Cliff Richard | The Shrine On The Second Floor | Expresso Bongo | 1959 |

[MsRosy45]

To all the haters!! This was a song IN a movie people!!! Yes Cliff is a christian so what? He has been loved by his fans for many years. Lived a clean honest life. Take a leaf out of his book and the world would be a better place. I dedicate this to my mother god rest her sole. Thanks Cliff i love all your music and your life :)

[SueEGenaris]

Wolf Mankowitz, who wrote the book for the musical, definately meant it as satire, but I believe Cliff is singing it straight. One of the tests of a good song is that it can mean lots of different things to different people. For contrast, check out the way James Kenney sang it in the original London Cast Recording--no question there!

[lindacoull]

FOR THE PERSON WHO ASKED IF CLIFF WAS FROM LIVERPOOL,THE ANSWER IS NO. HE WAS BORN IN LUCKNOW INDIA AS HIS PARENTS WERE THERE BUT HAD TO COME BACK TO BRITAIN WHEN HOSTLITIES BROKE OUT.

THIS IS A BRILLIANT SONG,ONE OF MY FAVOURITES SADLY IT IS NOT AS WELL KNOWN AS OTHERS.

LINDA COULL..

[Grifiki]

"These types of recordings were played in 1959, over an over again 24 hrs a day on EBS. Somewhere beyond the sea."

[jclarke51]

He's driving a stake through all the Momma/Madonna's hearts. Brilliant Satire! You have to have a brain as thick as Lignum Vitae not to get it.

[Streatham1966]

Cliff Richard has long been known as a committed Christian. Whatever the writers meant I think we can be certain that he meant it - no satire on his part.

[lclarke51]

It's all in perspective I saw Ex.Bong. in NYC in 1959 and the audience was chortling at the number. Manhattan audiences are quite perceptive when it comes to sub-texts.

[sadoldemilio]

Manhattan audiences in my experience cry in movies and applaud a happy ending. Chortling is not a word they would understand as it is not Jewish.

[lclarke51]

i"m just a 77 year old atheist still alive and kicking. I'm all for commiting Christians,especially Paisley Prebyterians. Was Cliff from Liverpool? My Dad was and I decked him at the age of 14.

C'est tout ce que j'ai a d\re. C'est Mylene Farmer que j'aime. Ce n'est pas elle qui sera le rat du benetier. Di_u merci!

[norristerse]

@sadoldemilio

it's not even english really. "chortle" was made up by lewis carroll for the poem "jabberwocky".

[sadoldemilio]

@norristerse. You are right., it was from Jabberwocky. Cliff's life has been both saved and ruined by religion and sexuality. If he'd been sexually normal, screwing women and drinking with men and religiously normal, sing along, accepting that this whole life everafter thing is crap, he'd have been happier and more balanced.

[norristerse]

@sadoldemilio

....or if he's chosen one or the other. for my part, i've never really understood why the church didn't want gays in, OR why gays want to join the church!

[sadoldemilio]

Reckon you're crediting him with more intelligence than he possessed at the time (or probably since). He was a schoolboy devoted to his mum and never had a girlfriend. Still hasn't.. This was not a wind up.

[Grifiki]

My Mum died the same year. And I was 5000 miles away, serving my Country. I never saw her Grave till 2yrs later..

[dinhovid]

Very sad to hear.

Thanks for watching!

[fredpng]

Hi, this was the song I sang at Singapore's first Talentime contest on television. It was in black and white and I was 21 years old then. How time flies!!

[Grifiki]

Serious Charge?

[Katietoo]

Wonderful schmaltz-y, thanks for sharing the memory :-)

[dinhovid]

You're welcome!!

[99Uschi]

Nice early performance. Thanks.