Fifty-five years ago, two thousand shrieking youths converged on Lod Airport, now Ben Gurion International Airport, in Tel Aviv. They trespassed on the tarmac to meet an incoming flight bearing a group of British musicians who had taken the world by storm, starred in hit films, and even recently appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Who were this fab foursome? I’m speaking, of course, of …. Cliff Richard and the Shadows!
While comparatively obscure in America, Cliff Richard is among of the most successful British musicians of all time. He has sold over 250 million records worldwide and has had more top twenty records on the UK charts than any other artist. He was originally marketed as “the British Elvis” and recorded what some consider the first British rock song. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate any concert footage of his 1963 tour of Israel. But this clip from the same period gives a sense of what Israeli teens were screaming about:
As best I can judge, Richard is a true gentleman who has avoided many of the pitfalls of stardom during his sixty year career. That said, I am unable to call myself a fan. I find most his material — the above clip excepted — stultifyingly bland. Indeed, listening to him renews my appreciation for just how remarkable both Elvis Presley and that other Fab Four really were. Which leads to a question. Why didn’t they ever perform in Israel?
In Presley’s case, the short answer is straightforward: he never toured anywhere outside the United States and Canada. That may have been due to the dubious immigration status of his manager, “Colonel Tom Parker,” who — despite attempting to pass himself off as a native of West Virginia — was born Andreas van Kuijk in the Netherlands and was rumored to have fled to America after murdering a woman in his home town. But what about the Beatles, who traveled the world? Following much speculation, the true story emerged with the help of research by historian Alon Gan in the Israeli State Archives.
An Israeli promoter tried to arrange a Beatles concert in Tel Aviv in 1965, but the project fell through. The Beatles did not want to be paid in Israeli currency and payments in foreign currency required approval from the state Finance Ministry, which refused authorization. The promoter appealed to a body known as the Interdepartmental Committee for Authorizing the Importation of Foreign Artists, but it determined that the Beatles were “liable to have a negative influence on [the country’s] youth.” Following a request for reconsideration, the Committee reaffirmed its decision on the ground that “the band has no artistic merit” and its performances abroad had caused “hysteria and mass disorder among young people.” To add further insult to injury, the committee’s chairman was quoted as saying that the group’s “yeah-yeah-yeah howls … are capable of striking dead a real beetle.”
This hostility can be attributed in part to fall out from the tumult that had accompanied the Cliff Richard tour. But it occurred in a context in which the country’s establishment was eager to protect its young people from permissive foreign influences.
Eventually, the Israeli government tried to make amends. In 2008, it delivered a letter of apology to John Lennon’s sister and invited the two surviving Beatles to perform in Israel. Paul McCartney accepted the offer despite receiving death threats from pro-boycott activists. Ringo Starr did not. But he recently announced that, for the first time ever, he will give a concert in Israel this coming June.
Let’s close with a fun fact. What do Richard, McCartney, and Starr have in common? In 1995, Cliff Richard became the first British rocker to achieve knighthood. In 1997, that honor was conferred upon Paul McCartney. Just before New Years, the Queen announced that Ringo Starr will be honored as well. From now on, it’s Sir Richard Starkey.
Another interesting fact about Cliff Richard is that I believe he has claimed to be asexual, which is unusual in the highly charged world of rock and roll. Paul McCartney should sing A Hard Day’s Night in Yiddish, as in this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCOFKD4CSjE
I’m not aware of Richard ever identifying himself asexual per se, although others have used the word about them. He has said that sex is not one of the things that drives him, and he has made a lifelong decision to prioritize his career over relationships. He has also said that he was in love with a woman in the 1970′ s but missed his chance to marry her because she was engaged to someone else. Can you guess who? The subject of our 6/7/17 post.