Surf Wiki
Save to docs
arts/music

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

The Twelfth of Never

1956 song by Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster

1956 song by Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster

FieldValue
nameThe Twelfth of Never
coverChances Are (1957 Johnny Mathis single) US cover.jpg
captionUS 7-inch single picture sleeve
typesingle
artistJohnny Mathis
albumJohnny's Greatest Hits
A-side"Chances Are"
releasedAugust 12, 1957
studioColumbia 30th Street Studio, New York City
genrePop
length
labelColumbia
writerJerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster
producer
prev_titleIt's Not for Me to Say
prev_year1957
titleChances Are
title2The Twelfth of Never
next_titleWild Is the Wind
next_title2No Love (But Your Love)
next_year1957
misc
Note

the Johnny Mathis song

| A-side = "Chances Are"

"The Twelfth of Never" is a popular song adapted from an old English folk song in 1956 by Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster. Various recording artists have had chart hits with "The Twelfth of Never", including Johnny Mathis, Cliff Richard, Donny Osmond and Slim Whitman.

Background

"The Twelfth of Never" was adapted from "The Riddle Song" (also known as "I Gave My Love a Cherry"), an old English folk song. Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster wrote the bridge and new lyrics in 1956. The title "The Twelfth of Never" is an idiom referring to the date of a future occurrence that will never come to pass. 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 her.

Johnny Mathis version

Johnny Mathis recorded "The Twelfth of Never" and another song, "Chances Are", on June 16, 1957, with Mitch Miller and Al Ham producing. Years later Mathis told John Gilliland's Pop Chronicles:

"The Twelfth of Never" I disliked from the very beginning because it was all based on one chord. The only thing I liked about it was the marvelous bridge released in the middle of the song… My knees were shaking when I recorded that, but I didn't like it because it was all so repetitious and nothing seemed to happen. And I was really Joe College at that time. I was right out of college, and I was, you know, hot to trot. I wanted to do something, you know, rah-rah-rah, you know, something earth-shattering—at least pyrotechnical.

Release and reception

"The Twelfth of Never" was released on August 12, 1957, with the A-side "Chances Are".

The editors of Cash Box magazine compared "The Twelfth of Never" to "Chances Are", writing that the former "displays Johnny in a more dramatic vein as he chants an emotional and very touching folk flavored ballad of deep love." After noting the origins of the song, the Billboard editors wrote, "Charming new lyrics and presentation by Mathis should attract."

In his 2023 book B-Side: A Flipsided History of Pop, Andy Cowan mentioned several other artists who have covered the song but wrote, "none have quite matched Mathis's quivering emotional reach or the sustained emotive power of his heavy vibrato." In 2024 American Songwriter included "The Twelfth of Never" on its list of 5 Songs that Show Johnny Mathis Is the King of the Classic Ballad Singers. They wrote:

Chart performance

Chart (1957–58)Peak
position
Australia (Sydney, Australia)2
US *Billboard* Top 10051
US Best Sellers in Stores (*Billboard*)4
US Most Played by Jockeys (*Billboard*)9

| B-side = "I'm Afraid to Go Home"

Cliff Richard version

A version by Cliff Richard was released in 1964 and reached number 8 in the UK. It also hit number 3 in Malaysia, number 5 in Hong Kong, number 6 in Australia, number 9 in Ireland and Norway

The editors of Billboard wrote, "The hot English vocalist with a tasteful reading of the old Johnny Mathis hit should prove equally successful on the charts. A bow to producer Norrie Paramor."

In a retrospective review of More Hits by Cliff, AllMusic's Dave Thompson included Richard's "skillful reading" of "The Twelfth of Never" on his list of "exquisite" singles on the compilation.

Chart performance

Chart (1964–65)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)6
Hong Kong5
Ireland (IRMA)9
Malaysia3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)13
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)7

| B-side = "Life Is Just What You Make It"

Donny Osmond version

Donny Osmond's version, produced by Mike Curb and Don Costa, debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated March 3, 1973, and spent 13 weeks there, peaking at number 8 in the April 28 issue. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending March 10, 1973, but rose to its peak position there much more quickly, spending a week at number one three weeks later, on March 31. It also went to number 7 on ''Billboard'''s Adult Contemporary chart during its 9 weeks there.

