CLIFF RICHARD - “Congratulations”
(#248, 13th April 1968)
Rare is the Eurovision winning country that doesn’t play safe on the follow-up. “Puppet On A String” had given Britain its first victory, and “Congratulations” keeps things unflinchingly upbeat. (It pulled in a very close second on the night). The pull of “Puppet”’s strings actually harm “Congratulations” as a record, though. The body of the song trundles along agreeably on a rhythm track straight out of Cliff’s beat group days, but the trilling orchestral flourishes - more typically Eurovision, and successful for Sandie - don’t really mesh with it. They seem fancy and intrusive, and the arranger loses me completely for the big slowdown behind the final chorus. Cliff does a professional job though, even on the somewhat obnoxious chorus that the song is remembered for. His Eurovision experience was obviously a happy one, as he had another go five years later, and the appearances cemented his position as a family favourite and helped extend his career to remarkable length. 3
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FT's Tom on August 15th, 2006
The uncommentable song!
You are all scared of Sir Cliff.
Marcello Carlin on August 15th, 2006
Not worth commenting on, really.
Now if “Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha” had made it to the top…
Pete on August 15th, 2006
Not scared. Bored. This was light entertainment Cliff, the Cliff I don’t really remember. As a kid I’d seen movie star Cliff (Espresso Bongo is still a terrific film), and new “sexy” leather jacketed Wired For Sound Cliff, but Eurovision Cliff always seemed wrong to me.
Actually it always seemed wrong to put establish acts in Eurovision, but only cos of the string of no-hopers foisted upon Eurovision in the 80’s* and some ridiculous belief in fair play.
*Not Bardo obv.
FT's pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør on August 15th, 2006
for some reason pete’s post has reminded me that did a weird and scary dance with his legs while performing this song, so i think ph34r (and/or repression) are at the root of the silence
Erithian on August 15th, 2006
OK Marcello, new game - which other Cliff song should have reached Number 1 instead of this? My vote is for “The Day I Met Marie”.
FT's Steve Mannion on August 15th, 2006
I am scared of Cliff. If he tried to hug me I would run away.
JohnneyB on August 15th, 2006
The scariest thing about cliff is his sincerity. He really really means everything he says, and he only says nice things, which is by itself terrifying. He’s like the saintly twin of Johnney Rotton.
FT's Tim Hopkins on August 15th, 2006
I don’t think that’s true, Johnney. For example, I have ot on good authority that Cliff only likes small speakers, and thinks tall speakers are rubbish.
Marcello Carlin on August 16th, 2006
“Throw Down A Line” would have been an immense Cliff number one.
intothefireuk on August 16th, 2006
Fluff but still should have won Eurovision and I actually like the ruffled dandy look that predates his role in Heathcliff years later. He’s a nice clean boy as my Mum would say.
FT's Doctor Mod on August 17th, 2006
Who’s afraid of Cliff Richard?? Not I.
Rather, for me the song is really quite “uncommentable.” I have no memory chip marked Cliff Richard, as he didn’t even exist as far as the US was concerned until “Devil Woman,” which I thought was quite an ironic breakthrough title for one reputedly so godly.
FT's koganbot on August 20th, 2006
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard Cliff Richard.
FT's koganbot on August 20th, 2006
OK, now I have. In the middle, when he goes “I was afraid think you thought you were above me/I was only fooling myself to think you love me/But then tonight you said you couldn’t live without me/That ’round about me (?) you wanted to stay,” he actually puts a rolling Elvis lift in his voice that shows he can probably sing the hell out of a song if he wants to. But this performance is pathologically chipper, isn’t it? Roy Orbison or Bobby Darin could have put something - menace? slyness? - into this. Maybe Cliff could have, too, but he didn’t.
Eva on September 12th, 2006
GREAT TO SEE YOU CLIFF. YOUR SONGS ARE ALL GREAT. HAVE A GOOD ONE.
FT's richard thompson on June 23rd, 2008
This could have been seen by Cliff as a gospel song, when in record collector the writers thought of it as a more trippy tune.
Mark G on June 23rd, 2008
They both bonkers.