The 10 Tracks That Made Cilla Black
As a tribute to one of the biggest stars of our generation, Bob Stanley takes a look back over the 60s tracks that propelled Cilla Black from Cavern Club cloakroom girl into a bona fide national treasure.
Love of the Loved - Cilla Black
Released in 1963 on Parlophone
1. LOVE OF THE LOVED
The cloakroom girl at the Cavern gets a Lennon/McCartney cast-off, complete with blaring brass and some pounding drums - a ballad it isn't. Love Of The Loved struggles up to no.35 in late 1963 as She Loves You reigns at no.1. Would Cilla join the Big Three and Tommy Quickly, just another of Brian Epstein's also-rans?
Anyone Who Had A Heart - Cilla Black
Released in 1964 on Parlophone
2. ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART
The song that made her a star, complete with woodwind break and an incredibly complex coda. It had been a US Top 10 hit for Dionne Warwick, but defiant Cilla tears chunks out of the song whereas Dionne sounded small and broken. It deposed the Bachelors' Diane at number one in February 1964.
You're My World - Cilla Black
Released in 1964 on Parlophone
3. YOU'RE MY WORLD
Those who patronised the gawky Cilla as a one hit wonder were proven quite wrong by this monster, a Two Way Family Favourites regular, complete with Johnny Pearson's Psycho-like strings. Originally an Italian ballad (Il Mio Mondo), it stayed at number for a whole month in the spring of 1964.
It's For You - Cilla Black
Released in 1964 on Parlophone
4. IT'S FOR YOU
A proper slice of British pop- jazz, arranged by Johnny Scott and written by Paul McCartney, this was a brave choice of single. It only reached no.7 in September '64, but has proved one of Cilla's most enduring hits among her fans.
I've Been Wrong Before - Cilla Black
Released in April 1965 on Parlophone
5. I'VE BEEN WRONG BEFORE
Written by Randy Newman, this pitch-dark, piano-led ballad has neo-classical overtones. It says a lot about Cilla's performance that it is more heartbreaking than even Dusty Springfield's version. This 1965 single was both produced and arranged with George Martin's delicate touch.
Alfie - Cilla Black
Released in 1966 on Parlophone
6. ALFIE
The American version of Lewis Gilbert's 1966 film went with Cher's Spector-like version of this Bacharach/David theme tune. Cilla nails it though, her definitive version cutting through the London fog of the movie like a ray of sunshine: "I believe in love, Alfie."
Step Inside Love - Cilla Black
Released in March 1968 on Parlophone
7. STEP INSIDE LOVE
The theme to Cilla's first TV series - the deathlessly named Cilla - which began in June 1968. The warmth of her personality comes across in Paul McCartney's carefully crafted lyrics. The kettle's on. "Step inside, love" could just as easily have been "Step inside, chuck."
Work Is A Four Letter Word - Cilla Black
Released as a b-side in June 1968 on Parlophone
8. WORK IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
This cheeky Don Black/Guy Woolfenden song was the theme tune to Peter Hall's satirical comedy - and Cilla's only movie, in which she played opposite David Warner. Tucked away on the b-side of minor 1968 hit Where Is Tomorrow, it was later covered, rather perfunctorily, by The Smiths.
Liverpool Lullaby - Cilla Black
Released as a b-side in 1969 on Parlophone
9. LIVERPOOL LULLABY
"Ooh you are a mucky kid, dirty as a dustbin lid." Cilla returns to her roots on Liverpool's notorious Scotland Road for this kitchen sink number. It's sentimental, but not exactly romantic, and served as a eulogy to the passing of the Merseybeat era; most of her contemporaries were struggling on the cabaret circuit by 1968.
Surround Yourself With Sorrow - Cilla Black
Released in 1969 on Parlophone
10. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SORROW
Out with a bang! On this no.3 1969 single, Cilla's vocal wobbles, almost drunkenly, over a rock-solid, bassline-led beat, before exploding on the chorus: "Do you fall apart like a buttercup?" she asks, enigmatically. Play this one loud, and remember with fondness one of the great British working class entertainers.
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More facts and figures about the songs in our playlist
