Wikipedia

Cliff Richard and Ain't No Other Man: Difference between pages

(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
MegX (talk | contribs)
39,750 edits
m corrected link
 
 
Line 1:
{{Unreferenced|date=April 2007}}
{{Infobox musical artist 2
{{Infobox Single
|Name = Sir Cliff Richard
| Name = Ain't No Other Man
|Img = Cliff.jpg
| Cover = Anom single 1149215764.jpg
|Img_capt = Sir Cliff Richard
| Caption =
|Years_active = [[1958]] - onwards
| Artist = [[Christina Aguilera]]
|Birth_date = [[October 14]], [[1940]]
| from Album = [[Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)|Back to Basics]]
|Origin = [[Lucknow]], [[India]]
| A-side =
|Background = Solo singer
|UK]]) CD2 Maxi</small>
|Birth_name = Harry Rodger Webb
| Format = [[Digital download]], [[CD single]]
| Recorded =
| Genre = [[pop/r+b]]
| Length = 3:48
| Label = [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| Writer = Christina Aguilera, Charles Roane, Chris E. Martin, Harold Beatty, [[Kara DioGuardi]]
| Producer = [[DJ Premier]], Charles Roane
| Certification = Platinum <small>([[RIAA]])</small>
Platinum <small>([[CRIA]])</small>
Gold <small>([[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]])</small>
| Chart position =
* #1 <small>([[Portugal]])
* #2 <small>([[United World Chart]], [[Norway]], [[United Kingdom|UK]])</small>
* #3 <small>([[Brazil]], [[Ireland]], [[Canada]])</small>
* #4 <small>([[Europe]] </small>
* #5 <small>([[Finland]], [[Germany]], [[New Zealand]], [[Switzerland]])</small>
* #6 <small>([[Australia]], [[United States]])</small>
* #7 <small>([[Austria]]) </small>
* #10 <small>([[Belgium]]) </small>
| Last single = "[[Tilt Ya Head Back]]" <br>(2004)
| This single = "Ain't No Other Man" <br>(2006)
| Next single = "[[Hurt (Christina Aguilera song)|Hurt]]" <br> (2006)
| Misc = {{Extra album cover 2
| Upper caption = Alternative cover
| Type = Single
| Cover = Single Cd Ain't No Other Man (Maxi).jpg
| Lower caption = Maxi cover
}}
{{Audiosample
| Upper caption = Audio sample
| Audio file= AintNoOtherManSample.ogg
}}
}}
"'''Ain't No Other Man'''" is lead single released by [[United States|American]] singer [[Christina Aguilera]] from her third studio album ''[[Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)|Back to Basics]]'' ([[2006]]). The single won a [[Grammy Award]] for the [[Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] category in 2007.
 
==Song information==
Produced by [[DJ Premier]] and Charles Roane, the song contains [[sampling (music)|samples]] from The Moon People's ''Hippy, Skippy, Moon Strut'' (1969) and ''The Cissy's Thang'' (1969) by The Soul Seven. It was released as the first [[single (music)|single]] from ''Back to Basics'' in June 2006 (see [[2006 in music]]); originally meant to be available for purchase on [[June 13]], it was released early to [[iTunes Music Store]] on [[June 3]]. It debuted on UK radio on [[June 7]], and also on Brazilian radio stations on the same day. It is thought to be Aguilera's comeback single, due to its strong chart performance after Aguilera's four-year hiatus from her previous studio album ''[[Stripped (Christina Aguilera album)|Stripped]]'' (2002). This song, contrary to popular belief, does not have a live brass section. The brass interludes are samples from a 1970's Latin funk track called "Happy Soul", performed by Dave Cortez and the Moon People. Obviously the drum track has been largely edited, and made to sound a lot bassier, but the main structure of the repeated brass riff is still intact.
 
DJ Premier said about the track: "It's pretty much about how Aguilera's husband has stolen her from the beginning", and it began receiving airplay on American radio stations within the same day. [[SonyBMG|Sony-BMG]] issued a statement regarding the release of the song, claiming that a full investigation would be launched in order to find out how the song was leaked, as they did not intend for the song to be released until after it premiered at the [[MTV Movie Awards 2006|2006 MTV Movie Awards]] on [[June 3]]. Because of the leak, [[RCA]] Records officially released the single to all U.S. radio stations the day after it leaked.
Sir '''Cliff Richard''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born '''Harry Rodger Webb''' in [[Lucknow]], [[India]], on [[October 14]], [[1940]]) is one of the [[United Kingdom]]'s best known [[singer]]s.
 
