Cliff Richard -

Cliff Richard (born Oct. 14, 1940) is an English pop vocalist with a career that has spanned more than 60 years, starting in the late 1950s amid the U.K.’s initial wave of home-grown rock performers. Between 1958 and 1963, he enjoyed teen-idol fame and a series of hits with his backing band The Shadows. In 1976, he entered the second phase of his career with the transatlantic breakthrough I’m Nearly Famous. Over the following seven-year period, he released eight albums in a contemporary rock vein with songs provided by Terry Britten, Alan Tarney, and Chris Eaton, among others.

Background

Richard was born Harry Rodger Webb on October 14, 1940, one of four children borne to English parents in Lucknow, India. His father was a catering contractor for Indian Railways in the then-British colony. When Harry was seven, the Webb family moved to England, where they settled in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, in 1949. At secondary school, he excelled in English literature.

An enthusiast of skiffle, his father bought him a guitar when he was sixteen. In 1957, Webb did brief stints in The Quintones (a doo-wop combo) and the Dick Teague Skiffle Group. The following year, he started singing for The Drifters, a rock n’ roll band with guitarist/songwriter Ian Samwell, guitarist Norman Mitham, and drummer Terry Smart. At his manager’s suggestion, Webb adopted the stagename Cliff as a synonym for “rock.” The surname Richard was added as an ode to his idol, Little Richard.

1958–1963

The Drifters’ debut single was the 1958 Samwell-penned “Move It” (b/w “Schoolboy Crush”), often cited as the first British rock n’ roll record. The song hit no. 2 on the UK chart and established Cliff Richard as a teen idol. It was followed with the 1958/59 hits “High Class Baby,” “Livin’ Lovin’ Doll,” “Mean Streak,” and “Living Doll,” his first UK no. 1 and US Billboard Top 30 hit. His first two albums, Cliff and Cliff Sings, appeared in 1959 on Columbia.

By the time of “Living Doll,” the Drifters’ lineup consisted of bassist Jet Harris, drummer Tony Meehan, and guitarists Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch. Upon learning of the namesake US doo wop combo, they changed their name to The Shadows. They served as Cliff’s backing band until 1968 and recorded separately as an instrumental rock band, scoring hits with “Apache,” “Kon-Tiki,” “FBI,” “Wonderful Land,” and “Foot Tapper.”

Richard made his film debut, accompanied by The Shadows, in the 1959 drama Serious Charge. Between 1960 and 1965, he notched 23 UK Top 10 hits and starred in the musical dramas Expresso Bongo (1960), The Young Ones (1961), Summer Holiday (1963), and Wonderful Life (1964). His most enduring songs from the period include the prophetic “Bachelor Boy” and the movie themes “The Young Ones” and “Summer Holiday.”

1964–1967

As Beatlemania and the British beat boom broke globally in 1964, Richard remained popular throughout the British Isles, the commonwealth, and mainland Europe. However, he was unable to crack the US market, despite scoring a second Billboard Top 30 hit with his 1963 single “It’s All in the Game” (US #25, 1964).

In 1966, Cliff became a devout Christian, a change that initially made him question his career choice. Urged to continue, he eventually reconciled his faith with the secular music world and used his platform to spread his message. He starred that year in the musical comedy Finders Keepers and provided music for the sci-fi puppet film Thunderbirds Are Go. With the Shadows, he scored a UK #15 hit with the Jagger/Richards composition “Blue Turns to Grey,” followed by six Top 10 hits in 1966/67: “Visions,” “Time Drags By,” “In the Country,” “It’s All Over,” “The Day I Met Marie,” and “All My Love (Solo Tu).”

1968–1970

In 1967, Richard starred in the romantic drama Two a Penny, where he plays a drug-addled pop singer whose girlfriend (played by actress Ann Holloway) turns to faith. The film was released to national audiences in 1968 along with a namesake soundtrack. It features 14 tracks, 11 performed by Cliff with backing by the Mike Leander Orchestra, plus three instrumentals.

Musically, Two a Penny finds Cliff embracing late ’60s baroque pop, as heard on the tracks “Questions,” “Lonely Girl” (both rare co-writes from Cliff) and “Close to Kathy.” The Richard-Collier-penned “I’ll Love You Forever Today” was issued as a single. Like most of Richard’s work up to 1972, the album was produced by Norrie Paramor.

Also in 1968, Richard scored a UK #1 with the Bill Martin/Phil Coulter ditty “Congratulations,” the UK entry in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, where it placed #2. He also covered “Marianne,” recorded earlier that year by Sergio Endrigo as Italy’s representative in the contest.

