Devil Woman: why does gen Z suddenly love Cliff Richard?

Devil Woman, the song by Sir Cliff Richard? That’s right, his most famous song.

Well now, that’s hardly fair. Cliff has been an icon since the birth of popular music. Yes, that’s true. His 68-year-old song Move It was potentially the first British rock’n’roll record.

He’s had so many No 1s, too. True. Living Doll in the 50s, Summer Holiday and The Young Ones in the 60s, We Don’t Talk Any More in the 70s, Mistletoe and Wine in the 80s, The Millennium Prayer in the 90s.

And what number did Devil Woman get to? No 9.

So it’s far from his most famous song, then? I rebut this. In terms of pure cultural cut-through, Devil Woman represents the pinnacle of Cliff Richard’s career.

Cultural cut-through how? The song formed the centrepiece of the video game trailer Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, which has gained 32m views on YouTube since it launched last month.

Oh wow. What footage did it soundtrack? Variously: scuba diving, basketball, kayaking, stripping, VR pornography, kidnapping and armed robbery.

And how does the famously Christian Cliff feel about his song being used for such depravity? He may be stuffing his ears with money as we speak.

Outrageous. Yes, but also extremely cool. The song fits the game perfectly. It’s corny and sleazy in equal measure, and as a result people are falling for it again.

So this is why it’s wildly popular? Exactly. Streams on Spotify are up 325%, and gen Z is making a big thing of tracking it down on vinyl. The success is being compared to when Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill surged back up the charts after being featured on Stranger Things.

This tends to happen a lot, doesn’t it? In the streaming age, where all music is permanently accessible, yes. Even Murder on the Dancefloor got a bump after it soundtracked Barry Keoghan’s genitals at the end of Saltburn.

Well, this is great. It is. Not only is the Devil Woman resurgence a timely validation for a song about being poisoned by a woman who sometimes transforms into a cat, but for Cliff as a whole.

How so? The man is 86 years old. It’s only natural that his career should wane a little as he ages. Lately he’s become more famous for his novelty calendars than his music, so this resets the clock a little.

How does he plan to capitalise upon this hip resurgence? He’s about to release a reggae version of The Lord is My Shepherd.

Sorry I asked. Yeah, me too.

Do say: “Cliff Richard is cool again.”

Don’t say: “Quick, hide the video where he rollerskates around a Milton Keynes shopping centre.”