The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 739

Friday, November 10, 2006

Number 739 - Cliff Richard

Number 739

Cliff Richard

"Devil Woman"

(1976)
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Genre:Pop

Heh, how many of you mortals right now have the look of a *Gasp Shock* effect? Good, all of you. Well, like Tom Jones another immortal performer has survived since the 60's and is still performing and loved by.. millions. (Is David Bowie the only other "Immortal" survivor in Pop/Rock music? Does Mick Jagger count?)

Britain's answer to Elvis Presley, Richard (born Harry Webb) dominated the pre-Beatles British pop scene in the late '50s and early '60s. An accomplished singer with a genuine feel for the music, Richard's artistic legacy is nonetheless meager, as he was quickly steered toward a middle-of-the-road pop direction. Several of his late-'50s recordings, however, were genuinely exciting Presley-esque rockers -- especially his first hit, "Move It" (1958) -- and gave British teenagers their first taste of genuine homegrown rock & roll talent. Backed by the Shadows -- clean-cut instrumental virtuosos who became legends of their own -- Richard embarked on a truly awesome string of hit singles in Britain, scoring no less than 43 Top 20 hits between 1958 and 1969. One of these, although it was by no means one of the more successful, was an actual Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition (the ballad "Blue Turns to Grey").

In his homeland, Richard's popularity was diminished only slightly by the rise of the Beatles, but in his prime, he had a much rougher time in the U.S., hitting the Top 40 only three times (with "Living Doll" in 1959, "It's All in the Game" in 1963, and "Devil Woman" in 1976). Richard belatedly cracked the U.S. Top Ten in 1976 with "Devil Woman," and racked up a few other hits ("We Don't Talk Anymore," "Dreaming," "A Little in Love") in a mainstream pop/rock style. He remains an institution in Britain, where he is one of the nation's most popular all-around entertainers of all time. ~ [Richie Unterberger]

For Tom Jones see Number 740 & Number 943
For Rolling Stones see Number 689 & Number 767
For David Bowie see Number 455, #465, #495 & #634
For Tom Jones see Number 943 & Number 740
For Elvis Presley see Number 443, #501 & #840
For Beatles see Number 489, #587, #894 & #947
For The Shadows see Number 800