Congratulations (Cliff Richard song)
| "Congratulations" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
EMI Studios, London | ||||
| Genre |
| |||
| Length | 2:33 | |||
| Label | Columbia DB8376[1] | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor[1] | |||
| Cliff Richard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bill Martin, Phil Coulter | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | Bill Martin, Phil Coulter | |||
| Conductor | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 2nd | |||
| Final points | 28 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Puppet on a String" (1967) | ||||
| "Boom Bang-a-Bang" (1969) ► | ||||
"Congratulations" is a song recorded by British singer
The song went on to reach number 1 in many countries including Spain. He released the song in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.
Background
Conception
Phil Coulter originally wrote the song as "I Think I Love You", but was unsure of the lyrics and got together with Bill Martin –the same team that wrote "Puppet on a String"–, who changed it to "Congratulations".[2][1]
Eurovision
On 5 March 1968, "Congratulations " performed by Cliff Richard –who had already been internally selected– competed in the national final organized by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to select the song he would perform in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition so it became the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1968, to be held in London.[3] In addition to the English language version, he released the song in French, German, Spanish, and Italian.[4]
The song was immediately popular in the UK and became a number one single. On the day of the contest, it was the favourite to win, so much so that the British press were posing the question: "What will come second to 'Congratulations'?".[5]
On 6 April 1968, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London hosted by the BBC, and broadcast live throughout the continent.[6] Cliff Richard performed "Congratulations" twelfth on the night following Italy's "Marianne" by Sergio Endrigo and preceding Norway's "Stress" by Odd Børre. The song was arranged, conducted and produced by Norrie Paramor who was also musical director for the event.[7]
During the voting, "Congratulations" was leading for much of the way until the penultimate vote when Germany gave Spain six points, putting them one point ahead of the United Kingdom. It finished second just behind Spain's entry "La, la, la" by Massiel by just one point.[8]
Aftermath
"Congratulations" went on to become a huge hit throughout Europe. In July 1968, the song was included on the six-track Columbia EP Congratulations: Cliff Sings 6 Songs for Europe.[9]
The song is still popular and was chosen to lead the show which celebrated 50 years of Eurovision and which was named after it:
George Harrison's song "It's Johnny's Birthday" from his 1970 album All Things Must Pass is based on this song. The writers Martin and Coulter filed a claim in December 1970 against Harrison for royalties, and subsequent pressings of the album credit their contribution.[10]
Chart performance
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 4 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] | 2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[14] | 1 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[15] | 32 |
| Denmark[16] | 1 |
| Finland ( IFPI Finland)[17]
|
3 |
| France (SNEP)[18] | 20 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[19] | 3 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[20] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] | 1 |
| New Zealand | 2 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[22] | 1 |
| Spain (Promusicae)[23] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio / Radio Orion)[24] | 4 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] | 2 |
| 1 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[27] | 99 |
Sales
| Region | Sales |
|---|---|
| Germany | 150,000[28] |
| Worldwide | 1,000,000[29] |
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Nul Points...?!, BBC Television, 1992
- ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
- ^ "United Kingdom - 1968". The Diggiloo Thrush.
- ^ "Did Franco steal the 1968 Eurovision from Cliff Richard and Phil Coulter?". 3 May 2014.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1968". Eurovision Song Contest. 6 April 1968. BBC / EBU.
- ^ andtheconductoris.eu. "And the conductor is..." Andtheconductoris.eu. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
- ^ "Cliff Richard - Congratulations: Cliff Sings 6 Songs For Europe - Columbia - UK". 45cat. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ Joe (24 November 2015). "It's Johnny's Birthday". The Beatles Bible.
- ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1 June 1966. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ See the Top 20/30 tab: "Denmark Singles Chart (Top 20/30) – Congratulations". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- ISBN 95-168-0321-0.
- ^ Select Cliff RICHARD from the drop-down selection box and click OK: "French Singles - Artists R". infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "Ireland singles charts". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations". VG-lista.
- ISBN 978-84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "South Africa Charts 1965-1989 - Springbok Radio / Radio Orion". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Congratulations". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Cliff Richard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cash Box - Germany" (PDF). Cashbox. 11 May 1968. p. 62. Retrieved 6 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- France24. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
External links
- "Congratulations" at Discogs (list of releases)