Imperial Melodies: Globalizing the Lives of Cliff Richard and Engelbert Humperdinck

Abstract

In 1995, a 55-year-old popular music sensation received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to charitable institutions, securing his role as a much-loved national treasure in the British imagination.1 That he should receive the ultimate recognition of service to the country was hardly surprising: he had been a household name since the 1950s, producing an impressive string of hit singles and exhibiting both a style and an attraction that seem to defy both generational change and the whims of fashion. This self-proclaimed religious philanthropist is also one of the most successful musical performers in British history. His single sales have been phenomenal with 33 of them selling over a million copies, and a national survey in 2004 found that he had sold nearly 21 million records in his career, eclipsing The Beatles who come second, and Elvis Presley who is in third place.2 As Sir Cliff Richard posed for photographs outside Buckingham Palace after the event with his three sisters, Donna, Joan and Jacqui, his journey to a distinguished place in the British establishment seemed complete.