert venue. Later he ended up as a homeless man begging for money.

Tristan the McCoy

4y↑1

Man. I love the work you do on these video essays. You're very well spoken.

Karl Oliver

4y↑54

1962 skiffle band Motown Sect featured one Ian Willis. 53 years later he died in Los Angeles. By that time he was mainly known by his welsh nickname Lemmy.

Ben Miler

3y↑1

While true he was named Ian Kilmister, he was going by the name Ian Willis when he was in Sam Gopal, a bluesy heavy psych act who released an album in 1969 called Escalator. He handled rhythm guitar and vocals.

jon nuanez

3y↑2

Willis wasn't his birth name-it really was Kilmister-but yeah pretty much true. "Lemme a quid", he always used to ask everyone in school.

The Mersey Sound

Skiffle was gone by 62 and Motown Sect were definitely not a Skiffle band

Camilo florez

4y↑7

Willis? Wasn't it Kilmister?

Mo-Mutt Music

Per your suggestion, I'm trying to think of anything you missed. You did an excellent job. Nice and thorough. The only thing I might have suggested was to discuss Rory Storm and the Hurricanes a bit. They didn't record much, but given their popularity as a live act in Liverpool and Hamburg and their connection to The Beatles, particularly through Ringo, they helped lead the music revolution in Liverpool that allowed The Beatles, Searchers, et. al. to break big internationally. Again, great job. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular

goldenagenut

Might want to look into Indorock, the Indonesians got it early on and bands like the Teilman Brothers influenced the British scene.
Great mini-documentary, very informative, exactly what the audience wants, introduce the bands in chronological order, show some good photos/film footage with a sample of their music, perfect.

Raymond Gill

4y↑2

I applaud what you set out to do but, the Pirates you show are a later line-up and Jack London did not write Apache Jerry Lordon did. Also the Shadows were the Drifters but had to change their name following a cease and desist notice from the American group of the same name.

Smufter16

Eye opening video. I didn't realize there was so much going on before The Beatles. Thank you!!!

Geoff T

4y↑9

Correction, Apache was written by Jerry Lordon and Hank Marvin was not influenced by Bert Weldon, Hanks influences were Scotty More, Gene Gallop and Buddy Holly.

PC No

Actually, Jerry Lordan. It's an often misspelled and mispronounced name, as I learned growing up.

Jerry Brownell

3y↑2

@Geoff T- Do you possibly mean Cliff Gallop? The superb lead guitarist of Gene Vincent's Blue Caps.

Stephen Bodman

3y↑2

Have to say, what a great watch and well put together piece of content...really enjoyed it and found it very interesting.

ve 3re

3y↑1

Apache was written by Jerry Lordan. Wonderful Land also. He also wrote and recorded Who Could Be Bluer? in 1960 which was a minor hit and an example of pure early 1960s pop music with strings. Writers and producers Leiber and Stoller combined strings with teen pop music in 1959 when they wrote and produced There Goes My Baby for the Drifters. This was the first teenage pop record with strings and the start of an avalanche of pop records with strings.

Sven Kaa Hedgerg

Thank you for shining a light on this often missed piece of music history

Beth Jung

4y↑7

I always loved Cliff Richard since I saw his musical Summer Holiday. Thanks for making this video!

James Lloyd

3y↑1

Brilliant video as good as any musical documentary I've seen great narration and content too 👍

Derek Kelley

4y↑2

That was a fantastic history,and needs to be told. Great video!!!!!!

Mr. 1000

3y↑5

I'm still stumped to this day as to why Cliff Richard didn't make it on his first attempt in the U.S. He had everything. A great talent.

Brian Vincent

Simple.
Elvis and his manager were scared of Cliff and pressurised EMI America, who later, under their offspring of EMI UK, managed Cliff, simply refused to promote Cliff in order to keep Elvis happy.
Practically 40 hits from Cliff in the 60s decade in the UK under EMI, but the father Company of EMI America disgracefully did nothing,....NOTHING, to promote our Cliff.
Time has proven that Cliff remains the greatest pop/soft rock artist of them all.
Americas loss, but Cliff dominated the rest of the world, has a new album out in five weeks time which, even at age 82, shall probably be the number 1 album at Christmas.

Steve Dyer

3y↑6

Someone once said that Cliff was a mixture of Elvis and Ricky Nelson, unfortunately for Cliff, America had both!! evidently he went down a storm everywhere he played but America is a big country, with no internet and relying on radio play, it was always going to be a tough call, he done ok though, he was a global superstar everywhere else in the world, i would mind being 10 quid behind him!!

Glenn Mitchell

3y↑4

Cliff was too clean. The young wanted scruffy and bad.

124Musick

4y↑2

Tysm for this. You’ve essentially bridged my love for British new wave and American roots rock and roll. You’re the best!!!

yichengyi

3y↑2

This was a great genealogical breakdown. Incredible!

Neil Forbes

4y↑3

18:31 The original issue of Apache was on the Green Columbia label in 1960. The black label with the 45rpm device would not appear until 1962 when EMI unified their HMV, Columbia and Parlophone labels under this design as well as adding a new label to carry American releases, Stateside Records!

Philippe DeBasquette

Cheaper to print black labels, too

james reynolds

Great, well researched piece of nostalgia, thank you.

James Larkin

3y↑4

Turn my back on you by Billy Fury is my favorite British Rockabilly/Rock & Roll tune. That & jet black machine by Vince Taylor.😎🎸🇬🇧

Marco Voltage

4y↑33

Mathew Bellamy’s father played guitar in the Tornados. Listen to Muse - Knights Of Cydonia to hear the connection to Telstar

Marco Voltage

4y↑1

94MikeJ Nice, it really does

The Mersey Sound

4y↑2

Listen to ‘Ridin the Wind’ by The Tornadoes written by George Bellamy. That bares more resemblance to ‘Cydonia’ than ‘Telstar’

Telequacker-ガチョウ

4y↑3

Albert Hammond Jr.'s (of the Strokes) dad wrote "The Air That I Breathe" for The Hollies

Marakesh7

Actually, Lonnie Donegan had the same music line-up as Elvis with Lead Guitar, Drums and Stand-up Bass. I still feel he was the nearest we had to Elvis.

jawaid manzoor

3y↑2

Singer Cliff Richard and his band 'The Shadows', was a message to a start of youth movement. "The Yong ones" It was clean and tasteful.

Silvain D

3y↑4

Bert Weedon actually recorded Apache before The Shadows did

I'm going to count down from thirteen.

3y↑1

George Martin had originally offered 'How do you do it' to The Beatles, as he didn't think their own songs were strong enough at that time, The Beatles recorded How do you do it, but deliberately played and sang with little enthusiasm, the song was rejected and passed onto Gerry and the pacemakers for their first number 1....The Beatles continued with their original songs, and the rest is history!.

Dominic King

4y↑7

would love a follow up to this about the beatles career, 50 years on they're still an essential part of the british canon

Pile Looiz

4y↑5

A couple of corrections...
Ian Samwell wrote "Move It" not Ian Sitwell.Jerry Lordan wrote "Apache" not Jack London.

Lisa Ashby

3y↑1

You mentioned that The Shadows were cliff backing group post The Drifters... Actually the Shadows were the Drifters but had to change their name because of the American group. Also, did you know the first ever Fender Statocaster in the UK was bought by Cliff Richard for Hank... the red fender you always see Hank use is that strat :)

TheSimonBrookes

3y↑1

Cliff Richard was the 6th artist to be featured on MTV when it first aired in 1981 - "We don't talk anymore". That's 23 years after "Move it"! Oh and 1981 was 40 years ago. I haven't watched MTV recently but they stopped playing music videos for a while...Cliff Richard is on tour this year...Covid 19 permitting....

Peter Fields

As a music fan from the late '50s I have become pretty sick of how anything pre-Beatles has been pretty much airbrushed from music history,nice to see something showing otherwise although I still did get that sickeningly familiar view that the Beatles saved music,not everyone was a fan contrary to popular belief,there were many great acts.
They appeared at a time when socially so much was changing in the UK,Brian Epstein was a genius for recognising that & exploiting it.

JerryNator

Great video !!! Do you think you can make also a video of the rockabilly scene in England from the 70s to 80s?

Craig Butterfield

Well done, indeed excellent history here. Learned a lot. Thanks a lot too. This was awesome

GardenBoyDon

4y↑6

Always coming in with the fantastic documentaries Trash Theory 🙏 ty

C.A.T.

3y↑14

Brian Epstein may have gotten his bands to initially dress up in suits like their predecessors in the British rock scene, but thankfully the goofy little choreographed dance steps were left behind.

Steve Burstein

In the US we got Tommy Steele as a musical comedy player in the 60s, but few here were aware of his Rock n' Roll past.

Randy Backgammon

Exellent. Better than most docu in that the chronology was well researchrd and precise.So often with official beeb docs it isn't. A most informative look at an often overlooked genre namely pre Beatles 'ton up boy' Brit rock...Love it

Ethan Hopper

3y↑1

Fantastic documentary. Loved it a lot

e1ay3dme

3y↑1

Wonderful. I knew pretty much about Lonnie Donegan,
Skiffle and not much more before the Epstein bunch.

urlocallordandsaviour

2y↑1

3:34 Props for combining both John Lennon and Jimmy Page into the same sentence, they both were massively influential equivalents in their own right, plus the Beatles already have enough representation on their own in today's pop culture, though you should have clarified that it took two years before "Rock Island Line" charted since you also mentioned that John Lennon and Jimmy Page started diving into skiffle the same year, not 1954. Also props for including Britain's musical state in the pre-pop period and the Goons, who were arguably just as defining as the Beatles in terms of popular culture. That last bit was very awesome too, switching the Beatles for the Pacemakers, an underrated group in and out of themselves.

Old Uncle Mick

If it hadn't been for The Goons I doubt George Martin would have been open to such experimentation by The Beatles. My September Love by Spike Milligan is a favourite of mine - only a Goon could conceive of serenading someone on a bass drum! I know Martin liked to make out that he was a big producer but the reality was he was stuck on EMI's novelty label and got lucky.

ballhawk387

Excellent documentary. Yank here who has recently really gotten into The Shadows, and considers "Move It" and "Shakin' All Over" (which I've long been aware of the original, thanks to The Who) on par with any early rock-n-roll. Also knew of Joe Meek and "Telstar", actually having remembered that one, iconic as it was, though its charting here was a bit before my time.

Terry Reynolds

When I started learning drums I was playing along to the Shadows - mostly. Then the Beatles hit us - - -

i hate john legend

4y↑11

Cliff Richard had a UK #1 single in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s + 90s (and would have had one in 2006 but Take That reformed that week and kept him at #2)
almost all rubbish BUT his 70s hits devil woman, we can't talk anymore + carrie are AMAZING

Zaragon - 70s-80s JazzRockSoul Critic

The eight albums Cliff released between 1976 and 1983 are all solid.

Zacca gfbpa

4y↑1

oh this is great! how would I love to see something like this about brazilian rock, I love this kind of video

BigBubbaloola

3y↑2

Donegan simply does not get the credit or exposure he deserves these days. To have that much influence over the people that set the bar for modern music in the 60's & 70's is not to be sniffed at. The USA rightly lauds Berry and Richard for their influence but Donegan is generally ignored these days.

Troy Giersdorf

Thanks a bunch. Very informative and entertaining. I really enjoyed your presentation.

david c smith

That was one of the best Documentaries on British Rock and Roll ! Moved fast covered a lot of ground! Was a pleasure to watch!
Just subscribe! Thanks

Richard & Margaret Banyard

4y↑9

I have watched the film from the point of view of one who lived through that era. I am now in my late 70s. So much of the commentary is utter bilge. Not a single mention of the influence of Buddy Holly who toured the U.K. in March 1958 with The Crickets and who, apart from Charles Edward Berry, had a far greater influence on British R'n'R than any other single figure.

We had visits from other genuine U.S. R&R artists: - Bill Haley & His Comets ('56); Freddie Bell & His Bellboys ('57); Charlie Gracie ('57) before Holly ('58), Cochran and Vincent (both '60). Duane Eddy also toured in 1960 along with Clyde McPhatter, Bobby Darin and our own Emile Ford & The Checkmates another British band that knew how to rock.

Apache was composed by Jerry Lordan - not Jack London. Crombie & Co. were working jazz/swing musicians who turned to R'n'R to put food on their tables. The great jazz sax player and journalist Benny Green was recruited for Lord Rockingham's XI but always played in shades when on TV in 'Oh Boy!' in an attempt to cloak himself in anonymity. Vince Taylor meant nothing to us in the north of England. No mention was made of Joe Brown who honed his guitar skills at the knee of Eddie Cochran and who worked with Billy Fury on the 10" Decca LP masterpiece "The Sound of Fury" in 1960 and made the most amazing rockabilly backing ever heard, to that time, on a U.K. production.

E. G. Verlander

3y↑1

If you take the time to read ALL the comments, you'll notice that yours is the only bilge. C'est la vie.

el mago

THX Trash for this accurately well done, early UK timeline.... 👌
10 years later, continuing to this very day, Roger Daltrey surely got it right = "Long live rock, I need it every night. Long live rock, come on and join the line"..... 💋
☮

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