Move It

Album: Cliff (1958)
Charted: 2
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Songfacts®:

  • This is recognized by many critics as the first genuine British classic rock record. It was written by Cliff Richard's friend Ian Samwell, who was a guitarist with Richard's backing band The Drifters (later The Shadows). He wrote it while riding on a number 715 red London bus on the way to Cliff's house in Cheshunt for a rehearsal.
  • The song is an attack on those who saw rock and roll as just a fad by asking what they hoped to replace it with.
  • When it came to recording it, the song's producer Norrie Paramor had little faith in The Drifters (who at that time did not include Hank Marvin), so he brought in Ernie Shears to provide backing on lead guitar and his electrifying riffing greatly enhanced the record.
  • This song was selected as the B-side to the less than inspiring "Schoolboy Crush," a cover of a Bobby Helms song. However when the producer Jack Good heard it, he insisted that if Cliff Richard was to appear on his TV show Oh Boy, he would have to sing "Move It." The record was turned over and climbed to #2 in the charts, but was unable to dislodge Connie Francis' "Stupid Cupid" from the top spot. However its success made many see Cliff Richard as the British answer to Elvis Presley and for a time he adopted a rock n' roller image. He was on his way to becoming Britain's most successful solo pop singer, still recording and having major chart success six decades later.
  • In December 2006 Richard re-recorded this with Brian May on guitar as part of a double A-side single along with "21st Century Christmas." Again it reached #2 in the UK charts, this time behind Take That's "Patience."
  • 1950s entrepreneur Harry Greatorex wanted the up and coming Rock 'n' Roll singer to change from his real name of Harry Webb. The name "Cliff" was adopted as it sounded like cliff face, which suggested "Rock." It was "Move It" writer Ian Samwell who suggested that the former Harry Webb be surnamed Richard as a tribute to Little Richard.
  • Abbey Road Studio opened in 1931 originally to record classical music. The first person to record there was Sir Edward Elgar, who recorded "Land Of Hope And Glory" with the British National Symphony Orchestra. "Move It" was the first Pop record to be recorded there.
  • Cliff Richard recalled in the Mail on Sunday November 2, 2008: "I believe - and I've read that John Lennon thought so as well - that this was the first real rock 'n' roll record made in England. That probably means it's the first real American-sounding rock record made outside America - rock 'n' roll hadn't happened in Australia, the Far East and certainly not in Europe. People such as Johnny Hallyday and Richard Anthony were hot on my heels. I remember standing in the corner of Studio Two in Abbey Road to record it - the one which, five years later, The Beatles and I used to fight to get."

Comments: 6

  • Bev Lawrence from Joh'burg - South AfricaEMI's A&R Manager, Norrie Paramor, didn't like rock'n'roll, but liked Cliff's voice. So he chose "Schoolboy crush" as Cliff's first single. Apparently Cliff wanted to do real R'n'R, like his hero Elvis, so Norrie consented to putting "Move it" on the B-side. What a great song, greatly improved by Ernie Shear's brilliant lead guitar work, and perfected by Hank Marvin on all the later recordings and concerts!! (Norrie went on to make the same mistake with The Shadows, choosing "Quartermaster's store" as their first single, and they put "Apache" on the B-side. Whew!!)
  • Andy J from SurreyRoute 715 was a Green Line route from Guildford to Hertford, so the bus would definitely have been green, not red!
  • Roy from Slough, United KingdomWhen I heard 'Move it' by Cliff & then saw him perform it on 'Oh Boy' I thought he was better than Elvis... and still do.
  • Ted from Phoenix, AzAs far as I can tell, "Move It," and "Devil Woman," (1976) are the two songs closest to rock and roll that Cliff Richard has recorded. The rest of his stuff, though good, is much more ac/middle of the road.
  • Mark from Dublin, IrelandBritish rock n roll doenst get any better then this one from cliff,some consider it to be the first british track to be equal to american rock n roll,recorded 50 years ago in august 1958,it still sounds brillant,cliff has recorded different versions of the track over his 50 years in music,the album "dont stop me now" featured a completly diffent version of the track with an orchestra, "rock n roll silver" in 1983 had a really cool rock version of the track and of course 2006 saw cliff recording the track with another rock legend brian may but for me the best is the original 1958 track,song was written by ian samwell,for other great rock n roll tracks by ian take a listen to cliffs 1959 track "dynamite"
  • Panya from Bangkok, Thailandgood rythm
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