Back with another matchup that pits three different songs with the same name against each other. This time, the songs are all named "Congratulations." Here are the contestants…
Cliff Richard
This song was chosen to represent the UK in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, and while it came in second there, it topped the charts in the UK that year.
Paul Simon
Paul’s "Congratulations" was the flip side of "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" from his 1972 eponymous solo album.
Reba McEntire
From Reba’s 1984 album Just A Little Love.
Those are our three challengers in this battle. Now it’s your turn!
- Listen to the three songs.
- Decide which song you like the best.
- Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment with your choice. If you feel like telling us why, feel free.
- Then, visit the other participants and vote in their Battles:
- Stephen at STMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
- Arlee at Tossing It Out
- Mike at Mike’s Ramblings
- Cathy at Curious As A Cathy
- Mary B at Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Debbie at The Doglady’s Den
- Cherdo at Cherdo On The Flipside
- Ai at Ai Love Music
- Kim at Storms And Stardust
I’ll tally the votes and announce the winner next Tuesday, September 8, so be sure and get your vote to me by then. Remember, anyone can vote in these battles, and I hope you do!
The lines are now open. Good luck to Cliff, Paul, and Reba!
Paul Simon gets my vote!
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Immediately, I had to knock Reba off the list. No offense, girlfriend, but that is not your best Reba moment. In fact, I think your best Reba moment is when you’re shooting that critter in the movie “Tremors,” but I digress.
Unfortunately, neither Cliff Richards or Paul Simon were in the movie “Tremors,” so there versions have to stand on their own.
I’m going to give it to Cliff Richards. The dude does sound like he’s enjoying himself. What else can I ask for?
Thanks!
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Cliff Richards is the winner for me. Paul Simon sounds like he is ready to drift off to sleep and Reba is ok but still a bit of a snore. Cliff gets my vote
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l am going for the Cliff Richard version because both the Paul Simon and Reba McEntire version sound like dirges to me. I remember Cliff winning the Eurovision song contest with Congratulations it’s the only happy one there.
Here is another dirgy one, but a dirgy one I like Congratulations by Blue October featuring Imogen Heap.
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JOHN ~
Just 53 seconds of the Cliff Richard song convinced me that the odds of me voting for Cliff in a 3-Way BOTB were probably about the same odds of me voting for Joe Biden or Fat Twinkie Trump in the next presi-dumb-tial election.
I DO like a LOT of Paul Simon’s music (with and without Garfunkel), although I wasn’t wild about his “Congratulations”.
I am not, and never have been, a Reba McEntire fan (she’s the poorwoman’s Brenda Lee). She’s OK, but quite overrated, I strongly believe. Nevertheless, I definitely preferred Reba’s ‘Congratulations’ in this match-up. So, my congratulations to REBA for winning my BOTB Bote in this contest!
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
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It’s got to be Don Henly for me 💜
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WILLOWDOT21 ~
I thank you for voting in my BOTB installment. I’ve got your vote for Henley recorded and will include it in the tally of my BOTB Results post (which I hope to get written and published after work tonight).
Thanks again for contributing two cents for the kitty!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
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I will pick Paul Simon…the only song I know well named Congratulations is the Traveling Wilburys but it’s not well known.
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It’s Cliff Richard for me. I agree with Cathy, about the song being cheery.
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John,
Paul Simon and Reba’s songs seem a bit of downer but Cliff Richard’s song is bubbly – a real picker up and cheery tune earning my vote. Please mark me down for Cliff Richard in this showdown. Nicely played. Join me when you can for today’s battle showdown when you can, my friend!
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Interesting that you and I both have a 3 songs with same title Battle with a title having only one word.
After hearing these three songs I came to the conclusion that the word “congratulations” results in relatively trite sounding songs–to me at least. Of the three, the Cliff Richard song is the only one I’d heard though I didn’t know that he had done it. His song sounds like a commercial or something. In fact I think I’ve heard it in a commercial.
Simon’s song just didn’t grab me at all, but sometimes his songs are like that for me while others I really like. But not so much this one.
That leaves Reba. Her song was more traditional country sounding evoking Patsy Cline or someone like that. I’ll give my vote to Reba.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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When I saw the title in my inbox, I thought, oh great, I missed another one, as I thought you had picked a winner. It’s good to see I was wrong. I am going with Reba. I love her voice, I don’t care what she’s singing.
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Cliff Richard wins it for me, because I’m a Brit and I remember that Eurovision Song Contest and that’s the song I know 🙂
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