This album is not just mine, it belongs to all of us involved in creating it, and I hope that we add a little something special to your Christmas season.” Sir Cliff’s previous festive hits, including Mistletoe And Wine, Saviour’s Day and The Millennium Prayer, have become Christmas staples over the years, with his last Yuletide album, Cliff At Christmas, released 19 years ago in 2003. Christmas with Cliff consists of 13 new recordings of Christmas music, including three newly written songs ("First Christmas", "Heart of Christmas", and "Six Days After Christmas (Happy New Year)"). It is Richard's third Christmas album following Together with Cliff Richard (1991) and Cliff at Christmas (2003), and his first made up entirely of new recordings. This CD was given away free with the Saturday edition of British national newspaper, Daily Mail. Comes in card sleeve. The singer, pictured in 1990, was Christmas number one that year with Saviour’s Day (Picture: Alistair Devine/TV Times/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

The album marked a brief return to record label EMI with whom he had previously been signed for 41 years. His first Christmas album since the release of Cliff at Christmas 19 years ago in 2003, Cliff is famous for owning Christmas in three decades with the release of No. 1 hits Mistletoe And Wine in 1988, Saviour’s Day in 1990 and The Millennium Prayer in 1999/2000. Christmas With Cliff was recorded in 2022 in Criteria Studios, Miami and produced by Sam Hollander and Chris Walden.The 81-year-old said: "I have always loved being in recording studios ever since Studio 2, Abbey Road, in 1958. Christmas with Cliff is the 46th studio album by British pop singer Cliff Richard, released on 25 November 2022 by East West Records. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, becoming Richard's 47th top 10 solo album. [1] Jones, Alan (2 December 2022). "Charts analysis: Stormzy scores third consecutive No.1 album". Music Week . Retrieved 4 December 2022.

Cliff Richard said: “I have always loved being in recording studios ever since Studio 2, Abbey Road, in 1958. I recorded this album in Criteria Studios in Miami Florida – 4,427 miles away from Abbey Road and once again I felt that I was in a world of my own! I had the help of two producers, Sam Hollander and Chris Walden. They guided me through the “well known” Christmas songs and freed me to sing them my way. They had differing approaches to the songs that I asked them to produce for me, and they gave this album the dynamics that I had hoped for. This album is not just mine. It belongs to all of us involved in creating it and I hope that we add a little something special to your Christmas season.” They guided me through the well-known Christmas songs and freed me to sing them my way. They had differing approaches to the songs that I asked them to produce for me, and they gave this album the dynamics that I had hoped for.” Sir Cliff's last Christmas album was released in 2003 - 19 years ago - and included Mistletoe And Wine, Saviour's Day and The Millennium Prayer.

I recorded this album in Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida – 4,427 miles away from Abbey Road – and once again I felt that I was in a world of my own,” said the singer, who worked with two producers, Sam Hollander and Chris Walden. Christmas With Cliff’s No 2 finish is his highest placement since The Album, which peaked at No 1 in April 1993. Appearing on This Morning, Richard said this week that he didn’t “know Stormzy at all”. He added: “Next year is my 65th year and here I am in the charts with the most popular artist of the decade and I am able to still compete. So I am just really happy about it.”

In the UK Albums Chart, Cliff at Christmas entered the charts at number 38 on 29 November 2003. Over the course of the following three weeks it climbed the charts until it peaked at number 9 on 20 December. It dropped slightly during the Christmas week to number 14 and then exited the chart in January. When re-released in late 2004 it entered the chart at 66 on 11 December, before climbing to 60 the following week and then left the charts for the final time. [1] Richard said he had always loved being in recording studios since time spent in 1958 in Studio Two, Abbey Road, famous for its use by artists including the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis and Adele. EMI gears up for the best of times; first Robbie Williams retrospective set to be an early Christmas number one favourite". Music Week. 18 September 2004 . Retrieved 4 December 2011. The Official Top 20 biggest selling Christmas albums of the century". The Official UK Charts Company . Retrieved 14 December 2018.a b "UK certification Database". BPI. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009 . Retrieved 8 December 2011. The only artist in the world to achieve top 5 albums in eight consecutive decades, Christmas With Cliff sees Cliff fresh from celebrating his 80th Birthday with newfound passion, bringing together an album of classics such as It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Sleigh Ride, Joy to the World, When a Child is Born, and many more in his own distinct style. The album also includes new Christmas songs – First Christmas, Six Days After Christmas (Happy New Year) and Heart of Christmas. Featuring seven decades of hits including Living Doll, Summer Holiday, We Don't Talk Anymore, Wired for Sound and the stunning Suddenly featuring Olivia Newton John. Cliff at Christmas is the 2003 Christmas album of Cliff Richard, containing eight new songs and nine previously released songs including all of his previous hit Christmas-themed singles included. One new single was released from the album, entitled "Santa's List", which reached a peak position of #5 in the UK charts over the festive period. The album reached #9 in the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum. In 2018, it was number 3 on the Official Top 20 biggest selling Christmas albums of the 21st century in the UK, having sold 409,000 copies. [1] [2] This album is not just mine, it belongs to all of us involved in creating it, and I hope that we add a little something special to your Christmas season.’

a b c d "Cliff Richard – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company . Retrieved 20 January 2016. Sir Cliff Richard has announced he is to release his first dedicated Christmas album in nearly two decades. This Is What I Mean, which was released on 25 November, is Stormzy’s third consecutive No 1 album. His debut, Gang Signs & Prayer, was the first grime album to hit No 1 on the chart. Richard achieved seven No 1 album placements throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and reached No 3 with 2020’s Music… The Air That I Breathe. Cliff Richard long ago secured his place as a permanent Christmas fixture, thanks to Mistletoe & Wine. One of the best Christmas songs of all time, it scored Sir Cliff the UK’s coveted Christmas No.1 spot in 1988, extending his remarkable run of No.1 singles into its fourth consecutive decade (of a phenomenal five). He’s since drawn from the same seasonal source on many occasions (Saviour’s Day, Santa’s List, 21st Century Christmas), but, remarkably, 2022’s Christmas With Cliff is only his second Christmas album. Forget living dolls in an age of AI technology; coming almost two decades on from his first Yuletide record, Christmas With Cliff is the gift fans have truly been waiting for. Listen to ‘Christmas With Cliff’ here.Dutchcharts.nl – Cliff Richard – Christmas with Cliff" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 December 2022. Of the 15 UK number one singles he has had, four have reigned supreme at Christmas with Band Aid II – which Sir Cliff sang on alongside Bananarama, Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Chris Rea and Wet Wet Wet taking the top spot in 1989. Cliff Richard was signed to EMI Records since his single " Move It", released in 1958. In 1999, he left the label due to a dispute over the release of " The Millennium Prayer", with the single subsequently being released on the Chrysalis Group owned Papillon Records label and becoming his first number one single in nine years. He returned to EMI in 2003 to release his single "Santa's List" and the album Cliff at Christmas. [3] O'Hanlon, Ardal (14 December 2003). "Ardal O'Hanlon meets Sir Cliff Richard". The Observer . Retrieved 8 December 2011. Teasing something a little different, he continued: ‘They had differing approaches to the songs that I asked them to produce for me, and they gave this album the dynamics that I had hoped for.