Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the
"Goddess of Pop",
she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry. Cher is known for her distinctive
contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances throughout her six-decade-long career. Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
husband-wife duo
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.
The pair f ...
after their song "
I Got You Babe
"I Got You Babe" is a song performed by Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album ''Look at Us''. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...
" peaked at number one on the US and UK charts. Together they sold 40 million records worldwide. Her solo career was established during the same time, with the top-ten singles "
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, ''The Sonny Side of Chér''. It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached No. 3 in the UK Singles C ...
" and "
You Better Sit Down Kids
"You Better Sit Down Kids" is a major hit single by American singer/actress Cher in 1967 from her fourth studio album '' With Love, Chér'', released in November 1967 by Imperial Records. The song was written by her then-husband Sonny Bono. Sung ...
". She became a television personality in the 1970s with her
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
shows; first ''
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was ...
'', watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and then the namesake ''
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
''. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows. While working on television, Cher released the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles "
Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves
"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1971 seventh studio album '' Chér'' (eventually reissued under the title ''Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves''). Kapp Records, a division of MCA Records, released it as th ...
", "
Half-Breed
Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white.
Use by governments United States
In ...
", and "
Dark Lady", becoming the female artist with the most number-one singles in United States history at the time. After her divorce from
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...
in 1975, she released the
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
album ''
Take Me Home'' (1979) and earned $300,000 a week for her 1979–1982
concert residency in Las Vegas.
In 1982, Cher made her Broadway debut in the play ''
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'' and starred in its
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
. She subsequently garnered critical acclaim for her performances in films such as ''
Silkwood
''Silkwood'' is a 1983 American biographical drama film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was adapted from the book ''Who Killed Karen Silkwood?'' by ''Rollin ...
'' (1983), ''
Mask
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
'' (1985), ''
The Witches of Eastwick
''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008.
Plot
The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witch ...
'' (1987), and ''
Moonstruck
''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follows Lor ...
'' (1987), the last of which won her the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...
. She then revived her music career by recording the rock-inflected albums ''
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
'' (1987), ''
Heart of Stone'' (1989), and ''
Love Hurts
"Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known from the 1974 international hit version by Scottish hard rock band Nazaret ...
'' (1991), all of which yielded successful singles such as
"I Found Someone", "
If I Could Turn Back Time
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album '' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically f ...
", and "
Love and Understanding
"Love and Understanding" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 20th studio album, ''Love Hurts''. Written by Diane Warren and produced by Warren and Guy Roche, it was released as the album's lead single in 1991 for the North Ame ...
". Cher contributed to the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
for her next film, ''
Mermaids
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
'' (1990), which spawned the UK number-one single "
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
"It's in His Kiss" is a song written and composed by Rudy Clark. It was first released as a single in 1963 by Merry Clayton that did not chart. The song was made a hit a year later when recorded by Betty Everett, who hit No. 1 on the ''Cashbox' ...
". She made her directorial debut with a segment in the abortion-themed anthology ''
If These Walls Could Talk
''If These Walls Could Talk'' is a 1996 American television film, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years apart: 195 ...
'' (1996).
Cher reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
album ''
Believe'', whose
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may al ...
topped the
''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999 and became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK. It features pioneering use of
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
to distort her vocals, known as the "Cher effect". Her 2002–2005
Living Proof: The Farewell Tour became one of the
highest-grossing concert tours of all time, earning $250 million. In 2008, she signed a $60 million deal to headline
the Colosseum at Caesars Palace
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is a theater located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The theater is the main entertainment venue for Caesars Palace. Deemed the ''Home of the Greatest Entertainers in the World'', the theater has hosted ...
in Las Vegas for three years. During the 2010s, she landed starring roles in the films ''
Burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. '' (2010) and ''
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' is a 2018 British-American jukebox musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Ol Parker, from a story by Parker, Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis. It is the sequel to the 2008 film '' Mamma Mia!'', ...
'' (2018) and released studio albums ''
Closer to the Truth
''Closer to the Truth'' is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer and actress Cher. It was released on September 20, 2013 by Warner Bros. Records. Opting to re-establish her music career, she began planning the project in 2011, shortly ...
