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Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard sang at two Eurovision Song Contests, in 1968 and 1973, for the United Kingdom. The best result was 2nd place in 1968, with “Congratulations”.
- who
- British singer
- born
- 14 October 1940, Lucknow
- contests
- 1968, 1973
- best result
- 2nd, 1968
- music
- pop, skiffle, pop rock, rock and roll, contemporary Christian music
- plays
- guitar
- active
- since 1958
- record labels
- EMI
- studied at
- Cheshunt School
- sang for
- United Kingdom
Biography
Cliff Richard is a British singer and actor who has sold more than 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom. Richard sang for the United Kingdom twice: “Congratulations” was the host country’s song in London in 1968 and finished second, one point behind the winner, and “Power to All Our Friends” finished third in Luxembourg in 1973.
Written by ESC Predictions, 8 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, “Cliff Richard”.
Follow and listen
The act’s own accounts, as listed on Wikidata. If one is wrong or out of date, tell us and we’ll take it down.
At Eurovision
Two songs, oldest first, and what became of each.
-
1968 London
“Congratulations”
2nd of 17 Finished 2nd of 17, with 28 points.
- Sung in
- English
- Written by
- Phil Coulter, Bill Martin
- Conductor
- Norrie Paramor
- Running order
- 12th of 17
- Age on the night
- 27
- Won that year
- Spain: Massiel, “La La La”
The story of Eurovision 1968: Colour, a borrowed singer and a one-vote finish
-
1973 Luxembourg City
“Power to All Our Friends”
3rd of 17 Finished 3rd of 17, with 123 points.
- Sung in
- English
- Written by
- Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett
- Conductor
- David Mackay
- Running order
- 15th of 17
- Age on the night
- 32
- Won that year
- Luxembourg: Anne-Marie David, “Tu te reconnaîtras”
The story of Eurovision 1973: Armed guards, backing tracks and any language you like
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Away from Eurovision
Other contests and shows
- Live Aid
Awards
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire 1980
- Commander of the Order of Prince Henry 2006
- Knight Bachelor
- Silver Clef Award
As recorded on Wikidata, which is rarely the whole list.
In the drama file
The two scenes from our index of scandals, mishaps and lore that Cliff Richard is part of.
- 1968 One vote Ties and photo finishes
- 1968 Norway changes its song Thrown out, pulled out, stayed away
In our contest stories
What we wrote about Cliff Richard, year by year. Follow a link for the rest of that night.
- 1968 Norway changes its song
Norway's national final had been won by "Jeg har aldri vært så glad i noen som deg", performed by both Kirsti Sparboe and Odd Børre. Then came the accusations, several of them, that it sounded too much like "Summer Holiday" — a Cliff Richard hit. Its composer, Kari Diesen, withdrew it.
- 1968 Norway changes its song
Cliff Richard, as it happened, was the man everybody else had to beat.
- 1968 One vote
The bookmakers had no doubts. Richard was dominating the charts, his song was "Congratulations", and a second British win in a row was treated as settled.
- 1973 Familiar names
Cliff Richard came back for the United Kingdom, five years after losing by one vote. Finland's Marion Rung returned after eleven years and Italy's Massimo Ranieri after two.
- 1973 The result
The top three finished within six votes of one another. Luxembourg's Anne-Marie David won with "Tu te reconnaîtras" on 129 votes. Spain's Mocedades had 125 with "Eres tú". Cliff Richard, third this time, had 123.
Results as published by the European Broadcasting Union. Biographical details from Wikidata. The photo is from Wikimedia Commons and is credited beside it. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.