Richard’s fourteenth studio album, Sincerely, appeared in October 1969 on Columbia. It features 14 songs recorded between September 1966 and April 1969 at Abbey Road Studios. Leander conducted and arranged six tracks, including the Buzz Clifford cover “Baby I Could Be So Good at Loving You,” Mick Cahill’s “In the Past,” and the Terry Britten composition “Always.”

Another Britten song, “Take Action” (arranged by Brian Bennett), is a 7/8 psych-rocker recut from the prior year’s Once Upon a Twilight by Britten’s Australian beat band The Twilights. This marked the start of a Richard/Britten partnership that would reach its full fruition during the late 1970s. Sincerely also includes covers of songs by Paul Simon (“For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her”) and Mike D’Abo (“Punch and Judy”), plus the Hank Marvin-supplied “London’s Not Too Far.”

In 1970, Richard scored a hit in several countries with the non-album single “Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha” and released About That Man, an album of religious music. His next secular album (and sixteenth studio album overall) was Tracks ‘n Grooves, released that November. It features songs written by Dick Holler (“Abraham, Martin & John,” earlier a hit for Dion), Neil Diamond (“Put My Mind at Ease”), Raymond Froggatt (“Are You Only Fooling Me”), Sedaka/Bayer Sager (“Your Heart’s Not In Your Love”), and one apiece from Marvin (“Love, Truth & Emily Stone”) and Britten (“What a Silly Thing To Do”).

Tracks ‘n Grooves starts with the Leander/Eddie Seago co-write “Early in the Morning,” which Cliff charted with in Japan the prior year. However, a recording of the song by popsters Vanity Fair beat his version in the UK and US markets. This would be his last proper studio album for four years.

Between 1970 and 1974, Richard hosted the BBC1 music program It’s Cliff Richard. It featured a slew of musical guests, including Daliah Lavi, Mary Hopkin, Cilla Black, Clodagh Rodgers, Labi Siffre, and Elton John. The Christmas Eve 1970 broadcast marked an early UK television appearance by English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, who sang her first of several duets with Richard, backed by the Shadows-spinoff Marvin, Welch & Farrar. (Welch was Newton-John’s then-boyfriend and Farrar, a future Shadow, was her longtime songwriter).

Take Me High

Cliff Richard released the soundtrack to Take Me High in December 1973 on Columbia (EMI).

A1. “It’s Only Money” (2:43) mid-tempo acoustic strum (in G) with lively contoured vocals, brassy choruses, and explosive, searing guitar refrains.
A2. “Midnight Blue”
A3. The David Mackay Orchestra – “Hover”
A4. “Why?”
A5. “Life” (3:28) brisk acoustic Christian country-rocker (in G minor) with melodramatic vocals and a rousing gospel chorus (in B flat) and gritty soaring guitar refrain.
A6. “Driving”
A7. “The Game” (3:13) plucked descending acoustic figure (rooted in D minor) with airy tender vocals, unaccompanied until the brush-drum chorus, joined with pizzicato harp.
A8. “Brumburger Duet”

B1. “Take Me High” (2:45) strummed intro cuts to a descending cabaret piano verse (in D minor) that resolves in a harmonized Tin Pan Alley chorus in common chords (mainly C)
B2. “The Anti-Brotherhood of Man”
B3. “Winning”
B4. The David Mackay Orchestra – “Driving”
B5. “Join the Band”
B6. “The Word Is Love” (2:33) strummed acoustic ballad (in F) with resigned, tender vocals, gradually joined by plucked mandolin, rhythmic bass, steel guitar (all faint); thematic keyboard middle.
B7. “Brumburger Finale”

“Celestial Houses” (2:47) plucked acoustic verses (in C minor) with mannered lines of hope and a swelling gospel chorus.

The 31st of February Street

Cliff Richard released his seventeenth studio album, The 31st of February Street, in November 1974 on EMI.

A1. “Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling” (3:34) tender, melancholy verses with plucked acoustic guitar (in F); countered with hopeful country-gospel chorus, set to a stately rhythm with steel twang.
A2. “The Leaving” (3:19) descending Wurlitzer intro; tender contoured verses (in F) with plucked acoustic guitar, soon overlaid with pedal steel.
A3. “Travelin’ Light” (2:44)
A4. “There You Go Again” (2:55)
A5. “Nothing To Remind Me” (2:59) percussive riff-laden intro (in G minor) with a pensive guitar theme, funky wah-wah licks, and melancholy vocals; soft trumpet solo.
A6. “Our Love Could Be So Real” (3:10) deep sliding bass intro (in low E), overlaid with slow, tender vocals and faint acoustic plucking with beaconing synth strings; moderate brush-drum chorus (in F major 7).