'' (2013) and ''
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus al ...
'' (2018), both of which debuted at number three on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Having sold 100 million records, Cher is one of the world's
best-selling music artists.
Her achievements include a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
, an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
, an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, three
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
, a
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
award, the
''Billboard'' Icon Award, and awards from the
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...
and the
Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory des ...
. She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a ''Billboard'' chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. Aside from music and acting, she is noted for her political views, social media presence, philanthropic endeavors, and social activism, including
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
rights and
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
prevention.
Life and career
1946–1961: Early life
Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in
El Centro, California
El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban ar ...
, on May 20, 1946. Her father, John Sarkisian, was an
Armenian-American
Armenian Americans ( hy, ամերիկահայեր, ''amerikahayer'') are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in ...
truck driver with drug and gambling problems; her mother,
Georgia Holt
Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch; June 9, 1926 – December 10, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter, actress and model. She was also notable for being the mother of singer and actress Cher.
Early life
Holt was born Jackie Jean Crouch in ...
(born Jackie Jean Crouch), was a former model and retired actress who claims Irish, English, German, and Cherokee ancestry. Cher's father was rarely home when she was an infant, and her parents divorced when Cher was ten months old. Her mother later married actor John Southall, with whom she had another daughter, Georganne, Cher's half-sister.
Now living in Los Angeles, Cher's mother began acting while working as a waitress. She changed her name to Georgia Holt and played minor roles in films and on television. Holt also secured acting parts for her daughters as extras on television shows like ''
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...
''. Her mother's relationship with Southall ended when Cher was nine years old, but she considers him her father and remembers him as a "good-natured man who turned belligerent when he drank too much". Holt remarried and divorced several more times, and she moved her family around the country (including New York, Texas, and California). They often had little money, and Cher recounted having had to use rubber bands to hold her shoes together. At one point, her mother left Cher at an orphanage for several weeks. Although they met every day, both found the experience traumatic.
When Cher was in fifth grade, she produced a performance of the musical ''
Oklahoma!
''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...
'' for her teacher and class. She organized a group of girls, directing and choreographing their dance routines. Unable to convince boys to participate, she acted the male roles and sang their songs. By age nine, she had developed an unusually low voice. Fascinated by film stars, Cher's role model was
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
, particularly due to her role in the 1961 film ''
Breakfast at Tiffany's''. Cher began to take after the unconventional outfits and behavior of Hepburn's character. She was also inspired by
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
,
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
, and
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
. She was disappointed by the absence of dark-haired Hollywood actresses whom she could emulate. She had wanted to be famous since childhood but felt unattractive and untalented, later commenting, "I couldn't think of anything that I could do ... I didn't think I'd be a singer or dancer. I just thought, well, I'll be famous. That was my goal."
In 1961, Holt married bank manager Gilbert LaPiere, who adopted Cher (under the name Cheryl LaPiere) and Georganne, and enrolled them at
Montclair College Preparatory School
Montclair College Preparatory School, also commonly known as "Montclair Prep", was a school located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, near Panorama City.Lin, C.J.Valley private school options dwindling." August 17, 2011. Retrieved on August ...
, a private school in
Encino, whose students were mostly from affluent families. The school's upper-class environment presented a challenge for Cher; biographer Connie Berman wrote, "
hestood out from the others in both her striking appearance and outgoing personality." A former classmate commented, "I'll never forget seeing Cher for the first time. She was so special ... She was like a movie star, right then and there ... She said she was going to be a movie star and we knew she would." Despite not being an excellent student, Cher was intelligent and creative, according to Berman. She earned high grades, excelling in French and English classes. As an adult, she discovered that she had dyslexia. Cher's unconventional behavior stood out: she performed songs for students during the lunch hours and surprised peers when she wore a
midriff
In fashion, the midriff is the human abdomen. The midriff is exposed when wearing a crop top or some forms of swimwear or underwear. Cholis worn by Indian women expose a section of midriff, usually .
Etymology
"Midriff" is a very old term in ...
-baring top. She later recalled, "I was never really in school. I was always thinking about when I was grown up and famous."
1962–1965: Solo career breakthrough
At age 16, Cher dropped out of school, left her mother's house, and moved to Los Angeles with a friend. She took acting classes and worked to support herself, dancing in small
clubs
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
along Hollywood's
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
and introducing herself to performers, managers, and agents. According to Berman, "
her
Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun She (pronoun), she.
Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Music
* H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer
**H.E.R. (album), ''H.E.R.'' ...
did not hesitate to approach anyone she thought could help her get a break, make a new contact, or get an audition." Cher met performer
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...
in November 1962 when he was working for record producer
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
. Cher's friend moved out, and Cher accepted Sonny's offer to be his
housekeeper. Sonny introduced Cher to Spector, who used her as a backup singer on many recordings, including
the Ronettes
The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. The ...
' "
Be My Baby
"Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in ...
" and
the Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los ...
' "
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers, whose version was also produced by Spector and is cited by some music critics as the ...
". Spector produced her first single, "
Ringo, I Love You
"Ringo, I Love You" is a rock song performed by American singer-actress Cher released under the pseudonym Bonnie Jo Mason, the name she used at the start of her career when based in Los Angeles. The song was released as a promotional single in 19 ...
", which Cher recorded under the name Bonnie Jo Mason.
The song was rejected by many radio stations programmers as they thought Cher's deep
contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
vocals were a man's vocals; therefore, they believed it was a male homosexual singing a love song dedicated to
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
drummer
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
.
Cher and Sonny became close friends, eventual lovers, and performed their own unofficial wedding ceremony in a hotel room in
, on October 27, 1964. Although Sonny had wanted to launch Cher as a solo artist, she encouraged him to perform with her because she suffered from
stage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
, and he began joining her onstage, singing the harmonies. Cher disguised her nervousness by looking at Sonny; she later commented that she sang to the people through him. In late 1964, they emerged as a duo called Caesar & Cleo, releasing the poorly received singles "
Do You Wanna Dance?
"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States ''Billboard'' Top 100 Sides pop chart and No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Cliff Richard ...
", "
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" is a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.
The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams and was written by Bo Diddley un ...
", and "
Let the Good Times Roll".
Cher signed with
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...
'
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
imprint in the end of 1964, and Sonny became her producer. The single "Dream Baby", released under the name "Cherilyn", received airplay in Los Angeles.
Imperial encouraged Cher to work with Sonny on her second solo single for the label, a cover version of
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's "
All I Really Want to Do
"All I Really Want to Do" is a song written by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson- produced 1964 album, ''Another Side of Bob Dylan''. It is arguably one of the most popular songs that Dylan wrote in the period immediately after he abandon ...
".
It peaked at number 15 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1965.
Meanwhile,
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
had released their own version of the same song. When competition on the singles charts started between Cher and the Byrds, the group's record label began to promote the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of the Byrds' single.
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...
of the Byrds commented, "We loved the Cher version ... We didn't want to hassle. So we just turned our record over." Cher's debut album, ''
All I Really Want to Do
"All I Really Want to Do" is a song written by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson- produced 1964 album, ''Another Side of Bob Dylan''. It is arguably one of the most popular songs that Dylan wrote in the period immediately after he abandon ...
'' (1965), reached number 16 on the
''Billboard'' 200; it was later described by
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Tim Sendra as "one of the stronger folk-pop records of the era".
1965–1967: Sonny and Cher's rise to pop stardom
In early 1965, Caesar and Cleo began calling themselves
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.
The pair f ...
. Following the recording of "
I Got You Babe
"I Got You Babe" is a song performed by Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album ''Look at Us''. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...
", they traveled to England in July 1965 at
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
' advice; Cher recalled, "
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
had told us ... that Americans just didn't get us and that if we were going to make it big, we were going to have to go to England." According to writer
Cintra Wilson
Cintra Wilson (born 1967) is an American writer, performer and cultural critic. Dubbed "the Dorothy Parker of the cyber age", she is best known for her commentary on popular culture which is often humorous and irreverent in tone. She contributed t ...
