Spain also had its May of '68, even though it actually happened in April of that emblematic year. It was when Massiel triumphed at Eurovision with La, la, la and humiliated Cliff Richard, who came in second with his Congratulations at the Royal Albert Hall in London. A one-point difference was enough to give the victory to the Spanish singer, leading to all kinds of speculations about the manipulation of votes.
"Spanish fascist leader General Franco rigged the vote," titled the tabloid The Sun years later. "If, as they say, there is evidence that I was the winner, I would be the happiest person on the planet," Cliff Richard declared to The Guardian. "I have lived with being second for so many years that now it would be great if someone connected to the contest came and told me, 'Hey, Cliff! You actually won in the end'."
Richard tried again at Eurovision in 1973, and was the favorite with the festive Power to All Our Friends. However, he ended up in third place, defeated by the crystal-clear Anne-Marie David, who won for Luxembourg with Tu te reconnaîtras, and by Mocedades's Eres tú, who came in second in another Spanish revenge against the British idol.
Sir Cliff Richard, indeed, failed in his attempt to break into the United States, but in the British Isles, he was the true pioneer of rock 'n' roll, with the hit Move It back in 1958. With 21 million singles sold in his homeland, he was only surpassed by the Beatles and Elvis Presley in the 20th century. Even John Lennon himself once said: "Before Cliff and The Shadows, there was nothing to listen to in the UK."
With his pompadour and Elvis-style sideburns, he triumphed in movies like Summer Holiday or Wonderful Life. And back in 1979 (the same year he released the popular We Don't Talk Anymore), he had the brilliant idea of posing shirtless with his contagious smile in the first of his popular calendars, which were a hit far beyond his massive fan base worldwide.
Cliff 2025 is the title of the calendar for the upcoming year, immortalized by his friend, British photographer Robin Williams, aboard a cruise and in his tropical paradise in Barbados, toasting with something resembling a mojito, posing in a dolphin fountain, or splashing around in swim trunks and a t-shirt: "I love being in the water, it relaxes me a lot after a day of work and clears my mind and future plans."
In 2022, the last year he posed shirtless, Cliff Richard topped the list of best-selling singer calendars. In 2024, he was relegated to second place not by Massiel, but by Taylor Swift, although he consoled himself by staying ahead of Oasis. He even once beat Justin Bieber and it is estimated that his calendars have sold the equivalent of over 2.4 million euros.
His success as a poster boy has been such that his singing career has taken a back seat, although in 2023 he celebrated 65 years in the music industry with his latest album, Cliff with Strings - My Kinda Life, including a duet with his beloved Olivia Newton-John. With his receding hairline, he remains single at his age, although he boasts of having had a handful of cherished girlfriends, denies being gay, and remains a devout Christian.
In the latest issue of Woman's Weekly, the singer reveals himself as a daring cook with a recipe for a Christmas sauce made of onions and fine herbs. British media are filled with articles about "the comforting presence" and "rejuvenating effect" of Cliff Richard's calendars, with his proverbial smile as an antidote to a tumultuous world. For ages to come.