The editors of Billboard wrote, "Donny provides a full, alive interpretation to this beautiful evergreen. His voice is getting deeper and there is a nice contrast between his vocal quality and Costa's mid-range string sounds."

In a retrospective review of Osmond's 1973 album Alone Together, AllMusic's Dave Thompson wrote that "his version of 'Twelfth of Never' is all but definitive".

Chart performance

Chart (1973)Peak
position
author=((Billboard))title=Hits of the World Australiamagazine=Billboardurl=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_FgkEAAAAMBAJdate=30 June 1973publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.pages=[57](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_FgkEAAAAMBAJ/page/n56)issn=0006-2510}}2
Canada Top Singles (*RPM*)4
url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=1696title=Denmark singles chart - The Twelfth of Neverpublisher=danskehitlister.dkaccess-date=2014-06-17}}15
Germany (Media Control)29
author=((Billboard))title=Hits of the World Malaysiamagazine=Billboardurl=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HQkEAAAAMBAJdate=2 June 1973publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.pages=69issn=0006-2510}}8
New Zealand (*Listener*)5
author=((Billboard))title=Hits of the Worldmagazine=Billboardurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=GgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA83date=16 June 1973publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.pages=83issn=0006-2510}}2
US *Billboard* Adult Contemporary7
US *Billboard* Hot 1008

Certifications

;Donny Osmond version

Other charting versions

  • 1966: Slim Whitman reached number 17 on ''Billboard'''s Country singles chart.
  • 1969: The Chi-Lites took the song to number 47 on the R&B chart. They also "bubbled under" the Hot 100 in Billboard to number 122.
  • 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 number 21 in the UK.
  • 1977ː David Houston's version on his album David Houston spent its one week on the Billboard Country chart at number 98. The magazine's editors noted that it was one of the best songs on the album.

Notable cover versions

Various versions of "The Twelfth of Never" have been praised by the editors of Cash Box magazine in reviews of the albums on which they appear. In their critique of For You, For Me, For Evermore by the Anita Kerr Quartet in 1960, they wrote that "their smooth blend gently caresses such stalwarts as… 'The Twelfth of Never'". Claude Gray's 1962 recording on the album Country Goes to Town was described as "warm and intimate". On Bobby Vinton Sings the Big Ones in 1962, the singer "shines". The 1963 album The Fleetwoods Sing for Lovers by Night includes a "professional and harmonious rendition" of the song. They described the version on 1963's Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall as a "top-flight reading". The editors called the song one of the "bright bands" on both Mel Carter's When a Boy Falls in Love in 1963 and Billy J. Kramer's I'll Keep You Satisfied in 1964.

Billboard also highlighted recordings of "The Twelfth of Never" in various reviews. They felt that the version on 1963's Swing Along with Floyd Cramer "should get a lot of play" by radio stations. They gave Mark Dinning's 1963 recording four stars. The song was mentioned as one of the "highly playable tracks" on Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall. The 1966 album Chér had a "fresh approach". Arthur Prysock brought "his very own phrasing and intonation" to the track from 1969's Where the Soul Trees Grow. Tammy Wynette's rendition on 1970's The Ways to Love a Man was "beautiful". They felt it was one of the best songs on Charlie Rich's Tomorrow Night in 1973 and Charlie McCoy's Charlie My Boy in 1975.

AllMusic critics have commented in retrospective and contemporary reviews on various interpretations of the song. In his comments on the version from Oliver's 1970 album Again, Joe Viglione wrote that "the execution is way off". Conversely, he described Olivia Newton-John's rendition on her 1989 album Warm and Tender as a "great job". Scott Yanow noted that the "folkish" arrangement on Dianne Reeves's 1997 album That Day… was a highlight. In a review of The Greatest Love Songs of All Time by Barry Manilow in 2010, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as "great".

Notes

:A. Neither the original 45 and 78 rpm singles nor the liner notes for Johnny's Greatest Hits provided producer credits, but other compilations have. The Essential Johnny Mathis, Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration and The Singles acknowledge Mitch Miller as a producer, but The Essential Johnny Mathis also credits Al Ham as a producer on this song.

References

Bibliography

  • {{citation

References

  1. {{Harvnb. Furia. 2002
  2. {{Harvnb. Obert. 2015
  3. Columbia Records. (2015). "The Singles". [[Columbia Records]].
  4. (February 1969). "Show 23 - Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66. [Part 2], The Music Men. [Part 1]". [[KRLA]].
  5. "The Twelfth of Never" spent 17 weeks on ''[[Billboard (magazine). Billboard]]'' magazine's [[Billboard Hot 100. Top 100]] [[record chart]], a predecessor to the Hot 100 that combined the statistics from the magazine's [[Billboard Hot 100. Best Sellers in Stores]] and [[Billboard Hot 100. Whitburn. 2009
  6. . (August 31, 1957). ["The Cash Box Record Reviews > The Cash Box Disk of the Week > "The Twelfth of Never""](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/50s/1957/CB-1957-08-31-OCR-Page-0010.pdf#search=%22mathis%20wonderful%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  7. . (August 26, 1957). ["The Billboard's Weekly Tips on Coming Tops > Review Spotlight on{{nbsp}}… Pop Records > Johnny Mathis – The Twelfth of Never"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/50s/1957/Billboard%201957-08-26.pdf).
  8. {{Harvnb. Cowan. 2023
  9. American Songwriter. (September 4, 2024). "5 Songs that Show Johnny Mathis Is the King of the Classic Ballad Singers". Savage Media Holdings.
  10. (1986). "The Book Top 40 Research 1986-1987 Second Edition-Update". Top 40 Research Services, Seven Hills, N.S.W..
  11. ((Billboard)). (6 March 1965). "Hits of the Week {{!}} Malaysia". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
  12. ((Billboard)). (21 November 1964). "Hits of the World {{!}} Britain". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
  13. Kent, David. (2005). "Australian Chart Book 1940–1969". Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W..
  14. ((Billboard)). (28 November 1964). "Hits of the World {{!}} Eire". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
  15. van Slooten, Johan. (2005). "Top 40 Hitdossier 1965-2005 (inclusief alle 'prehistorische' hits van 1956 to 1965)". J.H. Gottmer / H.J.W. Becht BV.
  16. . (September 4, 1965). ["Spotlight Singles > Pop Spotlights > Top 60 Spotlights > Cliff Richard – The Twelfth of Never"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1966/Billboard%201965-09-04-OCR-Page-0016.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  17. Thompson, Dave. "More Hits by Cliff – Cliff Richard".
  18. https://web.archive.org/web/20210208152851/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=Lever%20hit%20parades&qyear=1964&qmonth=Dec&qweek=03-Dec-1964#n_view_location
  19. "Donny Osmond Chart History > Billboard Hot 100".
  20. "Charts - Donny Osmond". [[Official Charts Company]].
  21. "Donny Osmond Chart History > Adult Contemporary".
  22. . (February 24, 1973). ["Billboard Radio Action & Pick Singles > Pop Picks > Donny Osmond – The Twelfth of Never"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1973/1973-02-24-Billboard-Page-0051.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  23. Thompson, Dave. "Alone Together/A Time for Us – Donny Osmond".
  24. ((Billboard)). (30 June 1973). "Hits of the World {{!}} Australia". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
  25. "RPM 100 Singles - Volume 19, No. 11".
  26. "Denmark singles chart - The Twelfth of Never". danskehitlister.dk.
  27. "Donny Osmond German singles at charts.de". Charts.de.
  28. ((Billboard)). (2 June 1973). "Hits of the World {{!}} Malaysia". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
  29. "Flavour of New Zealand, 9 July 1973".
  30. ((Billboard)). (16 June 1973). "Hits of the World". Nielsen Business Media, Inc..
  31. "Slim Whitman > Biography, Music & News > Billboard". Billboard.com.
  32. "US Charts > The Chi-Lites".
  33. {{Harvnb. Whitburn. 2009
  34. "Elvis Presley {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company".
  35. "David Houston > Biography, Music & News > Billboard". Billboard.com.
