"The Twelfth of Never" is a popular song written in 1956 and first recorded by Johnny Mathis the following year. The title is a popular expression, which is used as the date of a future occurrence that will never come to pass.[1] In the case of the song, "the 12th of Never" is given as the date on which the singer will stop loving his beloved, thus indicating that he will always love them.
| "The Twelfth of Never" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 7-inch single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Johnny Mathis | ||||
| from the album Johnny's Greatest Hits | ||||
| A-side | "Chances Are" | |||
| Released | 12 August 1957 | |||
| Studio | Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:25 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster | |||
| Johnny Mathis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "The Twelfth of Never" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Cliff Richard | ||||
| B-side | "I'm Afraid to Go Home" | |||
| Released | 2 October 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 23 June 1964 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster | |||
| Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor | |||
| Cliff Richard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "The Twelfth of Never" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Donny Osmond | ||||
| from the album Alone Together | ||||
| B-side | "Life Is Just What You Make It" | |||
| Released | February 24, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | November 27, 1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:40 | |||
| Label | MGM Records 14503 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster | |||
| Donny Osmond singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Mathis initially disliked the song, which was released as the flip side to his number 1 hit single "Chances Are".[2]
It was written by Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster, the tune (except for the bridge) being adapted from "The Riddle Song" (also known as "I Gave My Love a Cherry"), an old English folk song. Mathis's original version reached number 9 on what is now called the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA in 1957.[3] A version by Cliff Richard was released in 1964 and reached number 8 in the UK.[4] Donny Osmond's version, produced by Mike Curb and Don Costa, was his second number 1 single in the UK, spending a single week at the top of the UK Singles Chart in March 1973.[5] In the U.S. it peaked at number 8.[6]
Chart performance
editJohnny Mathis original
| Chart (1957–58) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Sydney, Australia)[7] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 9 |
Cliff Richard version
| Chart (1964–65) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] | 6 |
| Hong Kong[10] | 5 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[11][12] | 9 |
| Malaysia[13] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 13 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[15] | 9 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 8 |
Donny Osmond version
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[9][17] | 2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] | 14 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] | 4 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[20] | 15 |
| Germany (Media Control)[21] | 29 |
| Malaysia[22] | 8 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] | 12 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[24] | 5 |
| Singapore[25] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[26] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[27] | 8 |
Certifications
edit- Donny Osmond version
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Notable cover versions
edit- 1963: Nina Simone recorded her version on her album Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall, also included on Folksy Nina.
- 1970: Tammy Wynette recorded her version on her album The Ways to Love a Man.
- 1974: Elvis Presley recorded an informal rehearsal which was released as a single in 1995 to promote Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters, reaching #21 in the UK.
- 1977ː David Houston on his album David Houston (single, reached #98 on US Billboard Country chart)
- 1989: Olivia Newton-John on her 1989 album Warm and Tender.
- 1993: Jeff Buckley: performed and recorded at his live performance and album Live at Sin-é
- 2005: Dolly Parton and Keith Urban on Parton's album Those Were the Days
- 2018: Jan Rot did a version in Dutch on his album Magistraal, the non-existing date translated as '30 Februari'.
References
edit- Notes
- ^ Obert 2015, p. 44.
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 23 - Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ Johnny Mathis chart positions at AllMusic. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "Cliff Richard's UK positions". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 284. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Donny Osmond chart positions at AllMusic. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ Barnes, Jim; Dyer, Fred; Scanes, Stephen (1986). The Book Top 40 Research 1986-1987 Second Edition-Update. Top 40 Research Services, Seven Hills, N.S.W.
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Johnny Mathis Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- ^ a b Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
- ^ Billboard (21 November 1964). "Hits of the World | Britain". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Billboard (28 November 1964). "Hits of the World | Eire". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 16. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ The Official Charts in Ireland began on October 4, 1962. Chart positions before that are taken from the Evening Herald Chart which was a Top Ten single chart published by the Irish daily newspaper Evening Herald between February 1959 and December 1962. "Ireland singles charts". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
- ^ Billboard (6 March 1965). "Hits of the Week | Malaysia". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 22. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ (nl) van Slooten, Johan (2005). Top 40 Hitdossier 1965-2005 (inclusief alle 'prehistorische' hits van 1956 to 1965) (in Dutch) (9th ed.). Haarlem: J.H. Gottmer / H.J.W. Becht BV. ISBN 90-230-1144-9.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – The Twelfth of Never". VG-lista.
- ^ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ Billboard (30 June 1973). "Hits of the World | Australia". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 57. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Donny Osmond – The Twelfth of Never" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "RPM 100 Singles - Volume 19, No. 11". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "Denmark singles chart - The Twelfth of Never". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
- ^ "Donny Osmond German singles at charts.de". Media Control. Charts.de. Retrieved 2014-06-17.[dead link]
- ^ Billboard (2 June 1973). "Hits of the World | Malaysia". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 69. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Donny Osmond – The Twelfth of Never" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Flavour of New Zealand, 9 July 1973". Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Billboard (16 June 1973). "Hits of the World". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 83. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Donny Osmond: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Donny Osmond Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- ^ "American single certifications – Donny Osmond – Twelfth of Never". Recording Industry Association of America.
- Works cited
- Ewen, David (1977). All the Years of Popular Music. Prentice Hall. p. 539. ISBN 0-13-022442-1. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
- Obert, Julia C. (2015). Postcolonial Overtures: The Politics of Sound in Contemporary Northern Irish Poetry (reprint ed.). Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815653493. Retrieved 12 June 2017.