Our Top 10 Cilla Black Songs list presents the best songs from a famous UK artist who succeeded in film, television, and the music industry. While Cilla Black was known in the United States, she was far more popular in the United Kingdom. Cilla Black had an incredibly successful run in the music business in the 1960s and 70s with many hits. At the same time, she hosted her variety show on the BBC network called Cilla. In the 1980s and 1990s, she worked heavily on television. Hailing from Liverpool, Cilla Black was good friends with the Beatles. She was introduced to her manager, Brian Epstein, by John Lennon.
Throughout her career, Cilla Black released many popular singles in the UK. She also released 20 studio albums and probably the same number of compilation records based on her singles. In many ways, Cilla Black defined a big part of the pop sound of the 1960s in the UK.
# 10 – Something Tells Me (Something’s Gonna Happen Tonight)
We open our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list with the intoxicating song “Something Tells Me (Something’s Gonna Happen Tonight).” The song was released as a non-albable single in 1971. It would eventually be released on many of Cilla Black’s compilation albums. The song hit the UK Singles Charts, peaking at number three. The song also hit the Irish Singles Charts, reaching all the way up to number three. “Something Tells Me (Something’s Gonna Happen Tonight)” was composed by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook. The Drifters would also record the song.
# 9 – Love of the Loved
“Love of the Loved” is the first of three songs on this top 10 Cilla Black Songs list written by Paul McCartney. All three songs written by Paul McCartney that Cilla Black recorded were credited to Lennon-McCartney as that was the deal the two men had with their songwriting partnership during the Beatles years. The Beatles performed the song during their early years before they found success and broke big. “Love of the Loved” was Cilla Black’s first single release. The song was a top 40 hit on the UK Singles Charts peaking at number thirty five.
# 8 – You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
In the number eight spot on our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list, we present the song entitled “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’. While most music fans associate this song with The Righteous Brothers, who had a number-one hit with the song, history can’t ignore the success that Cilla Black also had with her exquisite recording of the song. Originally, the song was released as a single by Cilla Black. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” would also be issued on the album The Best of Cilla Black, released in 1968. When Cilla Black first recorded the song, it became number two on the UK Singles Charts.
# 7 – Love’s Just a Broken Heart
In the number seven position on our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list is the intoxicating song entitled “Love’s Just a Broken Heart.” We love the way this great song, “Love’s Just a Broken Heart,” grooves most majestically. “Love’s Just a Broken Heart” has a UK vibe. The song “Love’s Just a Broken Heart” was released on the Cilla Sings a Rainbow album. The album was released in 1966. It was the first and only single released from the album. The song “Love’s Just a Broken Heart” hit the UK Singles Charts, peaking at number three. “Love’s Just a Broken Heart ” hit number ten on the Irish Singles Charts.
# 6 – Step Inside Love
Landing in the number six spot on our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list we present the song “Step Inside Love.” We couldn’t compose a Cilla Black Songs list without including this one for various reasons. First off, the song was written by Paul McCartney. The song penned for Cilla Black would also serve as the theme song to her television show Cilla, which ran for eight years. The song was released on the album entitled Sher-oo!. The album was released in 1968. It was the first single released from the album. The song hit the UK Singles Charts peaking at number seven. The song also was a hit on the Irish Singles Charts reaching all the way up to number fifteen.
# 5 – Conversations
At the halfway point on our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list is the captivating song entitled “Conversations.” The song was issued on the album entitled You’re My World. The album was released in 1969. “Conversations” was the first single released from the album. The song was a hit on the UK Singles Charts 100 peaking at number seven. The song also was a hit on the Irish Singles Charts reaching all the way up to number five. In New Zealand, it just missed the number one spot peaking at number two.
# 4 – Surround Yourself with Sorrow
At the number four spot on our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list we present the energetic but sad song entitled “Surround Yourself with Sorrow.” This one just so defined that 60s British soul-pop feel. This one also has a Nancy Sinatra type feel to it. The song “Surround Yourself with Sorrow” was released on the album entitled Surround Yourself with Cilla. The album was released in 1969. It was the first single released from the album. The song was a hit on the UK Singles Charts 100 peaking at number three The song also was a hit on the Irish Singles Charts reaching all the way up to number five. The song “Surround Yourself with Sorrow” was composed by Bill Martin & Phil Coulter.
# 3 – It’s for You
There is nothing like having the Beatles compose a song just for you. That’s exactly what happened when John Lennon and Paul McCartney composed the marvelous song “It’s For You” for Cilla Black in 1964. The song “It’s For You” was initially released as a stand-alone single. The song “It’s For You” would eventually be issued on the album The Best of Cilla Black, released in 1968. The song “It’s For You” hit the UK Singles Charts, peaking at number seven. “It’s For You” was also the second single in a row by Cilla Black to break into the Billboard Top 100.
# 2 – You’re My World
Just off the top spot on our top 10 Cilla Black Songs list, we celebrate the emotional song entitled “You’re My World.” This one is just so beautiful. This was Cilla Black’s only single to break the top 40 in the United States. The song “You’re My World” was a monster hit on the UK Singles Charts, hitting the number one spot, making it two number-one singles in a row for Cilla Black. The song was composed by Umberto Bindi, Gino Paoli, and Carl Sigman. The legendary George Martin produced the Cilla Black recording at Abbey Road Studios. The song “You’re My World” would also be eventually issued on the album entitled The Best of Cilla Black, which was released in 1968.
# 1 – Anyone Who Had a Heart
We close out our top 10 Cilla Black Songs with the song entitled “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The song “Anyone Who Had a Heart” was released in 1964 by Cilla Black. The song was first recorded by Dionne Warwick, who had a monster hit with the song in the United States. However, Cilla Black succeeded more with the song in the United Kingdom, where it hit number one on the UK Singles Charts.
The song was also a hit on the Irish Singles Charts, reaching number one. Additionally, the song hit number one in the Netherlands and South Africa. This was the most successful and popular song of Cilla Black’s career. The song “Anyone Who Had a Heart” would also be eventually issued on the album entitled The Best of Cilla Black, which was released in 1968.
Feature Photo: Joost Evers / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
Updated June 15, 2024