The First British Band That Sold 1 Million Records

The First British Band That Sold 1 Million Records | I Love Classic Rock Videos

via Cliff Richard / Youtube

It is natural to think about British superstars when trying to compile a list of the best-selling artists of all time. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, and so on will all be included. But, when discussing which British band was the first to sell a million copies, however, the Fab Four only comes in at number two.

Long before the โ€œBritish Invasionโ€ came and blew everyoneโ€™s minds away, one group first sold a million copies with their song, โ€œThe Young Ones.โ€ The band in question? Cliff Richard and the Shadows.

Amazing as this may seem for a new British band, the songโ€™s tone is more indebted to Western music than anything often associated with Britain. When most guitarists picked up an instrument, they tried to sound like Chuck Berry. With this, โ€œThe Young Onesโ€ sounded southernized, much like what you would expect from a Johnny Cash album.

The country-sounding instruments belie the distinct rock and roll lyrics. Richard is discussing the world beyond their small community with his love, and is contemplating leaving their little, unremarkable town for a bigger and better one; his voice is full of dramatic overtones as he discusses this prospect.

Even while the British Invasion wouldnโ€™t truly begin until a few years later, the bandโ€™s swagger helped generate a lot of buzz for the band in its early days. An early reviewer proclaimed the charming Fab Fourย to be โ€œthe best thing that the English music scene has seen since the Shadows.โ€

Listen to โ€œThe Young Onesโ€ by Cliff Richard and the Shadows below.

YouTube video

YouTube video