B1. “No Matter What” (3:12)
B2. “Fireside Song” (3:01)
B3. “Going Away” (3:13)
B4. “Long Long Time” (3:01)
B5. “You Will Never Know” (3:12)
B6. “The Singer” (4:32)

I’m Nearly Famous

Cliff Richard released his eighteenth studio album, I’m Nearly Famous, on May 7, 1976, on EMI.

The album marked a reinvention of Richard’s sound after a period of reduced visibility on the UK charts. It presents an eclectic mix of funk, country, disco, and retro pop influences. Its arrangements alternate between orchestral ballads, acoustic folk numbers, and gritty, syncopated rock tracks. The record also inaugurated his three-album secular collaboration with Shadows guitarist Bruce Welch, who produced the sessions.

I’m Nearly Famous features backing by guitarist Terry Britten, keyboardist Graham Todd, bassist Alan Tarney, and Tornados drummer Clem Cattini. String arrangements were handled by Andrew Powell and Richard Hewson, with backing vocals by Ken Gold, Tony Rivers, and Charles John Perry.

Terry Britten wrote “I Wish You’d Change Your Mind” and co-wrote “Devil Woman” with Christine Holmes (Kristine Sparkle). Ken Gold and Michael Denne co-wrote “I Can’t Ask for Anymore Than You” and “You’ve Got to Give Me All Your Lovin’.” Michael Allison and Peter Sills supplied four songs, including the title track. Other inclusions are “Miss You Nights” by Dave Townsend, “Lovers” by Mickey Newbury, “Such Is the Mystery” by John Dawson-Read, and “If You Walked Away” by David Pomeranz. Richard also recorded the Tim Moore song “Love Enough” during the sessions, issued as a b-side.

The material ranges from acoustic folk (“I Wish You’d Change Your Mind”) and country-pop (“Junior Cowboy”) to dramatic rock (“Devil Woman”) and contoured retro rock (“I’m Nearly Famous”). Orchestral ballads like “Miss You Nights,” “Lovers,” and “If You Walked Away” contrast with the syncopated, funk-inflected closer “Alright, It’s Alright.” Lyrically, the album explores themes of longing, devotion, romantic disillusionment, and spiritual uncertainty, with “Devil Woman” framed as a cautionary narrative and “Such Is the Mystery” pondering questions of creation.

A1. “I Can’t Ask for Anymore Than You” (2:54) — co-written by Ken Gold and Michael Denne.
A2. “It’s No Use Pretending” (3:48) — written by Michael Allison and Peter Sills.
A3. “I’m Nearly Famous” (3:29) — written by Allison and Sills.
A4. “Lovers” (3:43) — originated as the title track to Mickey Newbury’s 1975 album.
A5. “Junior Cowboy” (3:30) — written by Allison and Sills.
A6. “Miss You Nights” (3:55) — written by Dave Townsend.

B1. “I Wish You’d Change Your Mind” (4:00) — written by Terry Britten.
B2. “Devil Woman” (3:35) — co-written by Britten and Christine Holmes.
B3. “Such Is the Mystery” (3:22) — written by John Dawson-Read.
B4. “You’ve Got to Give Me All Your Lovin’” (3:45) — co-written by Gold and Denne.
B5. “If You Walked Away” (3:45) — originated on David Pomeranz’s 1975 album It’s in Everyone of Us.
B6. “Alright, It’s Alright” (2:32) — written by Allison and Sills.

Sessions spanned September–December 1975 at Abbey Road Studios in London with producer Bruce Welch and string arrangements by Andrew Powell and Richard Hewson.

I’m Nearly Famous appeared in a single sleeve with a soft-focus photograph of Cliff writing in a sunlit room. The image was shot by Bill Richmond.

EMI promoted the album with “Miss You Nights” (b/w “Love Enough”) on November 14, 1975. It reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. “Devil Woman” followed on April 16, 1976, and reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The promotional video features Richard gesturing under shadow and trail lighting in a green top with red trim. “I Can’t Ask for Anymore Than You” became the third single on July 30 (b/w “Junior Cowboy”), peaking at No. 17 in the UK.

The album reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and became Richard’s breakthrough in the US market through Elton John’s Rocket Record Company, giving him his first American Top 10 hit with “Devil Woman.” During its promotion, Richard became the first major pop star to perform in the USSR, appearing for two nights in Leningrad on August 16 and 17, 1976.

