London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Sir Cliff Richard disputes claim rivals The Beatles ‘owned’ Abbey Road studios

Sir Cliff Richard disputes claim rivals The Beatles ‘owned’ Abbey Road studios

Sir Cliff Richard has shot down the suggestion that The Beatles ‘owned’ Abbey Road studios, insisting that he was the main man on the block.

All the way back in 1958, the legendary musician made waves with the release of his song Move It, which is widely regarded as being one of the first authentic rock and roll songs made outside the US.

As the swinging sixties came into play, The Beatles blasted onto the scene, marking the beginning of a rivalry between the band and the solo crooner.

On Friday’s Good Morning Britain, Sir Cliff, 82, spoke to presenter Richard Arnold about his new festive album Christmas With Cliff, as well as the early stages of his career.

‘I started when I was 17, recording Move It in the corner of studio two, Abbey Road, 1958, five years before The Beatles by the way,’ he recalled.

‘You don’t think that the decades are going to fly by the way they do, so for me… my feet really haven’t and I keep thinking, will anybody else do that?’


The singer looked back on recording at Abbey Road over 60 years ago

The Beatles were stiff competition

Touching on Sir Cliff’s mention of The Beatles, Richard pointed out: ‘You mentioned The Beatles of course. You used to have to battle with The Beatles to get a slot at Abbey Road studios of course.’

Implying that his rivalry with The Beatles is far from a distant memory, the musician responded: ‘Everybody thinks they owned Abbey Road, and they didn’t. I did. I just rented to them.’

In 1964, The Beatles made a global name for themselves after performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in the US.

Sir Cliff Richard soared to stardom as a teenager

Despite their rivalry, Sir Cliff and Sir Paul performed together at the Queen’s Jubilee concert in 2002 among many other stars


However, Sir Cliff was famously not pleased by the raving reception they received, previously saying: ‘It’s ridiculous! Has everyone forgotten me? What’s going on?’

In 2002, he performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee concert alongside Sir Paul McCartney, with the concert also boasting performances from Queen and Sir Tom Jones.

Earlier this month, Stormzy beat Sir Cliff on the charts to achieve a third number one album.

Speaking about the chart battle with Stormzy, the singer said on GMB: ‘It’s always been competition with someone else, and if you’ve got the better record, then you’ve got it.

‘This is Stormzy’s album, I was looking at this. There are 12 tracks on his album. My album has 13 tracks!’ he also joked.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×