Sir Cliff Richard has said he is open to recording a duet with Harry Styles, after revealing he covered Styles' hit Sign of the Times without realising it was his song. The 86-year-old singer, born Harry Rodger Webb, made the comments ahead of the release of his 48th studio album, Only Number Ones, on November 27.
A Duet Offer and a Surprise Discovery
Speaking about a potential collaboration, Sir Cliff said: "I was asked if I ever thought I would do a duet with Harry. If he suggests something, I would be very happy to think about it...but I would have to know what key it is in. I have a feeling his key is a tone up above mine. But if I like the song, sure."
The veteran singer, who has 14 UK number one singles to his name compared to Styles' four, admitted he did not initially know the origin of the song he covered. "My record company sent me 46 songs to choose from for my new album. Somebody said 'oh I believe you have sung a Harry Styles song.' When they sent it to me I was like 'can we get that one?' After I recorded it they told me whose song it was," he said.
A Career Spanning Decades
Sir Cliff, who launched his career at 17 with his 1958 debut hit Move It, remains the third best-selling singles artist in UK chart history, behind only Elvis Presley and The Beatles. He was speaking at a 90-minute event at The Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames, where £20 tickets sold out online in 10 minutes.
He also hinted at new material, including a reggae version of The Lord is My Shepherd, written by Chris Eaton, who penned his 1990 festive hit Saviour's Day. "I have just been sent a song by Chris and his new song is based on one of the psalms. It goes 'The Lord Is My Shepherd…' It is reggae. I have never sung reggae before, but Chris is really good at it. So I am learning reggae," he said.
Looking Forward, Not Back
Despite his own Christmas hits, Sir Cliff admitted envy of Bing Crosby's record sales for White Christmas. "He deserved the 50 million sales. I would have loved to have had that, but I have had a lot of hits. White Christmas is bigger than Harry Styles and bigger than Cliff Richard. You can't compete with Bing Crosby," he said.
He also noted his 1976 hit Devil Woman was included on the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto VI, which surprised his nephews. "I was told the song was on the soundtrack as they have a character called the Devil Woman in the game. My nephew has two boys and they came in one day screaming, saying 'it is Uncle Cliff'. They did not realise I could sing like that," he said.
Sir Cliff, who celebrated his 86th birthday with a tea party at the InterContinental Hotel in central London, said he does not feel his age. "I am still here after all these years. I don't know what I would have done if I had not been a singer. I would probably be on the dole. But there has been a lot of help, a lot of bands played for me. You don't make it all on your own," he said.
His new album, Only Number Ones, is released on November 27 on Parlophone, and he will face competition from Bjork and The Rolling Stones. The new single Spirit in the Sky, originally by Norman Greenbaum, is already topping Mike Read's Heritage Chart.