[[Big Boi]] from [[OutKast]] was scheduled to contribute a rap verse on the remix of the single. It is rumored that his record label pressured him to remove himself from the song to prevent the "Ain't No Other Man" remix from competing with [[Outkast]]'s own single, "The Mighty O." RCA subsequently replaced [[Big Boi]] with [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] rapper, [[Chamillionaire]]. Nonetheless, Chamillionaire's additional rap verse on the song proved not to be popular amongst fans and hardly received any radio airplay.
With his backing group [[The Shadows]], he dominated the British popular music scene in the late [[1950s]] and early [[1960s]], before the advent of [[The Beatles]]. A conversion to [[Christianity]] and subsequent softening of his music led to his having more of a [[pop music|pop]] than [[rock music|rock]] image. Although never able to achieve the same impact in the [[United States]], even though he has had several chart hits there, Richard has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in the UK and also retains a following in several other countries.
 
The single was released over two weeks in the UK. CD1, featuring the Radio Edit and Instrumental is released on 24th July 2006. CD2, featuring the Album & A cappella versions, and two remixes of the track was released on [[July 31]] [[2006]]. The two weeks release of the single in the UK prevented it from going to #1 in the UK singles chart and peaked at #2 being blocked off by Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie". Had "Ain't No Other Man" had just one release it would have reached the top spot of the UK singles chart because it sales for that 1 week would have been enough to block of "Hips Don't Lie" off the top spot.
During the last six decades, Richard has charted many hit singles, and holds the record (along with [[Elvis Presley]]) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all its active decades ([[1950s]]&ndash;[[2000s]]). According to his website, he has sold 250 million records over the course of his career. [http://www.cliffrichard.org/biog/index.cfm]. In the British charts alone, Richard has had more than 150 [[single (music)|single]]s, [[albums]] and [[EPs]] make the top 20[http://www.everyhit.co.uk]
 
"Ain't No Other Man" garnered Aguilera another nomination and win at the [[49th Annual Grammy Awards]] in the category [[Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]]. This is her fourth time being nominated in this category, and second win.
==1940—1958: Childhood==
Born in [[India]], moving from Lucknow to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] when he was one year old, Richard and his family moved to Britain after [[Indian independence]] in [[1947]]. There is a widely-believed rumour to the effect that he is of [[Anglo-Indian]] ([[Eurasian (mixed ancestry)|Eurasian]]) descent, although he has never publicly commented on this.
 
==Music video==
==1958—1963: Success and stardom==
[[Image:Ain'tNoOtherManScreen.PNG|thumb|200px|left|Aguilera in the music video for "Ain't No Other Man" (2006).]]
[[image:CliffRichard-DressedOccasion(cover).JPG|thumb|''Dressed For The Occasion'', Cliff Richard]]
The [[music video]], directed by [[Bryan Barber]], was shot from [[May 1]] to [[May 3]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. In an interview with [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1539161/08222006/aguilera_christina.jhtml MTV], Aguilera stated, "it intrigued me that this man, Bryan Barber, had been very locked into and had surrounded himself with this whole world of the '20s and '30s era," in response to Barber's film project, [[Idlewild (film)|Idlewild]]. It was released exclusively to iTunes on [[June 20]] and went to number-one the following day on the iTunes video chart. It then premiered on [[MTV]]'s ''[[Making the Video]]'' on [[June 21]].
Harry Webb came from a skiffle group to be lead singer of the [[rock and roll]] Drifters in 1958 (not to be confused with [[The Drifters|the American group of the same name]]). Before their first "big time" out-of-town performance at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley, they took the name Cliff Richard and the Drifters. The members of this band were Harry, who had become Cliff, Ian "Sammy" Samwell, Terry Smart and Norman Mitham. None of these survived to be part of the later and better known [[The Shadows|Shadows]].
 
The music video is supposed to be set back in the 1920s to 1930s Era, where Christina Aguilera plays the role of her [[alter ego]], Baby Jane (a [[Peggy Lee]]/[[Judy Garland]]-ish nightclub singer). The name is shown on the car's plate and on her dressing room door. The video takes place mostly at a club, with Christina getting ready in the backstage area, and then coming up the stage performing along with the song. In between scenes, there were short vignettes that showed Aguilera in gold and silver dresses, singing to a mic, while photographers are taking pictures. She appeared in several looks; in one of the scenes, Christina appeared using rhinestone studded headphones, showed a bit of a modern day portrayal.
Cliff gained a recording contract for himself only, leaving the band behind, with [[EMI]] in the summer of [[1958]], where he remained until signing with [[Decca Records|Decca]] in [[2004]]. As the Drifters faded away, Cliff and the Shadows would be contractually separate entities, and the group would not receive any performer royalties for the records they made backing Cliff.
 