, "English newspaper photographers showed up when S&C were thrown out of the
London Hilton ecause of their outfitsthe night they arrived—literally overnight, they were stars. London went gaga for the heretofore-unseen S&C look, which was neither
mod
Mod, MOD or mods may refer to:
Places
* Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band
* M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...
nor
rocker."
"I Got You Babe" reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and became, according to AllMusic's Bruce Eder, "one of the biggest-selling and most beloved pop/rock hits of the mid-'60s";
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' listed it among "
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
" in 2003.
As the song knocked the Beatles off the top of the British charts, English teenagers began to emulate Sonny and Cher's fashion style, such as
bell-bottoms
Bell-bottoms (or flares) are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg. These are similar to flared jeans.
History Naval origins
In the early 19th century, when a standardized uni ...
, striped pants, ruffled shirts, industrial zippers and fur vests. Upon their return to the US, the duo made several appearances on the teen-pop showcases ''
Hullabaloo'' and ''
Shindig!
''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,[Look at Us
''Look at Us'' is the debut album by American pop duo Sonny & Cher, released in 1965 by Atco Records. The album reached number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold.
Album information
Shortly after their single "I Got You Babe" ...]
'' (1965), released for the
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...
division of
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
,
spent eight weeks at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, behind the Beatles' ''
Help!
''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...
''.
Their material became popular, and the duo successfully competed with the dominant
British Invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...
and
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
sounds of the era. Author Joseph Murrells described Sonny and Cher as "part of the leading exponents of the rock-folk-message type of song, a hybrid combining the best and instrumentation of rock music with folk lyric and often lyrics of
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
." Sonny and Cher charted ten ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' top 40 singles between 1965 and 1972, including five top-ten singles: "I Got You Babe", "
Baby Don't Go
"Baby Don't Go" is a song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was first released on Reprise Records in 1964 and was a minor regional hit. Subsequently, following the duo's big success with "I Got You Babe" in the summer of 1965 ...
", "
The Beat Goes On", "
All I Ever Need Is You", and "
A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done". At one point, they had five songs in the top 50 at the same time, a feat equaled only by the Beatles and
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. Together they sold 40 million records worldwide
and had become, according to ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine's
Ginia Bellafante
Ginia Bellafante (born March 31, 1965) is an American critic and columnist for ''The New York Times''.
Career
Bellafante worked at ''Time'', as a senior reporter covering fashion, until 1999. She then joined ''The New York Times'' as a fashio ...
, rock's "it" couple.
Cher's following releases kept her solo career fully competitive with her work with Sonny.
''
The Sonny Side of Chér
''The Sonny Side of Chér'' is the second studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on March 28, 1966, by Imperial, as her second album, Cher again collaborated with Sonny Bono and Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a covers ...
'' (1966) features "
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, ''The Sonny Side of Chér''. It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached No. 3 in the UK Singles C ...
", which reached number two in the US and number three in the UK and became her first million-seller solo single. ''
Chér'', also released in 1966, contains the
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
and
Hal David
Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick.
Early life
David ...
composition "
Alfie
Alfie may refer to:
Theatre and film
* ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton
* ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine
* ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film
* ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...
", which was added to the credits of the American version of the 1966
film of the same name and became the first stateside version of the popular song. ''
With Love, Chér'' (1967) includes songs described by biographer
Mark Bego
Mark Joseph Bego (born 23 September 1952, in Pontiac, Michigan) is an author known for his biographies focusing on the rock & roll and show business genres. Bego has written a total of 59 books, two of which have gone on to become New York Times ...
as "little soap-opera stories set to rock music" such as the US top-ten single "
You Better Sit Down Kids
"You Better Sit Down Kids" is a major hit single by American singer/actress Cher in 1967 from her fourth studio album '' With Love, Chér'', released in November 1967 by Imperial Records. The song was written by her then-husband Sonny Bono. Sung ...
".
1967–1970: Backlash from the younger generation, first marriage
By the end of the 1960s, Sonny and Cher's music had ceased to chart. According to Berman, "the heavy, loud sound of groups like
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...
and
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
made the folk-rock music of Sonny and Cher seem too bland." Cher later said, "I loved the new sound of
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, the electric-guitar oriented bands. Left to myself, I would have changed with the times because the music really turned me on. But
onnydidn't like it—and that was that." Their monogamous lifestyle during the period of the
sexual revolution
The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...
and the anti-drug position they adopted at the height of the drug culture lost them popularity among American youths. According to Bego, "in spite of their revolutionary unisex clothes, Sonny and Cher were quite 'square' when it came to sex and drugs." In an attempt to recapture their young audience, the duo produced and starred in the film ''
Good Times
''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...
'' (1967), which was commercially unsuccessful.
Cher's next album, ''
Backstage
Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production.
Backstage may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy
* ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...
'' (1968), in which she explores diverse musical genres including
Brazilian jazz
Brazilian jazz can refer to both a genre, largely influenced by bossa nova and samba, that exists in many nations and the jazz music of Brazil itself.
Música instrumental Brasileira
The term "música instrumental Brasileira", which literally m ...
and anti-war protest settings, was not a commercial success. In 1969, she was dropped from Imperial Records while Sonny and Cher had been dropped from Atco; however, the label wanted to sign Cher for a solo album. ''
3614 Jackson Highway'' (1969) was recorded without the guidance of Sonny and incorporates experiments in
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
and
soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Mark Deming proclaimed it "arguably the finest album of her career", and still "a revelation" decades later. Displeased with the ''3614 Jackson Highway'' album, Sonny prevented Cher from releasing more recordings for Atco.
Meanwhile, Sonny dated others, and by the end of the 1960s their relationship had begun to unravel. According to ''
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' magazine, "
onnytried desperately to win her back, telling her he wanted to marry and start a family."
They officially married after she gave birth on March 4, 1969, to
Chaz Bono
Chaz Salvatore Bono (born Chastity Sun Bono; March 4, 1969) is an American writer, musician and actor. His parents are entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher, and he became widely known in appearances as a child on their television show, ''The Sonny ...
.
The duo spent $500,000 and mortgaged their home to make the film ''
Chastity
Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when mak ...
'' (1969). Written and produced by Sonny, who did not appear in the movie, it tells the story of a young woman, played by Cher, searching for the meaning of life. The art film failed commercially, putting the couple $190,000 in debt with back taxes. However, some critics noted that Cher showed signs of acting potential; ''Cue'' magazine wrote, "Cher has a marvelous quality that often makes you forget the lines you are hearing."
At the lowest point of their career, the duo put together a nightclub routine that relied on a more adult approach to sound and style.
According to writer Cintra Wilson, "Their lounge act was so depressing, people started heckling them. Then Cher started heckling back. Sonny ... reprimanded her; then she'd heckle Sonny".
The heckling became a highlight of the act and attracted viewers.
Television executives took note, and the couple began making guest appearances on prime-time shows, in which they presented a "new, sophisticated, and mature" image. Cher adopted alluring, low-cut gowns that became her signature outfits.
1971–1974: Television career breakthrough, first musical comeback
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
head of programming
Fred Silverman
Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...
offered Sonny and Cher their own television program after he noticed them as guest-hosts on ''
The Merv Griffin Show
''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 a ...
'' in 1971. ''
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was ...
'' premiered as a summer replacement series on August 1, 1971, and had six episodes. Because it was a ratings success, the couple returned that December with a full-time show.
Watched by more than 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run,
''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was praised for the comedic timing, and deadpan Cher mocked Sonny about his looks and short stature. According to Berman, they "exuded an aura of warmth, playfulness, and caring that only enhanced their appeal. Viewers were further enchanted when a young
hazalso appeared on the show. They seemed like a perfect family." Cher honed her acting skills in
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
roles such as the brash housewife Laverne, the sardonic waitress Rosa, and historical vamps,
including
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
and
Miss Sadie Thompson
''Miss Sadie Thompson'' is a 1953 3-D American musical romantic drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Rita Hayworth, José Ferrer, and Aldo Ray. The film was released by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on W. Somerset Maugham ...
. The
Bob Mackie
Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marlene D ...
-designed clothing Cher wore was part of the show's attraction, and her style influenced the
fashion trends of the 1970s.
In 1971, Sonny and Cher signed with the
Kapp Records
Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...
division of
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
, and Cher released the single "Classified 1A", in which she sings from the point of view of a soldier who bleeds to death in Vietnam. Written by Sonny, who felt that her first solo single on the label had to be poignant and topical, the song was rejected by radio station programmers as uncommercial.
Since Sonny's first attempts at reviving their recording career as a duo had also been unsuccessful, Kapp Records recruited
Snuff Garrett
Thomas Lesslie Garrett (July 5, 1938 – December 16, 2015) known as Snuff Garrett or Tommy Garrett, was an American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s.
Early years
Garrett was born in Dallas, Texas, United ...
to work with them. He produced Cher's second US number-one single, "
Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves
"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1971 seventh studio album '' Chér'' (eventually reissued under the title ''Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves''). Kapp Records, a division of MCA Records, released it as th ...
", which "proved that ... Garrett knew more about Cher's voice and her persona as a singer than Sonny did", writes Bego. "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" was the first single by a solo artist to rank number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at the same time as on the
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart was a chart compiled by the American-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan, which began publication in November 1996. It was published every Wednesday and also published on Thursday by '' Jam!''/Canoe. I ...
. ''Billboard'' called it "one of the 20th century's greatest songs".
It was featured on the 1971 album ''
Chér'' (eventually reissued under the title ''Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves''), which was certified
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). Its second single, "
The Way of Love "The Way of Love" is a song written by Jacques ("Jack") Dieval, with English lyrics by Al Stillman. It was originally a 1960 French song titled "J'ai le mal de toi", and it was first recorded in English by Kathy Kirby in 1965. The best-known Englis ...
", reached number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and established Cher's more confident image as a recording artist.
In 1972, Cher released the all-ballad set ''
Foxy Lady
"Foxy Lady" (or alternatively "Foxey Lady") is a song by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It first appeared on their 1967 debut album ''Are You Experienced'' and was later issued as their third single in the U.S. with the alternate spelling. It is o ...
'', demonstrating the evolution of her vocal abilities, according to Bego. Following the release of the album, Garrett quit as producer after disagreeing with Sonny about the kind of material Cher should record. At Sonny's insistence, in 1973 Cher released an album of
standards Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
called ''
Bittersweet White Light
''Bittersweet White Light'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Cher. The album was released in April 1973 by MCA. It was the last solo Cher album to be produced by then-performing partner and husband Sonny Bono. While many fans conside ...
'', which was commercially unsuccessful. That year, lyricist Mary Dean brought Garrett "
Half-Breed
Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white.
Use by governments United States
In ...
", a song about the daughter of a Cherokee mother and a white father, that she had written especially for Cher. Although Garrett did not have Cher as a client at the time, he was convinced that "it's a smash for Cher and for nobody else", so he held the song for months until he got Cher back. "Half-Breed" was featured on the
album of the same name and became Cher's third US number-one single. Both the album and the single were certified gold by the RIAA.
In 1974, Cher released the song "
Dark Lady" as the lead single from the
namesake album. It reached the top position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Cher's fourth number-one single and making her the female artist with the most number-one singles in United States history at the time. Later that year, she released a ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' album that, according to ''Billboard'' magazine, proved her to be "one of the most consistent hitmakers of the past five years", as well as a "proven superstar who always sells records".
Between 1971 and 1973, Sonny and Cher's recording career was revived with four albums released under Kapp Records and MCA Records: ''
Sonny & Cher Live'' (1971), ''
All I Ever Need Is You'' (1972), ''
'' (1973), and ''
Live in Las Vegas Vol. 2
''Live in Las Vegas Vol. 2'' is the second live album by American pop duo Sonny & Cher, released in December 1973 by Kapp/MCA Records.
Album information
It was released in December 1973, entered the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart on December 22, ...
'' (1973). Cher later commented on this period: "I could do a whole album ... in three days ... We were on the road ... and we were doing the Sonny & Cher Show".
