I'm No Hero is the 23rd studio album by Cliff Richard, released in 1980. The album includes three hit singles, of which "Dreamin'" and "A Little in Love" were top 20 hits in both the UK and the US.
| I'm No Hero | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 September 1980[1] | |||
| Recorded | May–June 1980 [2] at Riverside Recordings, London; mixed at Roundhouse Studios, London[3] | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Alan Tarney | |||
| Cliff Richard chronology | ||||
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| Singles from I'm No Hero | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 US version of the album | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
Background
editFollowing the success of Richard's 1979 single "We Don't Talk Anymore", which was written and arranged by Alan Tarney, the record company was keen to use his services again. For the follow-up album in 1980, Tarney was employed as producer for the entire album. This gave I'm No Hero a cohesive sound but was criticised at the time for being too unadventurous. The songs on the album were similar in style to "We Don't Talk Anymore", but it was also a success, generating two top 20 singles, while the album itself made the top five in the UK.
With the lead single "Dreamin'" released in August 1980, the album came out a few weeks later. "Dreamin'" became a top 10 hit in both the UK and US, while the follow-up, "A Little in Love", released belatedly in January 1981, reached No.15 in the UK and No.17 in the US.[5][6][7] The album itself reached No.4 in the UK Albums Chart, but due to the lack of singles, failed to sustain as lengthy a run in the top 75 as Richard's previous album, Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile.[5] The delayed release of the second single was due to the release of "Suddenly", a duet with Olivia Newton-John, taken from the Xanadu soundtrack. This was also a top 20 hit in the UK and US - making this Richard's most successful period in the American market.
The album received positive reviews and kept Richard high in the charts during this, his revival period.[8] It was also the last time he appeared in the US top 20. The track "Give a Little Bit More", which was co-written by Andy Hill, who was about to become famous as the writer and producer for Bucks Fizz, was released in some countries as a single, as was "In the Night" (not the same as the Barbara Dickson song which was released around that time and also produced by Tarney).[9] "Give a Little Bit More" gave Richard a third hit from the album in the US, peaking at No. 41.[10] This track was unreleased as a single in the UK, where it was covered by Johnny Logan in September 1980, but his version failed to chart.[11]
I'm No Hero was remastered and re-issued on compact disc in July 2001.[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Alan Tarney, except where noted.
Side one
- "Take Another Look" – 4:11
- "Anything I Can Do" – 4:01
- "A Little in Love" – 3:42
- "Here (So Doggone Blue)" – 3:50
- "Give a Little Bit More" (Andy Hill, Jonathan Hodge) – 3:35
Side two
- "In the Night" (Rod Bowkett) – 3:48
- "I'm No Hero" (Trevor Spencer, Tarney) – 3:25
- "Dreamin'" (Leo Sayer, Tarney) – 3:40
- "A Heart Will Break" (Spencer, Tarney) – 3:59
- "Everyman" – 4:11
CD bonus tracks (2001 re-issue)
- "Dynamite" (Ian Ralph Samwell) – 3:12
- "Keep on Looking" – 3:40
Personnel
edit- Cliff Richard – vocals
- Alan Tarney – bass guitar, guitars, arrangements
- Trevor Spencer – drums
- Michael Boddicker, Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards
Charts and certifications
editWeekly charts
edit| Release date | Single title | UK Chart peak | US Chart peak | Australia | Canada | Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| August 1980 | "Dreamin'" | 8 | 10 | 4 | 9^ [13] | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 1981 | "A Little in Love" | 15 | 17 | 66 | 4^^ [14] | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 1981 | "Give a Little Bit More" | NR | 41 | NR | 30 [15] | NR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Release date | Album title | UK Chart peak | US Chart peak | Australia | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 1980 | I'm No Hero | 4 | 80 | 28 | 25 [16] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NOTES:
^ "Dreaming" also reached no.83 on the Canadian RPM "Top 100 Singles of 1980" chart.[17]
^^ "A Little in Love" also reached no. 33 on the Canadian RPM "Top 100 Singles of 1981" chart.[18]
NR - not released
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[1] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[19] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "British album certifications – Cliff Richard – I'm No Hero". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ Cliff Richard songs.com - Recording dates
- ^ "Cliff Richard – I'm No Hero (1980, Green Labels, Vinyl)". Discogs.
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ a b "Cliff Richard - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ Billboard.com - "Dreamin'"
- ^ Billboard.com - "A Little in Love"
- ^ Allmusic - I'm No Hero review
- ^ "In the Night" single Hit parade
- "Cliff Richard - In the Night". Official German Charts. Retrieved 15 September 2019. - ^ "Give a Little Bit More" US Chart details, Billboard
- ^ "Johnny Logan – Give a Little Bit More (Too Much Too Soon) (1980, Vinyl)". Discogs.
- ^ I'm No Hero CD re-issue, CD Universe
- ^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - Volume 34, No. 6, December 20, 1980" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - Volume 34, No. 19, April 18, 1981" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - Volume 35, No. 2, June 20, 1981" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "RPM Top 50 Albums - Volume 34, No. 7, January 24, 1981" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1980" (PDF). RPM. 20 December 1980. Retrieved 13 April 2016 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1981" (PDF). RPM. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 13 April 2016 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Cliff Richard – I'm No Hero". Music Canada.