In the beginning and in the end of the music video there are clips from another song from ''[[Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)|Back to Basics]]'', entitled "I Got Trouble."
Cliff went into [[Abbey Road Studios]] to record his first record on [[July 24]], 1958, but the producer, [[Norrie Paramor]], had little faith in the (pre-Marvin/Welch) Drifters, and consequently brought in two experienced session men, Ernie Shear & Frank Clarke, to provide backing on lead guitar and bass.
The song played as if it were on the radio with minor white noise.
 
The music video has been well received by audiences. On MTV's ''[[Total Request Live]]'', it has achieved the number one video spot on the countdown twenty two times, and was retired at number one, making it Christina's most successful video and the most successful video of 2006 of TRL. "Ain't No Other Man" is third only to [[Behind These Hazel Eyes]] by [[Kelly Clarkson]] and [[Me Against the Music]] by [[Britney Spears]] as the most successful female video on TRL of all time. It has also been in the top 5 videos on [[VH1]]'s Top 20 Countdown and number one in [[TMF]]'s top ten countdown in [[Europe]]. It was nominated at the [[2006 MTV Video Music Awards]] for [[MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year|Video of the Year]], [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video|Best Female Video]], [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video|Best Pop Video]], and [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]]
On the first 1958 record, Norrie Paramor provided a song called "Schoolboy Crush", a [[cover song|cover]] of an American record by [[Bobby Helms]]. But Cliff was allowed to record one of their own for the B-side. This was "Move It", written by Ian "Sammy" Samwell famously on a number "715" Green Line Bus on the way to Cliff's house on the Bury Green Estate in Cheshunt for a rehearsal.
 
==Chart performance==
There are a number of stories about why the A-side song was replaced by the B-side. One story says that their producer Norrie Paramor played the record to his daughter, and she raved about the B-side instead of the A-side. Another possible reason for the flip was that influential [[TV producer]] [[Jack Good (producer)]], who used the act for his [[TV show]] ''[[Oh Boy!]]'', said the song to be sung on his show had to be "Move It".
On [[June 15]], [[2006]], "Ain't No Other Man" debuted at number nineteen on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] as a result of strong [[digital download|download]]s. The song became Aguilera's highest debut on the Hot 100, a title that was previously held by "[[I Turn to You (Christina Aguilera song)|I Turn to You]]" (2000).<ref>''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]''. Bronson, Fred. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/chart_beat/bonus.jsp "Aguilera bounds into the Hot 100 with her highest debut yet"]. [[June 15]] [[2006]]. Retrieved [[June 21]] [[2006]].</ref> The song soared into the top ten before quickly peaking at number six. However, the song has proven to have longevity as it has spent nineteen consecutive weeks within the top forty. It has sold over 1,000,000 digital downloads in the United States making it [[Music recording sales certification|Platinum]]. "Ain't No Other Man" has been proven very successful, as it is Aguilera's first top ten hit on the Hot 100 since "Beautiful" back in late [[2002 in music|2002]]. The song has proven to be a big dance hit as well, where it reached number one on Billboard's [[Hot Dance Airplay]] and [[Hot Dance Club Play]] chart.
 
In the [[United Kingdom|UK]] "Ain't No Other Man" reached number two due in part to RCAs ridiculous release of spreading out the single to be released in 2 different weeks. This cost the song the #1 spot of the UK singles chart where it was blocked off by hips don't lie. The song debuted on the Canadian [[Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems|BDS]] Airplay Chart the same week it did in the U.S. (at number thirty-eight) and peaked at number three on [[August 19]] [[2006]]. It also reached number three on the Canadian Dance Chart. However, despite commercial success on these formats, it did not chart highly on the [[Canadian Singles Chart]] (number fourteen) perhaps because of the release of ''Back to Basics'' (that same week). "Ain't No Other Man" became Aguilera's most commercially successful single in Canada (10.000 units sold; Platinum) since "[[Fighter (song)|Fighter]]" (2003).
The single was flipped and went to number 2 in the charts. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler would later write that it was first genuine British great rock classic, to be followed by [[Johnny Kidd and the Pirates]]'s "Shakin' All Over" before The Beatles hit with "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]".
 
