Cliff Richard

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a download from the Desert Island Discs archive.

Speaker 10:05

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in 1960.

Speaker 10:12

This is a recording as it was being broadcast, rather than the studio recording, and for that reason you may hear some interference, and some degradation in the sound quality.

Speaker 30:23

This is the BBC Home Service.

Speaker 30:40

Desert Island Disc

Speaker 30:49

Each week we ask a well-known person the question, if you were to be cast away alone on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose to have with you? Assuming of course that you also had a gramophone.

Speaker 31:01

As usual, the castaway is introduced by Roy Plumling.

Speaker 31:05

How do you do, ladies and gentlemen?

Speaker 31:06

On our Dessert Island this week, I'm welcoming ashore one of the most popular young artists in the country. It's Cliff Richard. Hello, everyone. Now, Cliff, although you've been for two or three years now in the top brackets of show business, you still aren't 21, is that right?

Cliff Richard1:18

That's right. I I've just turned twenty actually, just a few weeks back and

Cliff Richard1:22

I I've just left my teens and I don't like it and I don't feel any older though, you know.

Speaker 31:26

You don't look any older. You, more than most of us, live in the middle of crowds of people. Crowds that in your case sometimes appear to be trying to tear you limb from limb. How would you react to the complete opposite to all that? How would you stand up to isolation and loneliness?

Cliff Richard1:40

Well, to be honest, I think the first few months I might enjoy very, very much. But I think like any normal person being on your own can be very, very maddening. I think I

Cliff Richard1:49

Go a bit man. I think taking records is a simply marvelous idea.

Speaker 31:52

Well, you have just eight as a link with the outside world. How have you set about choosing them?

Cliff Richard1:56

Well, I've chosen eight records that I consider I think will be my all-time favorites unless something else happens along. I haven't chosen it because the artists, you know, appeal or anything like that, although they do in this case. But I went all out to choose ones that I particularly like. You play the grammar phone a lot?

Cliff Richard2:12

Well I have my main hobby is buying records and my second hobby is playing them.

Speaker 32:16

Well, what's the first one you've chosen?

Cliff Richard2:17

Well the first one is Poor Bailey singing Beat Out the Rhythm on the Drums.

Speaker 32:20

Why'd you choose that?

Cliff Richard2:22

Well, I'm I'm not an opera lover or classical lover, and in saying this I hope I don't upset anybody.

Cliff Richard2:28

But to me this is the nearest thing I've heard from that side of musical business that has come anyway near being commercially pop, you know, and this appeals to me immensely and it's very, very exciting and the arrangement and everything is marvelous.

Speaker 32:41

Talkin' floppin' in the bass

Speaker 32:43

That thump thump thumping on the music That thump bump bumpin' on the music Is all I need

Speaker 32:51

Start me off, I don't need nothing else.

Speaker 32:55

Maybe I do to start me

Speaker 33:01

We are there with one of the drowns.

Speaker 43:04

Uh

Speaker 33:04

Beat our flat with one drum

Speaker 33:07

Beat out that rhythm on the drum And I don't need no tune at all

Speaker 33:13

Babe.

Speaker 33:15

Beat out that rhythm on a drum sung by Pearl Bailey from Oscar Hammerstein's adaptation of Carmen.

Speaker 33:21

Common Jev.

Speaker 33:24

What's your second choice, Diff?

Cliff Richard3:25

Uh this one's a ballad called Tammy by Debbie Reynolds. Hmm. Why?

Cliff Richard3:30

Well, um, this I think was my first

Cliff Richard3:33

You know, film star crash, you know, and I walked about for weeks in the terrible days and it's most, you know, touching lyrics and it it it it just appealed to me immensely.

Speaker 13:36

Yeah.

Cliff Richard3:42

That crash still left.

Cliff Richard3:44

I still like Debbie Reynolds, but it's the crash is gone.

Speaker 43:48

I hear the cottonwoods whispering above Tammy, Tammy, Tammy's in love.

Speaker 44:02

Uh Old Who Booty ow. All the hooties Who's to the down?

Speaker 44:09

Terry, Terry, Tammy's.

Speaker 34:16

Debbie Reynolds singing Tammy.

Speaker 34:18

Clef, whereabouts were you born?

Cliff Richard4:20

I was born in Lucknow in India, although we weren't very long in Lucknow, just a few weeks. Uh my mother and father moved a house and we lived in Howrah, which is just outside Calcutta.

Speaker 34:29

When did you come to live in London?

Cliff Richard4:30

Yeah.

Cliff Richard4:30

Well we came back to England in September 48.

Speaker 34:34

Yes. So you you remember quite a lot about India?

Cliff Richard4:37

Well, um, not really. I I remember it, but I don't remember having any fun out there, you know, I was I I lived there till I was seven. My mother and father get together with my relatives now, you know, they reminisce and

Cliff Richard4:47

I sort of say, Oh, I wish I was sixteen or even eighteen while I was out there

Speaker 34:51

Is there any precedent in the family for the theatre or for music?

Cliff Richard4:54

No, the only person I I know who took any interest was uh my father's brother. Um I remember he played guitar, strumming guitar, and used to sing extremely like Ben Crosby.

Speaker 35:04

Mm.

Cliff Richard5:04

And um that's the only thing he didn't do as a career professional.

Speaker 35:07

When did you start taking an interest?

Cliff Richard5:09

Well, I've always had an interest singing in some sort. When I was in India I used to be in a choir, the school choir.

Cliff Richard5:14

And um

Cliff Richard5:16

I started taking an interest in pop music at the age of about 11, 12. But the real

Cliff Richard5:21

feeling that I wanted to be a singer or anything became when Rock and Roll first came out, you know.

Speaker 35:25

What was your very first appearance before an audience?

Cliff Richard5:28

Well, I I can't remember the exact place, but I do know that I went through an audition to join an amateur group. It was a skiffle group. Skiffle was quite the rage at the time. And I wanted to sing very badly, so I although I didn't particularly like skiffle. It's the first time I've ever done anything I don't really like. But I wanted to sing much more than I dislike skiffle, so I joined this group.

Cliff Richard5:46

How long did you stay with it?

Cliff Richard5:48

About eight months and then my my liking for rock and roll sort of overcame me and I said I'd leave and form my own group.

Cliff Richard5:54

Was there any one artist who influenced you more than others?

Cliff Richard5:57

Yes, I'll be quite honest. Elvis Presley influenced me as he influenced quite a few people, you know. And I used to try and look very much like him. I had sideburns and guitars and things. Was entertaining your first job when you were left school?

Cliff Richard6:08

No, I when I left school I was pretty disappointed actually because I had no idea about being a singer, I just knew I wanted to be one but I cast it aside.

Cliff Richard6:16

I'd taken GCE in four subjects and only passed one, language. Mm. I'd like to have passed literature, that's my favorite.

Cliff Richard6:22

But, um, I went to work in an office where my my father was working at the time. Slightly higher than a coffee boy, but not much.

Speaker 36:28

But and you are entertaining in the evening.

Cliff Richard6:30

Yes, that's right. But um a few months before I actually left work I got an audition with Norrie Paramo for a record contract and

Cliff Richard6:36

About three months before I left work I made a record, you know, and it was very, very exciting and I I couldn't bear it, you know, I've been doing all sorts of wrong things and I'm sure that if I'd carried on much longer they'd have given me the sack, you know. And the record was a great success? Yes, I was very lucky with the record. Um

Cliff Richard6:51

I turned professional.

Cliff Richard6:53

Just a month before it was released and after my first TV show it got in the charts and it climbed slowly up to number two for it.

Speaker 37:00

Well, let's break off and have record number 3.

Cliff Richard7:02

Well, we were talking about Elvis Presley and since he had a great influence on I own quite a lot, I'd like to take a heartbreak hotel.

Speaker 37:09

Well since my baby left, well I found a new place to dwell when it's down at the end of the street I turned

Speaker 17:10

Hello.

Speaker 37:17

Heartbreak Hotel.

Speaker 37:20

I'll be just a lonely thing, baby. Well, I'm so lonely.

Speaker 37:25

Balvi is lonely I can Die.

Cliff Richard7:29

Yeah.

Speaker 37:29

Although it's always crowded, you still can find some room for broken-hearted lovers to crowd in the gloom Be soon. Elvis Presley singing. Outbreak Hotel.

Cliff Richard7:44

Cliff Richards isn't your real name, is it? No, it's not. My real name is Harry Webb. Why did you change it? Well, um...

Cliff Richard7:50

When I had this group it was called the Drifters, you see, and we were working in a coffee bar in the West End, and one weekend we were offered a job in Derby.

Cliff Richard7:58

for the for the weekend playing in a dance hall.

Cliff Richard8:00

And the gentleman who booked us wanted to have a name, you know, something in the drifters and he said Harry Webb in the drifters and I said, Oh no, it's far too square So we all sat around pondering over cider and

Cliff Richard8:12

Names cropped up and the last few names that cropped up was

Cliff Richard8:16

Russ Clifford

Cliff Richard8:18

And I said it sounded rather round and rather like a ballad singer, you know, so they changed it round to Cliff Russet. And I said, well I like Cliff, but I definitely don't like Russet.

Cliff Richard8:26

So someone came up with the ingenious idea of calling me Cliff Richards with the S on the end, but we decided that knocking the S off would make it to Christian names and make it more easy to remember, you know.

Speaker 38:37

Wh is there any particular event in your career that was the the big turning point, the big break?

Cliff Richard8:42

Yeah.

Speaker 38:42

Oh, undoubtedly.

Cliff Richard8:43

I see there's one thing that happened.

Cliff Richard8:44

Um, it just happened, Living Dahl.

Speaker 38:47

Oh yes.

Cliff Richard8:47

It it made such a difference, you know, it was a kind of a change in style and a slight breakaway. And I can't tell you what what a difference it made for me. I started getting letters from older people and From a blind school.

Cliff Richard8:58

And and it made just a world of difference.

Speaker 39:00

How many records have you had among the top twenty bestsellers?

Cliff Richard9:03

Well, I've been very lucky and I'm s keeping my fingers crossed because I don't know how long it's going on, but I've made ten and they've all been in the chart so far.

Speaker 39:09

Uh

Cliff Richard9:09

Ten out of ten.

Speaker 39:11

But while you sing, Cliff, you perform these rather frenzied movements. Do you rehearse these with each song, or is it a sort of spontaneous expression of how you feel?

Cliff Richard9:19

No, it's all spontaneous because I don't think you can do this kind of thing by practicing it. It is literally just letting yourself go with the music or whatever comes, just happens. Um we have changed a wee bit and that is now we rehearse a movement that makes it slightly more professional. It's easier to watch to my group do movements and I join them sometimes and it's more we even you can call it a small sort of dance routine on stage.

Speaker 39:40

Yes. Um

Cliff Richard9:42

Shadows, how long have they been with you? Approximately two years. Since I've been started, I started off with two guitarists.

Cliff Richard9:48

And on that tour I met another bass player.

Cliff Richard9:51

And a few weeks later after the tour we found a drummer. Mm. Do you write any of your own songs?

Cliff Richard9:56

Well I haven't for two years, but I wrote one just a few weeks back and it's been recorded by Cherry Wayner, and also I had a hand in writing one of my own on my latest LP.

Speaker 310:06

Well let's have record number four, what next?

Cliff Richard10:08

Well four I'd like Dakota Stanton singing My Funny Valentine.

Speaker 310:11

Why?

Cliff Richard10:12

Well, I've said before that I didn't have much time for classics, but I also never had much time for jazz. But I mean literally no time because my career and my life has been rock and roll and pop music. And when I first heard Dakota Staten,

Cliff Richard10:26

I was just completely bowled over by sincerity in her voice and the clarity and to me she is the greatest female vocalist and is definitely my favourite so I'd like to take her with me.

Speaker 410:35

My funny Valentine.

Speaker 410:43

Sweet.

Speaker 410:45

Call me Valentine.

Speaker 410:52

You make me fly

Speaker 311:04

Dakota Staten singing My Funny Valentine.

Speaker 311:07

At the moment, Cliff and for some months past you've been working in London at the Palladium, but ordinarily you're rushing about

Cliff Richard11:12

Yes, that's right. In fact, this played from continual one-night stand.

Speaker 311:16

But with television and discs as well, the one-night stance must mean a video.

Cliff Richard11:19

No just how much I miss it. I I I'm losing on a coach or something. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's certainly very exciting.

Speaker 311:24

Of course. Now it means you'll have to keep

Cliff Richard11:26

Yes, my income is split quite a few. Manager and the agent, both taking ten percent four which are paid weekly. Of course my mother and father don't work hypersuitist.

Speaker 311:34

Mm.

Cliff Richard11:34

But my sister works for me as a kind of secretary.

Speaker 311:38

We're gonna have to keep going. You can't say why she

Cliff Richard11:41

I can't get in the habit of saying that, although this I'm going to go for one, but I shan't go by myself. We're going for thinking of going to Spain actually.

Speaker 311:46

They are very young people, aren't they? Mm-hmm.

Cliff Richard11:48

From five to fifteen, but overall Uh

Speaker 311:51

Five.

Cliff Richard11:51

But Twenty

Speaker 311:51

Uh And nearly all girls.

Cliff Richard11:53

Maybe all comes here.

Speaker 311:54

Is it a fact that you you can't move about easily in the streets without the risk of being mobbed?

Cliff Richard11:59

It's true in a way. In the provinces that's very true. In town, um they're slightly more blase about it because I think they're used to bumping into people, you know. But in the provinces they don't hesitate to if they see someone they know from the screen, they don't hesitate to gather round.

Speaker 312:13

Yes. And that means that you can lose the buttons off your clothes.

Cliff Richard12:15

Well you can, quite easily. They don't mean to do any harm, really.

Speaker 312:19

Yeah.

Cliff Richard12:19

Yeah.

Speaker 312:19

We carry special insurance against that sort of thing.

Cliff Richard12:21

Well, I'm insured personally and of course all the clothes I I buy are insured and the guitars which I bought for the group are insured and the amplifiers and anything that is necessary to our work.

Speaker 312:30

Ready for anything.

Cliff Richard12:31

Yes, we have to be on push.

Speaker 312:33

Let's have record numbers.

Cliff Richard12:34

Well the fifth one I'd like to be Lena Horn singing How You Say It.

Speaker 312:37

Why?

Cliff Richard12:38

Well because Lena is the first person first jazz artist I ever went to see.

Cliff Richard12:43

And between you and me she's dynamic and I was so knocked out.

Cliff Richard12:48

And I've seen a few pop singers, but of all the artists I've ever seen, she has knocked me out most of all, and I'd like to take a memory of her with me.

Speaker 412:55

I meet a handsome Yankee I like him one, two, three.

Speaker 413:02

But I cannot so easy think to find a word like

Speaker 413:07

How do you say G?

Speaker 413:10

G oh God, it's G, I like so much his kisses.

Speaker 113:11

She

Speaker 413:14

They fill me up with joy.

Speaker 413:18

But I cannot so easy think to find a word like

Speaker 413:24

How you say boy?

Speaker 313:26

Leanerhorn singing How You Say It

Speaker 313:28

What next, Cliff?

Cliff Richard13:30

Well the next one I've chosen um Dion the Belmont version of That's My Design.

Cliff Richard13:35

Why'd you choose it?

Cliff Richard13:36

Well, I happened to have made a recording of That's My Desire, but I made it in the old style and the way it was written. But this one is unorthodox. It's a pop version of it. And quite honestly, when I first heard That's My Desire, the real way by I don't know who was singing it, but I was really quite knocked out with the lyrics and the tune and everything. And I thought, well this is it, this is the end, these old songs are the best.

Cliff Richard13:56

But I'll be honest with you also.

Cliff Richard13:58

The pop version I prefer to the old version. I know people are going to hate me, but I hope they don't hate me too much. But this is one reason why I'd like to take it with me. And it's also a beautiful song.

Speaker 314:37

Dion on the Belmonts, that's my desire.

Speaker 314:40

Now, Cliff, you're on this desert island. How good do you think you'll be at looking after yourself?

Speaker 314:44

Well, um at the moment

Cliff Richard14:46

Yeah. And up till now at home and things I haven't been very practical, but I think I'd be able to rally myself around because so far I've noticed I think it seems to be enough family, but if my mother's been ill or something or not well that day, but if s somehow everything's happened and we've all come around and we've all been able to do everything and carry on just as normal. So I'm hoping, and I think I could do, I could manage on an island by myself.

Speaker 315:06

Okay, you'll sound as if you'd be pretty resourceful.

Speaker 315:09

Record number seven.

Cliff Richard15:11

Well, this one, I'd like it to be Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley.

Speaker 315:15

Why?

Cliff Richard15:16

Well, I'm sure everybody knows that rock and roll has meant more than just a sort of hobby to me, it's meant my career and it made the opening to let me do something I really wanted to do.

Cliff Richard15:26

And

Cliff Richard15:27

If I'm going to go away for the rest of my life, I'd definitely like to take a memory of something that's meant more to me than anything else has.

Cliff Richard15:32

And that's the only and big reason why I'd take rock around the clock, Pipeline Haley.

Cliff Richard15:38

One, two, three o'clock.

Speaker 315:39

4 o'clock, rock. 5, 6, 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, rock. 9, 10, 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, rock. We're gonna rock. Hurrah!

Speaker 315:47

What did you do?

Speaker 316:06

Bill Haley and his comments.

Speaker 316:08

Rock around the clock.

Cliff Richard16:10

What's for the future, Cliff?

Cliff Richard16:11

Well, um the trend in music is changing very very rapidly and it's turning to ballads now but it's still the beat ballads, you know. And I'm hoping that we can we can come over with this. We have made about three or four ballads more than I usually do actually.

Cliff Richard16:25

And

Cliff Richard16:27

Beyond music, I'd like to make a hit in films if I possibly can. I've made two films.

Speaker 116:30

Yeah.

Speaker 316:30

I've made a

Cliff Richard16:31

Mm-hmm. But I haven't had a chance to really act, you know. In fact, the last time I was told to be myself with a different name. Doesn't help any. And and you've got a film Yes, I have one lined up for the end of January. It's A Thriller by Marjorie Addingham. And does that give you opportunity, you think? Well yes, it ha it's a far more concrete part.

Cliff Richard16:49

It's when I read the book I was a bit disappointed because everything seems to happen in the mind. It's all abstract.

Cliff Richard16:54

But the producer promised me that when the when I read the script I c I could do something with it. But it's far more acting part than the others anyway. You've been working in the United States this year. Do you want to go back there to work?

Cliff Richard17:04

Well, I worked there for five weeks and

Cliff Richard17:06

Honestly, after the first week I was so homesick I felt ridiculous, you know. But um I don't think I'd like to go back particularly unless I unless my record start to do something out there because I feel we wasted five weeks.

Cliff Richard17:18

being out there and the record companies just weren't plugging us enough, you know. You can do so much yourself and then the rest of it is just left to records and nothing happened.

Speaker 317:26

So you're going to stay here.

Cliff Richard17:27

Oh, I like I couldn't live anywhere else anyway, so that's it for me.

Speaker 317:30

Good, good. Well, let's have record number eight.

Cliff Richard17:33

Well this one by Ray Charles is called Am I Blue and the reason why I liked this so much and like to take it with me is the artistry of it. Um I don't know who arranged it, I'll have to look it up, but it is a fantastic arrangement of this song.

Cliff Richard17:47

Ray Charles isn't the greatest of singers. I mean, to me, quality singer type is Pat Boone or something like that. This boy is very rough, but he is blues, complete and Afi blues, and everything he sings means something, and it tugs at me. I don't have any feeling for blues, really, but I enjoy this immensely, and because it's so clever, so well arranged, I'd like to take it with me.

Speaker 418:09

Um

Cliff Richard18:17

Elma Blue

Speaker 418:24

AB's chance

Speaker 418:28

In these eyes telling

Speaker 318:38

Rachel singing Am I Blue? You're not taking any any of your endists to the island? Oh no, I think I've had enough of those.

Speaker 318:45

If you could only take one of these eight you've chosen, which would it be?

Cliff Richard18:49

Well, um, I thought of this. Um, I'd like to take Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley.

Cliff Richard18:54

Uh the reason being is that

Cliff Richard18:56

It's meant more to me than anything else has in my in my life.

Cliff Richard18:59

Rock and roll that is not necessarily the right record. And whenever I play Bill Haley music

Cliff Richard19:05

It always brings to mind thousands of people and I think of jostling crowds and people jiving about and I think if you're alone, I think I'd like to think of lots and lots of people and that's why I take this one.

Speaker 319:14

Uh

Cliff Richard19:14

And you're allowed to take one luxury with you.

Cliff Richard19:17

Um, I think I take my guitar because even now whenever I want to relax or do anything myself, I play guitar.

Speaker 319:23

Yeah.

Cliff Richard19:23

Mm. And one book apart from the Bible and Shakespeare.

Speaker 319:26

Uh

Cliff Richard19:27

I think I'm going to take Swiss Family Robinson.

Speaker 319:30

That's a crafty move. Very useful book indeed.

Cliff Richard19:31

PS very

Speaker 319:33

Well, thank you, Cliff Ritter, for letting us hear your choice of desert island disc.

Cliff Richard19:37

Well thank you very much and goodbye and thank you for giving me the opportunity to choose my own choice of reference. Goodbye.

Speaker 319:43

Uh

Cliff Richard19:43

Yeah.

Speaker 319:55

The guest in today's recorded programme was Cliff Richard, the interviewer Roy Plumley and the producer Monica Chaplin.

Speaker 120:05

You've been listening to a download from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more downloads, please visit the Radio 4 website.