'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.
What Car
Cliff Richard Lyrics
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When I was 16 he went out of town
There were car keys sitting on the pillow
Screaming out
"Come take a drive around"
From here to Linda's all the lights were yellow
Even though she said that we were through
All she said was
"Let's see what she'll do"
What car?
What girl?
What tree?
What kerb?
What are you talking about?
I never left the house
What keys?
What crash?
How dare you ask!
The car is gone, move on
Daddy you better move one
Monday morning he was in the kitchen
Asking if I had a tale to tell
A certain red collectable was missing
Sorry daddy
That does not ring a bell
Was very late but I agreed to join him
At the scene of the alleged theft
But there's an emptiness you can't ignore
When a stain of oil is
All that you have left
Even if they found the wreckage
Even if they hauled me in
I was sticking to the same old story
Again and again and again and again
The years have gone
There's a mark on the tree
I never could tell him
That I took the key
The years have gone
But my daddy doesn't know
I was the one
Who bust his Camaro
Move on
The car is gone
Daddy move on
The car is gone
In the song "What Car" by Cliff Richard, the singer tells a story of his teenage years and the loss of his father's beloved 68 Camaro. The story starts with an invitation from his father to take the car out for a drive while he was out of town. The singer takes the car out and drives to Linda's, where he sees his ex-girlfriend. She gets impressed by the car and asks to take a ride. Later, the singer is asked about the missing car, but he denies any knowledge of it. Despite the car never being found, the singer admits to having crashed it secretly and left a mark on a nearby tree. He never tells his father the truth, and the song ends with a plea to "move on" from the loss.
The lyrics of "What Car" suggest that the singer is struggling with guilt and shame from his past actions. Despite his denial of knowledge about the car's whereabouts, the singer seems to admit to being responsible for the car's loss. He is aware of the hurt and disappointment he caused his father but feels unable to confess. The mark on the tree represents a permanent reminder of his mistake.
Some possible interpretations of this song could be around themes of honesty, forgiveness, and regret. The lyrics highlight the consequences of dishonesty and the difficulty of facing up to one's mistakes. It is also notable that the singer is the only one who knows what happened, and there is a sense of loneliness and isolation that comes with this knowledge.
Line by Line Meaning
My daddy had a 68 Camaro
My father once owned a beautiful 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
When I was 16 he went out of town
When I was a teenager, my father left for a trip out of town
There were car keys sitting on the pillow
To my surprise, I found car keys on my pillow
Screaming out 'Come take a drive around'
The keys seemed to be calling out to me, urging me to take the car out for a spin
From here to Linda's all the lights were yellow
On my way to Linda's house, all the traffic lights were yellow
Even though she said that we were through
Despite the fact that Linda had broken up with me
When she saw me in my red Camaro
Her attitude changed as soon as she saw me driving my sporty red Camaro
All she said was 'Let's see what she'll do'
Linda was excited to see what my fast and stylish car could do
What car?
I don't know what you're talking about
What girl?
I don't know who you're referring to
What tree?
I don't know what you mean about a tree
What kerb?
I don't know what you mean by 'kerb'
What are you talking about?
I have no idea what you're trying to accuse me of
I never left the house
I never left my home
What keys?
I don't know what keys you're referring to
What crash?
I have no idea what you're talking about
How dare you ask!
How dare you accuse me of something like that?
The car is gone, move on
The car is no longer here, so we should move on from this topic
Daddy you better move one
Daddy, it's time to forget about the car and move on with your life
Monday morning he was in the kitchen
On Monday morning, my father was in the kitchen
Asking if I had a tale to tell
He asked me if I had any stories to share with him
A certain red collectable was missing
He mentioned that his red collectible car was missing
Sorry daddy that does not ring a bell
I pretended to have no knowledge of his missing car
Was very late but I agreed to join him
He asked me to go with him to investigate the theft, even though it was very late at night
But there's an emptiness you can't ignore
Even though we searched for the missing car, there was a lingering sense of sadness and emptiness
When a stain of oil is all that you have left
All that remained of the car was a stain of oil, indicating that it had been completely destroyed
Even if they found the wreckage
Even if someone found the remains of the car
Even if they hauled me in
Even if I was arrested and brought in for questioning
I was sticking to the same old story
I would continue to stick to my story that I had no involvement in the car's disappearance
Again and again and again and again
I would never change my story, no matter how many times I was questioned
The years have gone
Many years have passed since the incident
There's a mark on the tree
There is a physical reminder of the crash in the form of a mark or scar on a nearby tree
I never could tell him
I never confessed to my father that I was responsible for stealing and destroying his car
That I took the key
I secretly took the car key without my father's permission
But my daddy doesn't know
To this day, my father still doesn't know the truth about what happened to his beloved Camaro
I was the one
I am the guilty party who stole and crashed my father's car
Who bust his Camaro
I was the one who destroyed my father's cherished Camaro
The car is gone
The car is no longer in existence
Daddy move on
It's time for my father to move on from this painful memory
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVID A. MULLEN, GARY SCOTT BURR, TREY EDWIN BRUCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind