Can Cliff Richard revive his music career?

Aug 29, 2018

Singer announces new album, called Rise Up, inspired by BBC raid ordeal

Sir Cliff Richard is hoping to revive his music career with a new album about his legal battle with the BBC.

Following a 14-year recording hiatus, the 77-year-old singer has announced the upcoming release of a new collection called Rise Up, which will explore the “bad period” he has endured in recent times.

Richard won a privacy case against the BBC earlier this summer, four years after the broadcaster aired footage of a raid on his Berkshire home by police investigating historical child sexual assault claims. Richard was never arrested or charged and was subsequently awarded hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages.

Despite the bad feeling with the BBC, the 16-track album’s title song will debut today on Radio 2, at around 11.25am, reports The Guardian.

“I chose Rise Up as the title track because, after the bad period I went through in my life, I’ve managed to rise up out of what seemed like a quagmire,” Richard said.

“I love the lyric ‘They’re never gonna break me down, they’re never gonna take me down, they know I’m gonna rise up feeling stronger.’

“It is always great to sing lyrics you can feel and I really felt those words.”

Richard, who is the only singer to have had No. 1 singles in five consecutive decades, from the 1950s to 1990s, added: “I’m hoping that it will be a revival.”

It appears that he needn’t worry. Tickets for his upcoming 17-stop tour of the UK and Ireland have nearly sold out, and his legal woes have done little to deter fans. Thousands of his supporters - some of whom have been known to sport Cliff Richard handbags and rosettes and to carry life-sized dolls of the singer - continued to back him during his four-year legal fight.

A 20-strong group of fans even attended the court case, popping Champagne and singing Congratulations when the ruling was announced.

Richard’s new album is due out on 23 November. He made the announcement at London’s Abbey Road Studio, where he recorded his debut single Move It, released exactly 60 years ago, on 29 August 1958.