A Crush on the 'Bachelor Boy'

The New Penguin English Dictionary says, 'to have a crush on somebody' is 'to be infatuated with somebody, especially somebody unsuitable or unattainable'. And really, which teenager/adolescent never had a crush on a unattainable pop/movie star? Well, when I was a teen in the '60's, I certainly had one big crush for this 'Bachelor boy'. He was born Harry Rodger Webb in 1940 in India where his British parents lived. His family moved to England when he was eight, and at 18, he became Cliff Richard (CR), rock & roll singer, and he had girls screaming for him wherever he went. He was, then, what Justin Bieber is now, but me thinks CR was way, way cuter!

Cliff Richard at the drums (Picture taken from his autobiography)

I was infatuated in a big way and I even dreamed of marrying him (until I changed my mind, and wanted to marry Prince Charles instead!). I listened to his songs on radio, and wrote the lyrics in a special notebook dedicated to CR. I had a special CR scrapbook made, putting in all his pictures. But these two books have since been lost in transition. But I do still have one 'rojak' scrapbook where two duplicate CR postcards from the special one was pasted, hence the pictures below. I had some of his LP and EP records and cassettes (there were no CDs then, remember?), but managed to see only one of his movies - Summer holiday. I never went to any of his concerts until I was, lets say quite senior, and CR himself 11 years more senior! But I enjoyed that concert in Genting Highlands - and I should, because I paid a lot of money for that good seat!

Postcard of Cliff Richard from my 'rojak'
scrapbook (CNB 2011)

CR or rather Sir Cliff Richard (he was knighted by the Queen for his charity work) may be 71 now but he has still not retired from being a singer. In his autobiography 'Cliff Richard; my life, my way' written with a ghost/co-writer in 2008, he reveals among other things, the family's poverty during their early years in England, how he made it into the music industry to become a pop sensation and how he has been able to sustain his place even after 50 years! He was very much influenced by Elvis Presley in the beginning, and is the only singer who's had a hit single in every decade. For me, his best songs are Bachelor boy, Constantly, Congratulations, A Voice in the wilderness, and The Next time. In fact I love most of his songs of the '60's, when I had this great big crush on him!

Another postcard picture of CR from my 'rojak'
scrapbook (CNB 2011)