"Ain't No Other Man" became Aguilera's tenth top ten hit on [[Top 40 Mainstream|Top 40 Radio]], where it peaked at number seven. The song's performance on pop radio is similar to those of many of her past hits like "Fighter", "[[Can't Hold Us Down]]", and "[[Come on over Baby (All I Want Is You)|Come on Over Baby]]". It was also her first top ten hit on Top 40 Radio in over three years, with the last one being "Can't Hold Us Down" in [[2003 in music|mid-2003]].
In the early days, Cliff Richard was something of a British equivalent to [[Elvis Presley]]. Supplanting previous British would-be rockers such as [[Marty Wilde]], Richard was the first in Britain to adopt Presley-style dress and hair styling. In performance, he struck a pose of rock attitude, rarely smiling or even looking directly at the audience or camera. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, "High Class Baby", "Livin' Lovin' Doll", and "Mean Streak", carried a real rocker's sense of speed and passion. It was on "Livin' Lovin' Doll" that The Drifters began actually to back Cliff on record. By that time, the band's lineup had changed, with the bringing-in of the more skilled [[Jet Harris]], [[Tony Meehan]], [[Hank Marvin]], and [[Bruce Welch]]. They changed their name to the Shadows when legal complications began arising with the U.S. Drifters.
 
The song has gone on to have unusual longevity on the radio charts. However, "Ain't No Other Man" has only peaked at number six. This song is now considered a successful comeback single due to its slow paced decline. On the Billboard 2006 Hot 100 Year-End chart, "Ain't No Other Man" was ranked thirty-second.<ref>''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]''. Bronson, Fred. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/yearend/2006/charts/hot100_2.jsp "2006 Hot 100 Year-End Chart"]. [[December 21]] [[2006]]. Retrieved [[December 26]] [[2006]].</ref>
However, Richard's fifth single, "Living Doll", was a gentle ballad, ushering in a change of focus. Subsequent hits such as "Travellin' Light", "I Love You", and "Theme for a Dream" became quite popular and cemented Richard's status as a mainstream pop entertainer, rivalled only by a few others, such as [[Adam Faith]] and [[Billy Fury]].
 
==Track listings==
The Shadows were not a backing group just like any other.
;American CD maxi single
In 1959, the Shadows (then still known as the Drifters) won an EMI recording contract of their own, for recordings independent of Cliff. That year they released three singles, two of which were double-sided vocals and one of which had instrumental A and B sides. In 1960, they recorded and released "[[Apache (single)|Apache]]", which saw the birth of British rock guitar instrumental music. Hitting the top of the charts (all over the world, not just in the UK), the record set the Shadows on a path of their own, and they thereafter made many major hits of their own, as well as continuing to appear and record with Cliff and wrote many of his hits.
# "Ain't No Other Man" (radio edit) – 3:49
# "Ain't No Other Man" (instrumental) – 3:57
# "Ain't No Other Man" (call out hook) – 0:10
 
;European basic CD maxi single
In the early [[1960s]], Cliff and the Shadows were virtually inseparable as the biggest concert draw in Britain. Typically, the Shadows closed the first-half with a 30-minute set of their own, and then backed Cliff on his show-closing 45-minute stint.
# "Ain't No Other Man" (album version) – 3:47
Tony Meehan and Jet Harris eventually left the group, in 1961 and 1962 respectively, and later teamed up very successfully in the charts. The Shadows had a few more bass players, and also took in [[Brian Bennett]] on drums.
# "Ain't No Other Man" (instrumental) – 3:47
In the early days, Cliff also sometimes recorded without the Shadows, mainly to cater for other styles. Hits from 1962 onward in this mould included "It's All in the Game", "Constantly", "The Minute You're Gone", and "Wind Me Up".
 
;European premium CD maxi single
In the period between 1958 and [[1963]], Cliff Richard and the Shadows stood as the biggest thing in Britain. They also toured the United States in 1960 and were reportedly well-received, but the record company did not provide strong enough support for album distribution - among other matters - and so the chances were lost. It was the same with their appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', which was responsible for much of the Beatles' success, but did not really help Cliff and the Shadows. As a result, Cliff Richard remained almost completely unknown in the US. However, Cliff and the Shadows basically re-wrote convention in British recording companies and opened EMI up to the importance and strength of [[rock n' roll]] music. It was due to them that [[Parlophone]] were looking for a "second" Cliff and the Shadows, eventually signing the Beatles.
# "Ain't No Other Man" (album version) – 3:47
 
# "Ain't No Other Man" (Jake Ridley remix) – 6:01
Cliff and the Shadows appeared in a number of films, most notably in ''[[The Young Ones (movie)|The Young Ones]]'' (which would give its name to [[1980s]] [[Television|TV]] [[British sitcom|sitcom]] ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'', a show which also made reverent references to Richard), ''[[Summer Holiday]]'' (which featured a slimmed-down Richard with visible dancing skills), ''[[Wonderful Life (film)|Wonderful Life]]'' and ''[[Finders Keepers]]''. These movies created their own [[genre]] known as the "Cliff Richard musical" and led to Cliff being named the #1 cinema box office attraction in Britain for both [[1962]] and [[1963]].
# "Ain't No Other Man" (Ospina & Sullivan remix) – 3:45
 
# "Ain't No Other Man" (a cappella) – 3:30
==1964—1975: Changing circumstances==
As with the other existing rock acts in Britain, Richard's career took an impact with the advent of [[The Beatles]] and the [[Mersey sound]] in 1963 and 1964. However, his popularity was great enough that he was able to weather the storm, and continued to chart successfully throughout the 1960s, albeit not at the level before. Nor did it open doors to the US market; he was not part of the [[British Invasion]], and the American public had little awareness of him.
 
Another important aspect of Cliff's life was his conversion to [[Christianity]] in [[1964]]. To stand up publicly as a new Christian was a decision which affected his career in various ways. First of all, Cliff believed that he should quit rock 'n roll, as he thought he could no longer be the rocker who had in the early years been called a "crude exhibitionist" and "too sexy for TV" and a threat to parents' daughters, although his image had already become tamer due to his film roles and well-spoken voice on radio and TV. He intended at first to reform his ways and become a teacher, but Christian friends told him that he did not need to abandon his career just because he had become a Christian. Soon after, Cliff re-emerged and performed with Christian groups and recorded some Christian material. He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but he gave a lot of his time to Christian work. As time progressed, Cliff balanced his life and work, enabling him to still be one of the most popular singers in Britain while also one of the best-known Christians.
 
Cliff Richard's first straight acting role took place in the [[1968]] film [http://www.bgea.org/WWP_moviedetail.asp?i=76 Two a Penny], which saw him as a young man who gets involved in [[drug dealing]] while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude.
 
He also represented the UK twice in the [[Eurovision Song Contest]], both times unsuccessfully, though his first attempt, "[[Congratulations (song)|Congratulations]]" in 1968, was a massive hit in Britain and most of the world and has become a standard, still sung on suitable occasions. But in the contest he was defeated by [[Massiel]], from [[Spain]].
 
After the Shadows split in [[1968]], Cliff Richard recorded without his band. He had already become accustomed to the Shadows' absence during his recording sessions, and he was able to record in any setting. Although many fans had in the early 1960s regretted Cliff trying out songs which were not strictly in the rock 'n roll area, this slow process of getting used to recording with the Shadows as the "rock group", while at other times singing with other musicians, without a doubt is at least partly responsible for Cliff becoming what he has become.
 
During the [[1970s]], Cliff became heavily involved in television shows, such as ''[[It's Cliff]]'', many of which also starred Hank Marvin. These shows made Cliff into a television personality, more than a recording artist, for a time. In [[1972]], Cliff made a short BBC television comedy film called ''The Case'' with appearances from [[comedian]]s and dueting on songs with [[Olivia Newton-John]], the first female with whom he ever sang a duet. Cliff was in everyone's homes, and gave enjoyment to all the family, and still was a successful pop recording presence.
 
==1976—1994: Comeback==
However, Cliff and others (like his former Shadow, Bruce Welch) decided that they would bring Cliff Richard back as a "rock" artist again.
This collaboration produced the [[1976]] landmark Cliff album ''I'm Nearly Famous'', which brought about the classic rock guitar-driven track "Devil Woman" and the haunting "Miss You Nights". It was not just Cliff and the fans who were excited that the man who had been a part of British rock from its early days was back in strength, but also a host of big music names. People like [[Jimmy Page]], [[Eric Clapton]], and [[Elton John]] began being seen sporting big "I'm Nearly Famous" badges on their clothes, so pleased that their icon was getting back into the heavier rock in which he had begun his career.
 