Every Face Tells a Story

Cliff Richard released his nineteenth studio album, Every Face Tells a Story, on March 18, 1977, on EMI.

The album blends twangy roots rock, retro boogie, reflective piano balladry, and crisp pop production. Richard fronts a studio band comprised of Alan Tarney (bass, guitar), Terry Britten (guitar), Graham Todd (keyboards), Brian Bennett (drums), and Tony Rivers (backing vocals).

Cliff opens with the affirmational “My Kinda Life,” a rockabilly-rooted ode to a simple, music-driven existence that rejects commercial compromise in favor of personal joy. “Must Be Love” follows in a buoyant ‘50s pop-boogie style, framing love as an inescapable force realized through sleepless longing and playful metaphors. The orchestral ballad “When Two Worlds Drift Apart” shifts to quiet sorrow, tracing the collapse of a relationship through poetic imagery and gradual instrumental swell. “You Got Me Wondering” returns to acoustic folk textures, using spiritual curiosity and gratitude to explore the mysteries of creation. The twangy, mid-tempo rocker “Every Face Tells a Story (It Never Tells a Lie)” presents moral and spiritual truths through vivid character sketches, contrasting visible reality with deceit. “Try a Smile” closes the first side with a piano-led power ballad that wrestles with self-imposed solitude and unresolved love.

The second side mixes polished pop and country-rock uplift with bittersweet introspection. “Don’t Turn the Light Out” builds on clipped guitar and sunny Moog rays as Cliff pleads to salvage a relationship after a misunderstanding. “Hey Mr. Dream Maker” uses soft acoustic textures to depict post-breakup pain and the urge to escape into fantasy. The upbeat “Give Me Love Your Way” bursts with chromatic drive and doo-wop harmonies, celebrating a love freely expressed and returned. “Up in the World” closes the album on a restrained, string-laden note, contrasting one partner’s rise with the emotional distance left behind.

A1. “My Kinda Life” (3:48) — written by Chris East
A2. “Must Be Love” (4:19) — written by Terry Britten
A3. “When Two Worlds Drift Apart” (4:14) — written by Peter Sills
A4. “You Got Me Wondering” (3:38) — written by Terry Britten
A5. “Every Face Tells a Story (It Never Tells a Lie)” (3:20) — written by Michael Allison and Peter Sills; first recorded by Olivia Newton-John for her 1976 album Don’t Stop Believin’; she issued it as a single that November, reaching No. 6 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
A6. “Try a Smile” (3:20) — written by John Perry

B1. “Hey Mr. Dream Maker” (4:48) — written by Bruce Welch and Alan Tarney; first recorded by Olivia Newton-John on Don’t Stop Believin’, released one week prior to Richard’s single version.
B2. “Give Me Love Your Way” (3:44) — written by Alan Tarney and Trevor Spencer
B3. “Up in the World” (2:40) — written by Clifford T. Ward
B4. “Don’t Turn the Light Out” (4:01) — written by Guy Fletcher and Doug Flett
B5. “It’ll Be Me Babe” (3:20) — written by Hank Marvin and John Farrar
B6. “Spider Man” (6:50 / 3:34) — written by Terry Britten; the shorter version appears on the US Rocket issue.

Sessions took place at Abbey Road Studios in London with producer Bruce Welch and engineer Peter Vince.

The UK/European cover shows seven side-to-side images of Cliff, each posed differently in an off-white tracksuit against a white backdrop. The back cover features the letters of the title words jumbled together in various three-dimensional fonts. The US Rocket issue replaces this with a grayscale close-up of Cliff and resequences Side B.

EMI promoted Every Face Tells a Story with “Hey Mr. Dream Maker,” issued on November 6, 1976 (b/w “No One Waits”), which reached No. 6 in South Africa. “My Kinda Life” followed on February 18, 1977 (b/w “Nothing Left for Me to Say”) and reached No. 15 in the UK and France and No. 18 in the Netherlands. Richard mimed the song for Top of the Pops on March 3 and 17, 1977. “When Two Worlds Drift Apart” appeared on June 10 as the third UK single (b/w “That’s Why I Love You,” a cover of Andrew Gold’s 1975 track). Cliff shot a Super 8 promo clip and mimed the number for the June 30 TotP broadcast.

In the US, Rocket issued “Don’t Turn the Light Out” as the first single (b/w “Nothing Left for Me to Say”), which peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Try a Smile” followed in August (b/w “You’ve Got Me Wondering”) and reached No. 48 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The album reached No. 8 on the UK Albums chart.

