Cliff Richard: Idola-ku Dulu
18 Oct 2010 1 Comment
in Music and Songs Tags: Childhood Memory, Cliff Richard, Favourite Singer, Nostalgia
Percayakah anda kalau Cliff Richard itu dulu adalah penyanyi pujaanku? Penyanyi Inggris ini adalah idola masa kecilku. Waktu itu aku mendengarkan semua lagu lagunya, membaca gossip tentang dirinya, mengumpulkan gambar-gambarnya dan melamunkan dirinya.
Waktu itu diawal tahun 60-an, kami tidaklah seuntung anak anak sekarang. Waktu itu tak ada TV dan juga cassette player- pun belum ada (baru kemudian diawal tahun 1970-an). Untunglah mereka yang mempunyai record player/ piringan hitam atau tape recorder, tapi waktu itu kami tak punya, makanya kami hanya tergantung pada radio untuk mendengarkan lagu lagu.
Sekarang kalau dipikir lucu juga. Aku dan kakak perempuanku sering meributkan idola siapakah yang lebih jagoan. Penyanyi idola kakak adalah Ricky Nelson. Kakak dulu selalu bilang bahwa Ricky Nelson itu adalah penyanyi yang paling tampan sedunia dan suaranya adalah yang paling jernih dan lembut. Waktu itu karena masih di SD, kami tak mengerti bahasa Inggris. Pelajaran bahasa Inggris hanya dimulai dibangku SMP. Namun demikian, kami bisa mendapatkan copy surat dalan bahasa Inggris yang anak anak kirimkan ke penyanyi atau bintang film untuk meminta photonya. Kami berdua tak mau ketinggalan dan mengutip beberapa surat itu untuk dikirimkan ke penyanyi idola kami masing masing.
Hati ini betul betul berdebar keras waktu aku menerima surat dari Cliff. Alangkah bangganya menerima photo hitam putih lengkap dengan tanda tangannya. Dalam hati kupikir:”Cliff Richard sudah membaca suratku dan mengirimkan photonya untukku. Coba bayangkan!”……Seakan akan impianku sudah jadi kenyataan. Waktu itu tak terpikir kalau sebetulnya Cliff sendiri tak tahu menahu tentang surat suratku. Tentunya sekretarisnya yang membaca surat surat dan mengirimkan photo photo.
Tak lama kemudian, kakak juga menerima photonya Ricky Nelson yang jauh lebih besar ukurannya dan berwarna. Aku merasa dikalahkan, karena kakak bisa membuktikan bahwa penyanyi pujaannya lebih unggul.
Betul juga, kakak memamerkan tidak hanya satu photo tapi 3 buah photo ukuran besar 2 x postcard dan berwarna. Satu photo adalah Ricky Nelson sendiri, kemudian dengan isterinya Kris dan satunya lagi bersama keluarga Nelson (orang tua dan kakak laki lakinya).
Kakak mengejekku karena Ricky Nelson lebih murah hati dan Cliff pelit. Karena tak mau kalah, aku bilang setidak tidaknya Cliff masih bujangan dan Ricky Nelson sudah menikah. Kakak jadi diam, ha……
Aku terus menyukai lagu lagunya Cliff Richard sampai dewasa. Namun sekarang setelah lebih dari 45 tahun telah berlalu, rasanya suaranya penyanyi idolaku ini biasa biasa saja. (Sorry ya, Sir Cliff). Idola yang mendebarkan hati dimasa kecil sekarang hanyalah tinggal kenangan.
Untuk anda anda yang terlalu muda untuk mengenal Cliff Richard, inilah sedikit profilnya. Cliff Richard yang sekarang dikenal dengan panggilan Sir Cliff tidak pernah menikah, dan sampai saat ini masih membujang. Sedangkan penyanyi Ricky Nelson telah meninggal dunia disaat mengalami kecelakaan pesawat terbang ditahun 1985.
Cliff Richard:
- Nama lahir: Harry Rodger Webb
- Lahir: 14 Oktober 1940 di India yang waktu itu masih diduduki Inggris.
- Kebangsaan: Inggris.
- Genre musik: Rock and Roll, Pop.
- Pekerjaan: Penyanyi dan Bintang Film dimasa mudanya.
- Instrumen: Vokal dan Gitar
- Masa aktif: Mulai tahun 1958 sampai sekarang.
- Label musik: EMI, Colombia, Epic, Rocket, Papillon.
- Band: The Shadow.
- Gelar ‘Sir”: Pada tanggal 25 Oktober, 1995, Ratu Elizabeth menganugerahkan Queen’s Birthday Honour dan Cliff Richard menjadi Sir Cliff.
- Beberapa lagu hit: Living Doll, The Young One, Summer Holiday, The Minute You’re Gone, Congratulation dsb.
- Lagu yang populer setelah tahun 1970: We Don’t Talk Anymore, Mistletoe & Wine dan Millennium Prayer, Wired for Sound, Miss you Nights, Ocean Deep, Give A Little Bit more dsb.
Sir Cliff terkenal awet muda dan memiliki karir yang panjang.
Inilah link dari You Tube untuk mendengarkan sebuah lagunya:
Who Was Your First Crush?
22 Sep 2008 2 Comments
in Music and Songs Tags: Cliff Richard, Music, Nostalgia
At that time in the early 60s we were not as lucky as kids today. No TV shows, not even a cassette player yet (not till about early 1970s). The lucky ones could afford a record player , but we did not have one, so I relied on our radio to hear his songs.
Thinking back, it was so funny how my older sister and I used to argue whose idol was the best. Her idol was Ricky Nelson. She used to say that Ricky Nelson was the best looking guy on earth and his voice was the smoothest and the clearest. At the time being still at Primary School, we knew nothing of English. We only started to study English at the start the Junior High School. However, we managed to get a copy of letter in English to send to singers or film stars to ask for photos. We didn’t miss the chance, and we both sent a few hand written copies of the letter to our idol.
How my heart was beating fast when finally I got a letter from Cliff. I was so proud to receive a signed black & white photograph. I said to my self: “Cliff Richard had read my letter and sent me a photo, just imagine that!!!” …… I was behaving like all my dreams came true. At the time, it never crossed my mind that Cliff himself would know nothing of my letter. It was of course his secretary we who had (more than likely) read my letter and sent the photo.
Later on, when my sister received a much larger and trendier letter from Ricky Nelson, I felt really beaten because I knew what she was going to say to prove that her idol was better. Surely she showed off 3 full colour photographs, double postcard size. One of Ricky himself, then another one with all the Nelson Family and the last one with his wife……
She bragged how generous Ricky was and said that Cliff was just shockingly stingy. Then I said that at least Cliff was still single, and Ricky has been married. It shut her up…….. Ha….
I continued to enjoy Cliff’s songs until my early adulthood. But now more than 45 years later, I found out that his voice was nothing very special (*I’m so sorry, Sir Cliff). The heart throb of my younger years was just a memory. Occasionally I still like to listen to his songs, especially the latest ones.
For those who are too young to know who Cliff Richard was, this is a bit of profile about him. By the way, Cliff Richard who now is known as Sir Cliff is never married, until today he is still single (Once again I beat my sister about this (ha…), especially knowing that Ricky Nelson was sadly no longer with us. He died in a plane crash in 1985)
Cliff Richard:
Birth Name: Harry Rodger Webb
Born: 14 October 1940 in Lucknow, United Provinces, (British) India.
Nationality: British
Genres: Rock and Roll, Pop
Occupations: Singer and Actor in his younger years
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar
Years Active: From 1958 – Present
Labels: EMI, Columbia, Epic, Rocket, Papillon
Band: The Shadow
Sir Cliff: After an announcement earlier in the year as part of the Queens Birthday Honours List, Cliff Richard became Sir Cliff Richard at 10:30am on October 25 1995.
Cliff Richard was known for his youthful look and long lasting careers.
Some of his popular songs:
Living Doll, The Young One, Summer Holiday, The Minute You’re Gone, Congratulations
His popular songs after 1970: We Don’t Talk Anymore, Mistletoe & Wine and Millennium Prayer, Wired for Sound, Miss You Nights, Ocean Deep, Give A Little Bit More etc.
