Second number one for Newley (and writer Lionel Bart), though unlike the previous 'Why', 'Do You Mind' is more twee than flat out irritating. True to form, Newley treats it like it's his own personal toybox but 'Do You Mind' is too slight to lend itself to too much manipulation and its lack of actual toys means Newley winds up playing with the box like a bored child, distorting the song with his vocal until it loses its simplicity and starts to grate like a sore tooth (though ham-fisted lines like "I want to whisper, whisper sweet nothings in your ear, nothings that are meant for my love alone to hear" don't do much for Bart's reputation either).To be fair, 'Do You Mind' is a more modern sounding record than 'Why', but only in terms of its immediate environment; its spaced out, fingersnapping twang would soon come to sound old hat too and this, coupled with Newley's refusal/inability to play it straight (listen to that snap of 'luvya' at 1:38) means 'Do You Mind' has not withstood any of the tests of time. Except insofar as its spectre would haunt much of the early output of one David Bowie before he strapped on his spacesuit and left earth behind.
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