Songs from Heathcliff

Songs from Heathcliff
Studio album by
Released30 October 1995
Recorded1994–1995
Studio
  • Moonee Ponds, Los Angeles
  • Abbey Road, London
  • CTS, London
Genre
Length47:07
LabelEMI
ProducerJohn Farrar
Cliff Richard chronology
The Hit List
(1994)
Songs from Heathcliff
(1995)
At the Movies 1959–1974
(1996)
Singles from Songs from Heathcliff
  1. "Misunderstood Man"
    Released: 9 October 1995
  2. "Had to Be"
    Released: 27 November 1995
  3. "The Wedding (I Do Not Love You Isabella)"
    Released: 18 March 1996
  4. "Be with Me Always"
    Released: 13 January 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]

Songs from Heathcliff is a studio album by English singer Cliff Richard, released in October 1995. It features ten songs from Richard's self-conceived musical Heathcliff, in which Richard played the title character. The musical is based on the Emily Brontë novel Wuthering Heights. The music was composed by John Farrar with lyrics written by Tim Rice. Olivia Newton-John is a guest on the album, featuring in five duets with Richard. The style of the music ranges from pop/rock to mock-period music, featuring instruments such as the harpsichord and violin.

Background

According to Richard in the album's liner notes, despite the fact that he "was no great shakes at anything remotely academic" at school, "the story of Wuthering Heights has stayed embedded in my mind since those early English lessons, and its central character, Heathcliff, forever captured my imagination."[2]

Singles

Four singles were released from the album. The lead single, "A Misunderstood Man", peaked on debut at number 19 in the UK Singles Chart, but suffered from a lack of airplay on radio (including from BBC Radio 2) and television.[3] The second single, "Had to Be", a duet with Olivia Newton-John, reached number 22. The third single, "The Wedding", a duet with Helen Hobson, reached number 40. "The Wedding" is a retitle of the album track "I Do Not Love You Isabella (Heathcliff's Wedding Song)" which features Richard in duet with Olivia Newton-John and Kristina Nichols. The fourth single, "Be with Me Always" was not released until January 1997 and it only reached number 52.[4]

Track listing

All tracks written by John Farrar and Tim Rice.

No.TitleLength
1."A Misunderstood Man"5:09
2."Sleep of the Good"4:17
3."Gypsy Bundle"3:59
4."Had to Be" (featuring Olivia Newton-John)4:14
5."When You Thought of Me"5:06
6."Dream Tomorrow" (featuring Olivia Newton-John)5:17
7."I Do Not Love You Isabella (Heathcliff's Wedding Song)" (featuring Olivia Newton-John and Kristina Nichols)4:29
8."Choosing When It's Too Late" (featuring Olivia Newton-John)4:00
9."Marked with Death" (featuring Olivia Newton-John)5:30
10."Be with Me Always"5:06

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[2]

Charts

Chart performance for Songs from Heathcliff
Chart (1995) Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[6] 15

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Songs from Heathcliff - Cliff Richard - User Reviews - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Songs from Heathcliff (liner notes). Cliff Richard. EMI. 1995.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ "Sir Cliff Richard frustrated at being a misunderstood man". Dynamite International (163): 3. December 1995.
  4. ^ "Cliff Richard - Full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Charts.nz – Cliff Richard – Songs from Heathcliff". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Cliff Richard Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  7. ^ "British album certifications – Cliff Richard – Songs from Heathcliff". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Songs from Heathcliff Cliff Richard in the "Search:" field.