The founding members of the group were Conleth (Con) Cluskey (born 18 November 1941; died 8 April 2022), Declan (Dec) Cluskey (born 23 December 1942), and John Stokes (Sean James Stokes) (born 13 August 1940). In 1957 they formed their first band together, "The Harmonichords" (also seen as "The Harmony Chords"), a classically styled instrumental harmonica-act.
As The Harmonichords, they appeared on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks' on Radio Luxembourg[1] and on the 'Ed Sullivan' TV Show St. Patrick's Day Special (filmed in Dublin, broadcast 15 March 1959), where they played "Danny Boy."[2] They also played background music plus featured pieces in a 25 week radio comedy series called 'Odd Noises' on Radio Éireann featuring Eamonn Andrews.[3] They changed their name to "The Bachelors" in 1962 at the suggestion of Dick Rowe, A&R at Decca Records, who reportedly recommended the name "because that’s the kind of boy a girl likes."
During the 1960s, they had many successful songs in music charts in Europe Australia, South Africa, South America, parts of the USSR, and the United States. Some of the most successful were "Diane" (1964), "Marie" (1965), "I Wouldn't Trade You For the World" (1965), and "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" (1965). In 1965 they had the 'most played juke box track' with "The Stars Will Remember" from a film they made with then-current DJ Sam Costa.
Live work carried them into the 1970s with record breaking theatre season shows, but after a successful start to the decade with the album World of the Bachelors hitting the top 5, the band became less and less dominant in the music industry. Along with singers like Tom Jones they found themselves stuck in a decade of Glam Rock, unable to change with the times. They remained successful recording artists and moved to the Pye label, which contracted easy listening stars like Frankie Vaughan and Max Bygraves. Despite their last chart single being in 1967, they continued to play the cabaret circuit, still maintaining the original line-up until 1984, when there was "a messy split" between the Cluskey brothers and Stokes.
Following the split, the Cluskey brothers appeared as "The New Bachelors" and Stokes as "Stokes & Coe", Stokes allegedly also then appeared as "The New Bachelors" so the Cluskey's now perform as "Con & Dec The Bachelors"
In 2008 a compilation CD, "I Believe - The Very Best of The Bachelors," featuring the 60s hits together with two new songs recorded by Con and Dec Cluskey, was released through Universal who had acquired the Decca catalogue (available in the US as an import from Uni Classics Jazz UK), reached #7 in the UK Radio One album chart 27 July - 2 Aug 2008. Con and Dec Cluskey appeared on TV and radio to promote the album.
Homeward Bound
The Bachelors Lyrics
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Got a ticket to my destination.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Ev'ry day's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines.
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
And ev'ry stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be,
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
I'll play the game and pretend.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Silently for me.
The lyrics of The Bachelors' "Homeward Bound" depict the struggles of a traveling musician who is constantly on the move with his guitar and suitcase in tow, performing in different towns every night. He finds himself yearning for home, where his thoughts can wander freely, his music can be played without restriction, and his love is waiting patiently for him. The singer paints a picture of the monotony and drudgery of life on the road - every day blurs into the next, and each town he visits feels identical. He longs for the comfort and familiarity of home, where he can relax and escape from the grind of tour life.
As he prepares to play another show, the singer admits that he sometimes feels like he's just going through the motions, pretending to be happy when all he really wants is someone to comfort him. The repetition of the chorus, "homeward bound," emphasizes the strength of his desire to return home and find solace in the familiar. The simple melody and the dreamy, wistful tone of the lyrics combine to create a poignant meditation on the universal theme of longing for the place where we feel the most at ease.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting in the railway station.
I'm currently situated in a train station.
Got a ticket to my destination.
I possess a ticket to reach the place where I'm headed to.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
With my guitar and suitcase, I'm traveling to various places only to spend a single night there.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.
As a musician and writer, each halt is pre-decided in advance.
Homeward bound, I wish I was,
I desire to go back home immediately.
Home where my thought's escaping,
My mind can wander without any restrictions when I'm at home.
Home where my music's playing,
At home, I can enjoy the comfort of listening to music.
Home where my love lies waiting Silently for me.
My loved one waits silently for me at home.
Ev'ry day's an endless stream
Each day feels like a constant flow without any breaks.
Of cigarettes and magazines.
I indulgently smoke cigarettes and read magazines.
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories.
My surroundings do not appear different to me, both movies and industries look alike.
And ev'ry stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be,
I see unfamiliar faces everywhere, and all of them make me yearn to go back home.
Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
Tonight, I'll sing the same melodies that I have been performing for years.
I'll play the game and pretend.
I'll continue with the façade that I portray daily.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
My lyrics appear dull and common to me.
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.
I require someone to console me in this life devoid of any harmony.
Silently for me.
All happens silently for me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JERRY LANDIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind