'Congratulations' was a global hit as it became a much bigger hit than 'La, La, La', which beat Cliff in the 1968 Eurovision song contest. Shortly after 'Congratulations', which was one of his solo efforts, Cliff recorded his last single with The Shadows. Again in 1973, with 'Power to All Our Friends', he entered the Eurovision song contest--this time reaching 3rd place.
The most sold artist in British Pop history - with over 40 top hits.
Worked with Stock Aitken Waterman in 1989 and the single "I Just Don't Have The Heart".
Sixty appearances at Wembley, plus sellout tour to celebrate 50 years in the business.
First hit: Move It, 1958, first no. 1: Living Doll
As big as he is in the UK, he has only had 3 Top 10 hits in the USA with the biggest still being his breakthrough 1976 single "Devil Woman" which made it all the way to #6.
Has also worked with Elton John, Mark Knopfler, Julian Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Phil Everly, Janet Jackson, Sheila Walsh, Van Morrison, and Olivia Newton-John.
Once Upon A Time
Cliff Richard Lyrics
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One yours and one sublime
This love has two beginnings
One mine and one unkind
This love has one pretender
This love is to remember
This love had two stories
Must end with once upon a time
And in time, the strangers met
And fell in love with time
In oh such danger
And time, does not forget
In the meantime,
That's the way it goes.
Meanwhile, once upon a time
In the meantime, meanwhile
This love has two meanings
One sure and one to find
This love has true feelings
One yearning, one is blind
This love should not surrender
This love is to remember
This love with two meanings
Must end with once upon a time
There were two strangers
And in time, the strangers met
And fell in love with time
In oh such danger
And time, does not forget
In the meantime,
that's the way it goes.
Meanwhile, once upon a time
In the meantime, meanwhile,
That's the way it goes.
Once upon a time
In the meantime
This love has one pretender
This love will always remember
This love with two stories
Must end with once upon a time
There were two strangers
And in time, the strangers met
And fell in love with time
In oh such danger
And time, does not forget
In the meantime,
That's the way it goes.
Meanwhile, once upon a time
This love had one pretender
That's the way it goes
This love will always be mine
This love was once upon a time
This love had one pretender
That's the way it goes
That's the way it has to be
This love will always be mine
Always you, always me
This love had one pretender
That's the way it goes
The way its gotta be
The lyrics of Cliff Richard's "Once Upon a Time" explore the complexity of love and its different facets. The song suggests that love can have two stories and two beginnings-- one from each person involved-- and that it can also have two meanings. It speaks to a love that was once strong but is now ending, and acknowledges that there was a pretender involved in the relationship.
The first verse highlights the different perspectives of the lovers involved, implying that they had different expectations and experiences within the relationship. The second verse moves on to talk about the feelings themselves, stating that there were true feelings and also some blindness involved. The chorus reiterates the idea that there were two strangers who fell in love with each other, but that the relationship wasn't meant to last. The song then ends with a final verse that suggests that there was a pretender involved in the relationship, and that this element played a role in its eventual end.
The lyrics of "Once Upon a Time" speak to the complexity of love, and to the idea that there is often more than meets the eye when it comes to relationships. It suggests that love can be difficult and fraught with challenges, but that it's worth remembering even in its ending.
Line by Line Meaning
This love has two stories
This love has two versions, one from your perspective and one that is greater than reality.
One yours and one sublime
One version of love is yours and the other is supernatural, overwhelming.
This love has two beginnings
This love has a beginning from both you and me.
One mine and one unkind
One version of love had a good beginning but the other wasn't great.
This love has one pretender
This love has someone who is pretending to love, who is not true.
This love is to remember
We should not forget this love.
This love had two stories
This love has two accounts, one that is yours and one that is sublime.
Must end with once upon a time
This love must come to an end one day, with a fairytale ending.
There were two strangers
Two people who were strangers to each other.
And in time, the strangers met
They eventually met each other in the course of time.
And fell in love with time
They fell in love in the span of time.
In oh such danger
Despite the potential risks or harms in doing so.
And time, does not forget
Time will remember this love.
In the meantime,
Meanwhile,
That's the way it goes.
That's how life unfolds.
Meanwhile, once upon a time
In the midst of all that, long long ago,
This love has two meanings
This love is interpreted in two ways, clear and opaque.
One sure and one to find
One meaning is definitive but the other needs more clarity.
This love has true feelings
This love is based on honest emotions and feelings.
One yearning, one is blind
One interpretation is passionate and hopeful but the other is ignorant.
This love should not surrender
This love should not give up.
This love is to remember
This love deserves to be remembered.
This love with two meanings
This love has two interpretations.
Must end with once upon a time
Its conclusion should be like a fairytale ending.
This love will always remember
This love will always recall and recollect.
This love will always be mine
I will always be in love with you.
This love was once upon a time
This love was there in the past once upon a time.
That's the way it has to be
That is the nature and characteristic of love.
Always you, always me
It will always be you and me.
The way its gotta be
This is the way it must be, the way it is.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN TARNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind