Still all but unknown to many Americans, to his legions of UK fans over the past half-century Sir Cliff Richard has been the second coming of Elvis Presley. He has sold more than 250 million records and had No. 1 hits in every decade but the current one -- more number ones in the UK, in fact, than anyone but Elvis, the Beatles and Westlife. But Sir Cliff may see himself as the second coming of a certain superstar even bigger than Elvis, if that's humanly possible: None other than the original longhaired heartthrob with the amazing stunts and the truly crazy encore.

According to a sociologist affiliated with Germany's Martin Luther University, the UK's most enduring pop star has a pronounced tendency to present himself as a modern-day messiah. From outstretched arms and a sexless persona to his well-known Christian conversion, argues Anja Lobert in a popular music journal of the Cambridge University Press, the first beknighted British pop star "seems to have established a remarkably consistent public persona which presents him as a friend in need, a bridge to happiness and, hence, a figure modeling itself on Jesus Christ."

Noted among fans for his conspicuous abstinence from the sex and drugs part of the rock 'n' roll equation, Sir Cliff has called himself "the most radical rock star there has ever been." If that's so, well, what would the Jesus of cool do? For starters, he'd turn a few more records into gold and bump Westlife off that list.

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