1974–1979: Divorce from Sonny Bono, second marriage, decline in popularity
Cher and Sonny had had marital problems since late 1972, but appearances were maintained until 1974. "The public still thinks we are married," Sonny wrote in his diary at the time, "
ndthat's the way it has to be." In February 1974, Sonny filed for a separation, citing "irreconcilable differences". A week later, Cher countered with a divorce suit and charged Sonny with "involuntary servitude", claiming that he withheld money from her and deprived her of her rightful share of their earnings. The couple battled in court over finances and the custody of Chaz, which was eventually granted to Cher. Their divorce was finalized on June 26, 1975.
In 1974, Cher won the
for ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour''.
The same year, Sonny premiered a solo show on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, ''The Sonny Comedy Revue'', which carried the creative team behind the Sonny and Cher show. It was canceled after 13 weeks.
During the divorce proceedings, Cher had a two-year romantic relationship with record executive
David Geffen
David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 199 ...
, who freed her from her business arrangement with Sonny, under which she was required to work exclusively for Cher Enterprises, the company he ran. Geffen secured a $2.5 million deal for Cher with
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, and she began work on her first album under that label in 1975. According to Bego, "it was their intention that
his albumwas going to make millions of fans around the world take her seriously as a rock star, and not just a pop singer."
Despite Cher's efforts to develop her musical range by listening to artists such as
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
,
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
,
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...
,
Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
, and
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, the resulting album ''
Stars
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...
'' was commercially and critically unsuccessful.
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' wrote, "Cher is just no rock and roller ... Image, not music, is Cher Bono's main ingredient for both records and TV." The album has since become a
cult classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
and is generally considered among her best work.
On February 16, 1975, Cher returned to television with a solo show on CBS. Called ''
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
'', it began as a highly rated special with guests
Flip Wilson
Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an American comedian and actor best known for his television appearances during the late 1960s and 1970s. From 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series ''The F ...
,
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, and
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
. The show was produced by Geffen and centered on Cher's songs, monologs, comedy performance, and her variation of clothing, which was the largest for a weekly TV show. Early critical reception was favorable; the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' exclaimed that "Sonny without Cher was a disaster. Cher without Sonny, on the other hand, could be the best thing that's happened to weekly television this season." ''Cher'' lasted for less than a year, replaced by a new show in which she professionally reunited with ex-husband Sonny; she said, "doing a show alone was more than I could handle." According to ''
The Ringer'' Lindsay Zoladz, "
her
Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun She (pronoun), she.
Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Music
* H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer
**H.E.R. (album), ''H.E.R.'' ...
found the network censors to be more watchful than they were when she was married to Sonny ... When she was single or casually dating, Cher always seemed to pose more of a threat to the ''status quo'' than she did when she was Sonny's wife."
On June 30, 1975, four days after finalizing her divorce from Sonny, Cher married rock musician
Gregg Allman
Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...
, co-founder of
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...
.
She filed for divorce nine days later because of his heroin and liquor problems, but they reconciled within a month.
They had one son,
Elijah Blue, on July 10, 1976. Sonny and Cher's TV reunion, ''
The Sonny and Cher Show
''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was ...
'', debuted on CBS in February 1976—the first show ever to star a divorced couple. Although the show was a ratings success on its premiere, Cher and Sonny's insulting onscreen banter about their divorce, her reportedly extravagant lifestyle, and her troubled relationship with Allman caused a public backlash that eventually contributed to the show's cancellation in August 1977.
In 1976,
Mego Toys released a line of
toys and dolls in the likeness of Sonny and Cher, which coincided with the popularity of ''The Sonny and Cher Show''. The miniature version of Cher ended up being the highest selling doll of 1976, surpassing
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
...
.
Cher's next albums, ''
I'd Rather Believe in You'' (1976) and ''
Cherished'' (1977), the latter a return to her pop style at Warner's producers' insistence, were commercially unsuccessful; ''
Orange Coast'' magazine's Keith Tuber commented, "A weekly television series ... can spell disaster for a recording artist ... Regular exposure on TV allowed people to see and hear these performers without having to buy their records ... That's what happened to Cher
In 1977, under the rubric "Allman and Woman", she recorded alongside Allman the duet album ''
Two the Hard Way''. Their relationship ended following the release of the album,
and their divorce was finalized in 1979. Beginning in 1978, she had a two-year
live-in relationship
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...
with
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
member
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
. That year, she legally changed her name from Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere Bono Allman to Cher, to eliminate the use of four surnames. She returned to prime time television with the ABC specials ''
Cher... Special'' (1978)—featuring a 15-minute segment in which she performs all of the roles in her version of ''
West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
''— and ''Cher... And Other Fantasies'' (1979).
