THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

409-Clifford T. Ward-Gaye.

1973-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 1.13. Before the hits Ward was a school teacher, his pupils included the actress and future wife of Sting, Trudie Styler, and the co-founding member of Underworld, Karl Hyde (see also best songs 989.)

Clifford Thomas Ward was born on February 10th, 1944, in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestshire, England. In 1987 Ward was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and in November 2001 he contracted pneumonia, and died in Tenbury Community Hospital on December 18th, 2001, at the age of 57. Ward’s first venture in to music was when forming a ‘Beat Band,’ called Cliff Ward and the Cruisers, which won the 1963 Midland Band of the year contest in Birmingham. The group would go through many name changes including ‘Martin Raynor and The Secrets,’ and ‘Simon’s Secrets,’ touring around Britain, and France, and releasing six singles, with little impact, the majority of the songs, including the ‘B’ sides, being written by Ward. Because of the failure to get a hit single, Clifford T. Ward enrolled at teacher training college, and subsequently became a high school teacher. He continued to write, and after coming to the attention of the legendary Disc Jockey John Peel (1939-2004) (see also best songs 728-659-435 and 336) he signed with Peel’s record label ‘Dandelion Records,’ and released his first solo Album ‘Singer Songwriter,’ in 1972. Shortly after the Album’s release Dandelion Records went into liquidation, but with Ward’s profile now higher, he was snapped up by ‘Charisma Records,’ where he recorded his second solo studio Album ‘Home Thoughts’ in 1973.

The discography of Clifford T. Ward includes 15 Albums released between 1972-2000, and there have been a further 10 posthumous Album releases to date. He had two UK top 40 charting singles, with ‘Gaye’ peaking the highest at Number 8 in 1973, and ‘Scullery’ from his third Album ‘Mantle Pieces,’ reaching Number 37 in January 1974. Clifford T. Ward was a family man, who preferred to be at home with his wife and children rather than spend weeks away on tour promoting his music, he was also a shy and private person, with a reluctance to perform live. Clive Selwood (1935-2020) who was Ward’s manager in the early 1970’s said, ‘Clifford should have been a major star, he had hits, but he simply wouldn’t perform publicly.’

‘Gaye’ was the first of two singles released from Clifford T. Ward’s second Album ‘Home Thoughts’ from April 1973, the song was written and produced by Clifford T. Ward, with the arrangement credited to Richard Hewson (see also best songs 692.) The Album reached Number 40 in the UK, and Number 67 in Australia. The title of the Album is taken from the poem ‘Home Thoughts from Abroad,’ which was written in 1845 by the English poet Robert Browning (1812-1889.) Following the success of ‘Gaye,’ Clifford T. Ward gave up the teaching profession to concentrate on music full time, and made a rare public appearance in July, performing ‘Gaye’ on the British music chart television programme ‘Top of the Pops,’ broadcast by the ‘BBC.’

In 1987, Clifford T. Ward was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS.) He continued to record and write songs while living at home, cared for by his wife Pat, whom he had met while they were both still teenagers at school. In 1994, Ward was interviewed by a local newspaper, the ‘Wolverhampton Express & Star,’ he told the reporter, ‘I have not and will not come to terms with this illness. There are times, usually quite late at night, when I’m almost normal again, but unless they find a cure for this dreadful MS, then I don’t see a future.’ Clifford T. Ward recorded his 11th, and what would be his final studio Album, ‘Julia and Other New Stories’ in 1994, crawling on all fours into his home based recording studio to finish it. At around the same time, a stage musical, called ‘Shattered World’ was produced as a tribute to him, based on his life and his battle against ‘MS.’ Half of the songs were Ward’s own, and half were numbers written by others about him.

‘You’re the tray of nice things I upset yesterday. The display of bright rings I let slip away.’