A number of other strong albums were produced, and in [[1979]] he went to #1 with the sad-but-defiant "We Don't Talk Anymore". It was his first time to the top in over ten years, and would become his biggest-selling single ever. A true Cliff revival was happening. There was even, at long last, some success in the States: His 1976 single "Devil Woman" accompanied by a promotional tour had given him a #6 hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], and now the follow-ups "We Don't Talk Anymore" and "Dreaming" reached the top ten; his 1980 duet "Suddenly" with Olivia Newton-John would be a hit as well. American anglophiles also heard many references to him in the [[BBC]] comedy series ''The Young Ones''.
 
In fact, in [[1986]] Cliff teamed up with [[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]] to re-record his smash hit "Living Doll", for the charity [[Comic Relief]]. The recording contained comedy dialog between Cliff and The Young Ones, along with the song and went to #1 - making it the first time the same song by the same artist returned to the top.
 
Back in the UK, in the next years into and through the [[1980s]], Cliff reamined one of the biggest music artists in the country, and he became a magnet for other music greats. In the space of a few years, he had worked with Elton John, [[Mark Knopfler]], [[George Harrison]], [[Julian Lennon]], [[Freddie Mercury]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Phil Everly]], [[Janet Jackson]], and [[Van Morrison]]. He also did more work with Olivia Newton-John, and, to cap the decade off, filled the [[Wembley Stadium]] for a few nights in 1989 with a spectacular simply titled The Event.
 
The Shadows later re-formed (and later again split), and recorded on their own, but reunited with Cliff in [[1978]] and [[1984]] for some concerts.
 
==1995—: Sir Cliff==
Cliff Richard reached the pinnacle of his career when he was [[knighthood|knighted]] on [[25 October]] [[1995]]. He was the first rock star to be so honoured, ahead of [[Paul McCartney|Sir Paul McCartney]] (1997) and [[Elton John|Sir Elton John]] (1998).
 
Sir Cliff is number 56 in the [[2002]] [[100 Greatest Britons]] list, sponsored by the [[BBC]] and voted for by the public.
Adored especially by middle-aged women, many of whom camp out for his concert tickets, he has become a fixture of the British entertainment world and of British public life, an icon, and all the more because of the mostly British scope of his success.
 
''[[The Ultimate Pop Star]]'', a [[Channel 4]] programme broadcast in [[2004]], revealed that Cliff Richard had sold more singles in the UK than any other music artist, ahead of the Beatles in second place and [[Elvis Presley]] in third.
 
Sir Cliff has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in [[Manchester]], which opened in [[2004#June|June 2004]].
 
After having not performed as Cliff and the Shadows since [[1989]]/[[1990]], Cliff joined the Shadows on stage on [[June 14]], [[2004]], at the [[London Palladium]]. The Shadows had decided to re-form for one final tour of the UK, with this concert heralded as their final ever concert as the Shadows.
 
Sir Cliff spends much of his time at a house of his in [[Barbados]], and has even lent it to British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] at times. [http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/richard%20unveiled%20as%20blairs%20secret%20host]
 
Britons are always surprised that he is a virtual unknown in America, because during the height of his success in the UK he enjoyed Elvis-like fame.
 
Cliff is currently working on an album of duets, including material with [[Dionne Warwick]], [[LeAnn Rimes]], [[Barry Gibb]] and [[Daniel O'Donnell]].
 
Cliff showed his image isn't entirely clean-cut recently when he told [[Gordon Ramsay]] to 'F*ck off' on [[The F-Word]]. Ramsay had decided to see if he could get Cliff to swear on live TV, and only after some cajoling did Cliff relent.
 
==Sexuality==
Cliff Richard has remained a "Bachelor Boy", giving rise to the occasional rumours about his sexuality. In [[1974]], he denied a rumour that he had asked his good friend Olivia Newton-John for her hand in marriage, and, later, his relationship with tennis player [[Sue Barker]] was the subject of much gossip, but they disappointed those who expected them to marry (Cliff remained a [[tennis]] fan, however, delighting [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] crowds - if not music critics - with an impromptu singalong on one rainy afternoon in [[1996]]). He has frequently denied accusations of [[homosexuality]].
 
After all these years, he is allegedly [[celibate]].
 
==Chart accomplishments==
*Cliff Richard has scored fourteen number one singles in the UK; more than any other artist, with the exception of [[Elvis Presley]] and The Beatles.
*Cliff has sold more singles in the UK than any other act, with sales exceeding twenty million copies. Interestingly enough, he has scored only one million-selling single, "The Young Ones".
*Cliff is the only act in the UK to score a #1 single in each and every decade since the inception of the UK Singles chart in 1952, with the exception of the 2000's, which are not over. The following list shows the number of chart toppers Cliff has achieved in each decade.
** '''1950s''' - 2: "Living Doll", "Travelling Light"
** '''1960s''' - 7: "Please Don't Tease", "I Love You", "The Young Ones", "The Next Time/Bachelor Boy", "Summer Holiday", "The Minute You're Gone", "Congratulations"
** '''1970s''' - 1: "We Don't Talk Anymore"
** '''1980s''' - 2: "Living Doll", "Mistletoe & Wine"
** '''1990s''' - 2: "Saviour's Day", "The Millennium Prayer"
** '''2000s''' - 0; his closest was "Santa's List" which made #5 in December 2003.
The acts with the most aggregate time spent on the British record charts:
Current rankings:
#[[Elvis Presley]] (2,574 weeks)
#[[Cliff Richard]] (1,982)
#[[Queen (band)|Queen]] (1,755)
#[[The Beatles]] (1,749)
#[[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] (1,660)
#[[Elton John]] (1,626)
 
==Christmas songs==
Cliff Richard has aimed for the [[Christmas number one single]] on several occasions, sometimes successfully and other times not. His first [[Christmas]] number one (on some charts) was in 1960, but it was not a Yuletide-themed song:
 
*[[1960]]: "I Love You" (#1)
 
In later years, he often released songs with a Christmas or other religious theme:
 
*[[1982]]: "Little Town" (#12)
*[[1988]]: "Mistletoe & Wine" (#1)
*[[1989]]: "Whenever God Shines His Light" (duet with [[Van Morrison]], #20)
*[[1990]]: "Saviours' Day" (#1)
*[[1991]]: "We Should Be Together" (#10)
*[[1999]]: "Millennium Prayer" (#1, but dropped off the top before Christmas)
*[[2003]]: "Santa's List" (#5)
 
He also featured on the [[1989]] Christmas number one by [[Band Aid (band)|Band Aid II]], thus appearing at the top of the charts for three consecutive Christmases.
 
==Discography==
''See [[Cliff Richard discography]].''
 
==Trivia==
 
* Sir Cliff has had no fewer than 25 records (all formats) reach [[number one]] in UK music sales charts.
 
* Home for Cliff, is a mansion in [[Weybridge, Surrey]], which he bought in 1987 for £1.4 million.
 
* Cliff owns at least three luxury vehicles, amongst them, a 1980 [[Rolls-Royce car|Rolls Royce]], a 1989 [[Range Rover]] and a 1990 [[Mercedes-Benz]] 500 SL.
 
* In [[May 2006]] the [[music video|video]] for his song ''Wired For Sound'' (1981) was appointed as "worst video ever" at [[VH1]]. The video features Cliff surrounded by [[Roller skating|rollerskaters]] with colourful [[skin-tight garment]]s.
 
* British black metal band [[Cradle Of Filth]] recorded a cover of his song "Devil Woman" for the special edition of their 2004 album ''[[Nymphetamine]]''. The song features notoriously satanic singer [[King Diamond]] on backing vocals.
 
* In 1961 David Hockney painted a picture called 'Doll Boy'. The 24 year-old artist then at the Royal College of Art in London was inspired so to do because he found the idol of the British pop scene "very attractive, very sexy" as he did his delivery of the song ''Living Doll''. Hockney had many postcards and photos he'd cut out of newspapers of Cliff pinned up in his painting cubicle at the college.
 
 
{{start box}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Christmas Number One single|UK Christmas Number One single]]<br />[[The Next Time]]
|years=1962
|before= [[Frankie Vaughan]]<br />[[Tower Of Strength]]
|after= [[The Beatles]]<br />[[I Wanna Hold Your Hand]]
}}
{{end box}}
 
{{start box}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Christmas Number One single|UK Christmas Number One single]]<br />[[Misletoe And Wine]]
|years=1988
|before=[[Pet Shop Boys]]<br />[[Always On My Mind]]
|after= [[Band Aid II]]<br />[[Do They Know It's Christmas]]
}}
{{end box}}
 
{{start box}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Christmas Number One single|UK Christmas Number One single]]<br />[[Saviour's Day]]
|years=1991
|before=[[Band Aid II]]<br />[[Do They Know It's Christmas]]
|after= [[Queen (band)|Queen]]<br />[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]
}}
{{end box}}
 
==Remixes==
{{CongratulationsEurovision}}
;Official Remixes
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Ospina & Sullivan Radio Mix] 3:44
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Ospina & Sullivan Radio Mix - Vox Up] 3:44 - This is the version released on the main CD single.
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Ospina & Sullivan Mixshow] 5:16
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Ospina & Sullivan Club Mix] 7:11
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Ospina & Sullivan Dub] 5:38
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Junior Vasquez Mix] 5:56
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Junior Vasquez Radio Edit] 3:57
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Jake Ridley Remix] 6:00
* "Ain't No Other Man" [Shapeshifters Mixshow Mix] 5:24
* "Ain't No Other Man" [feat. [[Chamillionaire]]] 4:15
 
==See alsoCharts ==
{| width="0%"
*[[Best selling music artists]] - World's top-selling music artists chart.
|- valign="top"
| width="50%" |
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center"|Chart (2006)
!align="center"|Peak<br>Position
|-
|align="left"|[[United World Chart]]
|align="center"|2
|-
|align="left"|[[ARIA Charts|Australian ARIA Singles Chart]]
|align="center"|6
|-
|align="left"|Austrian Singles Chart
|align="center"|7
|-
|align="left"|Belgian Singles Chart
|align="center"|10
|-
|align="left"|Brazilian Singles Chart
|align="center"|3
|-
|align="left"|[[Canadian Hot 100]]
|align="center"|4
|-
|align="left"|Canadian [[Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems|BDS]] Airplay Chart
|align="center"|3
|-
|align="left"|Czech IFPI Chart <ref>http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=2&titul=143774&sec=1fcdaf9d133ede1f81aa62254bc0d68f</ref>
|align="center"|15
|-
|align="left"|Dutch Singles Chart
|align="center"|12
|-
|align="left"|[[Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|European Singles Chart]]
|align="center"|4
|-
|align="left"|Finnish Singles Chart
|align="center"|5
|-
|align="left"|French Singles Chart
|align="center"|26
|-
|align="left"|German Singles Chart
|align="center"|5
|-
|align="left"|[[Irish Singles Chart]]
|align="center"|3
|-
|align="left"|[[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart]]
|align="center"|5
|-
|align="left"|Malaysian Singles Chart
|align="center"|2
|-
|align="left"|Norwegian Singles Chart
|align="center"|2
|-
|align="left"|Russian Airplay Chart
|align="center"|32
|-
|align="left"|Swedish Singles Chart
|align="center"|15
|–
|align="left"|Swiss Singles Chart
|align="center"|5
|-
|align="left"|[[UK Singles Chart]]
|align="center"|2
|-
|align="left"|U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]
|align="center"|6
|-
|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Pop 100]]
|align="center"|4
|-
|}
 
==External linksNotes==
<references/>
* [http://www.cliffrichard.org Cliff Richard's official website]
* [http://www.cliffrichard.info International Cliff Richard Movement website]
* [http://www.daisymedia.co.uk Cliff Richard Interview Podcast]
* http://www.sir-cliff.net
* [http://www.booksmusicfilmstv.com/CliffRichard.htm Cliff Richard Potted History and list of Cliff's UK Number Ones]
* [http://www.mattblank.com/interviews/cliffrichard Cliff Richard Interview]
 
{{Christina Aguilera}}
[[Category:1940 births|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:Living people|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:English pop singers|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:English male singers|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:Eurovision contestants|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:English actors|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:Christian musicians|Richard, Cliff]]
[[Category:Born-again Christians|Richard, Cliff]]
 
[[Category:2006 singles]]
[[Category:Christina Aguilera songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one singles]]
 
[[da:Ain't No Other Man]]
[[ar:كليف ريتشارد]]
[[cyes:CliffAin't RichardNo Other Man]]
[[dahe:CliffAin't RichardNo Other Man]]
[[deit:CliffAin't RichardNo Other Man]]
[[esnl:CliffAin't RichardNo Other Man]]
[[frpt:CliffAin't RichardNo Other Man]]
[[hrsv:CliffAin't RichardNo Other Man]]
[[he:קליף ריצ'רד]]
[[nl:Cliff Richard]]
[[no:Cliff Richard]]
[[pt:Cliff Richard]]
[[fi:Cliff Richard]]
[[sv:Cliff Richard]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Richard"