  36. . (September 24, 1977). ["''Billboard''{{'}}s Recommended LPs > Country > ''David Houston''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1977/1977-09-24-Billboard-Page-0092.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  37. . (December 3, 1960). ["The Cash Box Record Reviews > ''For You, For Me, For Evermore'' – The Anita Kerr Quartet"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1960/CB-1960-12-03-OCR-Page-0039.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  38. . (August 11, 1962). ["Cash Box Album Reviews > ''Country Goes to Town'' – Claude Gray"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1962/CB-1962-08-11-OCR-Page-0161.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  39. . (December 1, 1962). ["Cash Box Album Reviews > Popular Picks of the Week > ''Bobby Vinton Sings the Big Ones''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1962/CB-1962-12-01-OCR-Page-0022.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  40. . (January 26, 1963). ["Cash Box Album Reviews > Popular Picks of the Week > ''The Fleetwoods Sing for Lovers by Night''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1963/CB-1963-01-26-OCR-Page-0030.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  41. . (July 27, 1963). ["Cash Box Album Reviews > Popular Picks of the Week > ''Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1963/CB-1963-07-27-OCR-Page-0022.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  42. . (September 28, 1963). ["Cash Box Album Reviews > Pop Best Bets > ''When a Boy Falls in Love'' – Mel Carter"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1963/CB-1963-09-28-OCR-Page-0032.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  43. . (October 10, 1964). ["Cash Box Album Reviews > Pop Picks > ''I'll Keep You Satisfied''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/60s/1964/CB-1964-10-10-OCR-Page-0022.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22). *Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.*.
  44. . (February 16, 1963). ["Album Reviews > Pop Spotlight > ''Swing Along with Floyd Cramer''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1963/Billboard%201963-02-16-OCR-Page-0025.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  45. . (June 22, 1963). ["Four Star Singles > Popular > Mark Dinning – "Somebody Catch Me Kissin'"/"The Twelfth of Never""](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1963/Billboard%201963-06-22-OCR-Page-0026.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  46. . (August 3, 1963). ["Special Merit Picks > Pop Special Merit > ''Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1963/Billboard%201963-08-03-OCR-Page-0032.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  47. . (September 17, 1966). ["Album Reviews > Pop Spotlight > ''Cher''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1966/Billboard%201966-09-17-OCR-Page-0104.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  48. . (November 1, 1969). ["''Billboard'' Album Reviews > Special Merit Picks > Popular > Arthur Prysock – ''Where the Soul Trees Grow''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1969/BB-1969-11-01-OCR-Page-0076.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  49. . (January 31, 1970). ["''Billboard'' Album Reviews > Country > Tammy Wynette – ''The Ways to Love a Man''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1970/1970-01-31-Billboard-Page-0059.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  50. . (July 7, 1973). ["''Billboard''{{'}}s Top Album Picks > Country Picks > Charlie Rich – ''Tomorrow Night''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1973/1973-07-07-Billboard-Page-0056.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  51. . (March 29, 1975). ["''Billboard''{{'}}s Top Album Picks > Country > Charlie McCoy – ''Charlie My Boy''"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1975/1975-03-29-Billboard-Page-0096.pdf#search=%22twelfth%20never%22).
  52. Viglione, Joe. "Oliver Again - Oliver".
  53. Viglione, Joe. "Warm and Tender - Olivia Newton-John".
  54. Yanow, Scott. "That Day - Dianne Reeves".
  55. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time – Barry Manilow".
  56. Columbia Records. (2004). "The Essential Johnny Mathis". [[Columbia Records]].
  57. Sony BMG. (2006). "Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration". [[Sony BMG]].
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1956-songs 1957-singles 1969-singles 1973-singles songs-written-by-jerry-livingston songs-with-lyrics-by-paul-francis-webster johnny-mathis-songs the-chi-lites-songs cliff-richard-songs donny-osmond-songs elvis-presley-songs uk-singles-chart-number-one-singles mgm-records-singles columbia-records-singles song-recordings-produced-by-norrie-paramor columbia-graphophone-company-singles david-houston-(singer)-songs 1950s-ballads
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about The Twelfth of Never — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report