14 number ones and a knighthood... you can’t plan for that
SIR CLIFF RICHARD TELLS MARION McMULLEN WHY HE IS PLANNING A BELATED 80TH BIRTHDAY BASH, AND THERE’S LOTS TO CELEBRATE
SIR CLIFF RICHARD is Britain’s ultimate pop star and the only performer to have had number one hits in every decade from the 1950s to the end of the 20th Century.
He’s topped the charts with songs like Living Doll, Bachelor Boy, The Young Ones, Summer Holiday and Devil Woman, but still vividly recalls his very first hit.
“I was just 18 when Move It reached number two in the charts and I don’t remember a massive celebration as royalties had not yet filtered through,” he says. “We were still living in a council house and I think the echoes of my sisters’ and my mum’s screams of joy can still be heard there... and I got a hug from my Dad!”
The movies soon came calling with films like Summer Holiday, Wonderful Life and The Young Ones, and he made an early appearance in the 1959 movie Expresso Bongo as a young teenager discovered singing in a coffee house.
“Making movies was never on my radar as a 17-year-old, would-be pop star,” says Cliff, “but to my surprise I was suddenly thrown into the ‘movie arena’ and seeing myself on huge screens was so much more than I had expected.
“The highlights of a recording career are the chart entries, of which I have been lucky enough to have many,” he continues modestly, “but, of course, the 14 number ones top almost everything. I say ‘almost’ because last November I heard that I had an official chart record, with a top five album in eight consecutive decades, and the only thing to top that was the knighthood. You just can’t plan those sorts of things. I am a fortunate man.”
He says his perfect day is when he wakes up without the help of an alarm clock. “Then maybe meet friends for a light lunch and then at, usually 4.40pm, some tennis, dinner, some TV and back to bed.”
Sir Cliff had planned a nationwide tour to celebrate his 80th birthday last year but the pandemic meant everything had to be put on hold.
He says he is now looking forward to finally celebrating a year later and is inviting cinema audiences to mark the special milestone with him. All four of his concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall have sold out and Cliff Richard: The Great 80 Tour will be shown on more than 1,000 screens in the UK and Ireland next month.
“I hated having to postpone it,” he says. “I was so looking forward to celebrating my 80th with my fans, and the postponement was very upsetting.
“What was truly wonderful of the audiences around the country was that they didn’t want to have their money refunded and were prepared to wait for me to do the show as soon as I could. So here we come... finally.
“To have the opportunity to reach an even wider audience in cinemas, and especially for those international fans still unable to travel to the tour venues, is a little nerve wracking, but hugely exciting. I’ll begin the tour aged 80 and will be 81 when in cinemas – what a great way to celebrate.”
He adds: “The band and I are very excited to be getting back on stage.
Cliff promises he will be performing all the biggest hits from his long career, adding: “I will also be singing some of my own favourites – songs that were not singles but are in ‘my favourite songs’ list.
The music industry has seen a lot of changes since Cliff started out and he has embraced the new advances.
“The biggest and best change came with technology that allowed us to do on records what seemed like the impossible,” he reflects.
“Similarly, on stage, technology allowed us to present shows with colour and effects.”
But some things never change. “Pre-concert there is always a sound-check in which I carefully wake my voice up. Then, a half hour before the show I do a 20-minute vocal warm up and then cross my fingers and hope for the best!”
Making movies was never on my radar as a 17-year-old
Cliff Richard: The Great 80 Tour, distributed by CinemaLive, will be broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall live in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on October 27 with encore screenings on October 30 and 31. Visit cliffincinemas.com for booking information and cinema locations.