Small Corners

In March 1978, Cliff Richard released Small Corners, an album of contemporary Christian music on EMI.

A1. “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music” (4:05)
A2. “I Love” (3:15)
A3. “Why Me” (2:40)
A4. “I’ve Got News for You” (4:14)
A5. “Hey Watcha’ Say” (3:56)
A6. “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” (4:38)

B1. “Joseph” (3:22)
B2. “Good on the Sally Army” (3:04)
B3. “Going Home” (2:51)
B4. “Up in Canada” (2:44)
B5. “Yes He Lives” (3:28)
B6. “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (2:11)

Green Light

Cliff Richard released his 21st studio album, Green Light, on September 29, 1978, on EMI.

A1. “Green Light” (4:00)
A2. “Under Lock & Key” (3:32)
A3. “She’s a Gypsy” (4:07)
A4. “Count Me Out” (4:10)
A5. “Please Remember Me” (3:15)
A6. “Never Even Thought” (4:08)

B1. “Free My Soul” (3:52)
B2. “Start All Over Again” (3:52)
B3. “While She’s Young” (2:44)
B4. “Can’t Take the Hurt Anymore” (3:45)
B5. “Easy Along” (4:25)

Rock ‘n’ Roll Juvenile

Cliff Richard released his 22nd studio album, Rock ‘n’ Roll Juvenile, on September 7, 1979, on EMI.

A1. “Monday Thru’ Friday” (3:46)
A2. “Doing Fine” (3:05)
A3. “Cities May Fall” (4:16)
A4. “You Know That I Love You” (2:52)
A5. “My Luck Won’t Change” (4:12)
A6. “Rock’n’Roll Juvenile” (2:46)

B1. “Sci-Fi” (3:47)
B2. “Fallin’ in Luv” (3:09)
B3. “Carrie” (3:42)
B4. “Hot Shot” (3:22)
B5. “Language of Love” (4:39)
B6. “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (4:12)

“Walking In the Light”

I’m No Hero

Cliff Richard released his 23rd studio album, I’m No Hero, on September 1, 1980, on EMI.

A1. “Take Another Look” (4:10)
A2. “Anything I Can Do” (4:00)
A3. “A Little in Love” (3:38)
A4. “Here” (3:47)
A5. “Give a Little Bit More” (3:33)

B1. “In the Night” (3:45)
B2. “I’m No Hero” (3:22)
B3. “Dreaming” (3:37)
B4. “A Heart Will Break Tonight” (3:56)
B5. “Everyman” (4:06)

“Keep On Looking”
“Dynamite”

Wired for Sound

Cliff Richard released his 24th studio album, Wired for Sound, on September 14, 1981, on EMI.

A1. “Wired for Sound” (3:38)
A2. “Once in a While” (4:40)
A3. “Better Than I Know Myself” (3:43)
A4. “Oh No, Don’t Let Go” (3:28)
A5. “‘Cos I Love That Rock ‘n’ Roll” (4:12)

B1. “Broken Doll” (4:18)
B2. “Lost in a Lonely World” (4:03)
B3. “Summer Rain” (4:18)
B4. “Young Love” (4:04)
B5. “Daddy’s Home” (3:00)

“Hold On”

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

Cliff Richard released his 25th studio album, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, on August 30, 1982, on EMI.

A1. “The Only Way Out” (3:20)
A2. “First Date” (3:33)
A3. “Thief in the Night” (3:50)
A4. “Where Do We Go From Here” (2:53)
A5. “Son of Thunder” (3:58)
A6. “Little Town” (4:03)

B1. “It Has to Be You, It Has to Be Me” (4:17)
B2. “The Water Is Wide” (3:50)
B3. “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” (3:00)
B4. “Be in My Heart” (4:38)
B5. “Discovering” (4:50)

Silver [Give a Little Bit More]

Cliff Richard released his 26th studio album, Silver, on October 3, 1983, on EMI.

A1. “Silver’s Home Tonight” (3:44)
A2. “Hold On” (3:22)
A3. “Never Say Die (Give a Little Bit More)” (3:40)
A4. “Front Page” (3:12)
A5. “Ocean Deep” (5:21)

B1. “Locked Inside Your Prison” (3:28)
B2. “Please Don’t Fall in Love” (3:12)
B3. “Baby You’re Dynamite” (3:56)
B4. “The Golden Days Are Over” (4:21)
B5. “Love Stealer” (3:40)