1979–1982: Second musical comeback, shift from disco music to rock
A single mother with two children, Cher realized that she had to make a choice about the direction of her singing career. Deciding to temporarily abandon her desire to be a rock singer, she signed with
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label currently f ...
and launched a comeback with the single "
Take Me Home" and the
album of the same name, both of which capitalized on the
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
craze. Both the album and the single became instant successes, remained bestsellers for more than half of 1979, and were certified gold by the RIAA.
Sales of the album may have been boosted by the image of a scantily clad Cher in a
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
outfit on its cover. Despite her initial lack of enthusiasm for disco music, she changed her mind after the success, commenting, "I never thought I would want to do disco ...
utit's terrific! It's great music to dance to. I think that danceable music is what everybody wants."
Encouraged by the popularity of ''Take Me Home'', Cher planned to return to rock music in her next album, ''
Prisoner
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.
...
'' (1979). The album's cover features Cher draped in chains as a "prisoner of the press", which caused controversy among feminist groups for her perceived portrayal of a sex slave. She included rock songs, which made the disco release seem unfocused and led to its commercial failure. ''Prisoner'' produced the single "
Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the First transcontinental railroad in 186 ...
", featured on the soundtrack of the film ''
Roller Boogie
''Roller Boogie'' is a 1979 American romantic musical drama film starring Linda Blair and Jim Bray, a former competitive artistic skater from California. The film also stars Beverly Garland, Mark Goddard and Kimberly Beck, and is directed by M ...
''. The song exploits the late 1970s
roller-skating
Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...
fad and contributed to its popularity.
In 1980, alongside Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder, Cher wrote her last Casablanca disco recording, "Bad Love", for the film ''Foxes (film), Foxes''. She formed the rock band Black Rose that year with her then-lover, guitarist Les Dudek. Although Cher was the lead singer, she did not receive top billing because she wanted to create the impression that all band members were equal. Since she was easily recognized when she performed with the band, she developed a Punk fashion, punk look by cutting her trademark long hair. Despite appearances on television, the band failed to earn concert dates. Their album ''Black Rose (Cher album), Black Rose'' received unfavorable reviews; Cher told ''Rolling Stone'', "The critics panned us, and they didn't attack the record. They attacked me. It was like, 'How dare Cher sing rock & roll?'"
Black Rose disbanded in 1981. During Black Rose's active period, Cher was simultaneously doing a residency show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, earning $300,000 a week. Titled Cher in Concert, the three-year performance residency opened in June 1979 and eventually became Cher's first world concert tour as a solo artist (also referred to as the Take Me Home Tour), with additional dates in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia. It yielded two television specials: ''Standing Room Only (TV series), Standing Room Only: Cher in Concert'' (1981) and ''Cher... A Celebration at Caesars'' (1983), the latter of which won Cher the CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Variety Program.
In 1981, Cher released a duet with musician Meat Loaf called "Dead Ringer for Love", which reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and was later described by AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco as "one of the more inspired rock duets of the 1980s". In 1982, Columbia Records released the album ''I Paralyze'', later deemed by Bego as Cher's "strongest and most consistent solo album in years" despite its low sales.
1982–1986: Film career breakthrough, musical hiatus
With decreasing album sales and a lack of commercially successful singles, Cher decided to further develop her acting career. While she had previously aspired to venture into film, she had only the critically and commercially unsuccessful movies ''Good Times'' and ''Chastity'' to her credit, and the Hollywood establishment did not take her seriously as an actress. Cher later recalled, "I was making a fortune on the road, but I was dying inside. Everyone kept saying, 'Cher, there are people who would give anything to have standing room only at Caesars Palace. It would be the pinnacle of their careers.' And I kept thinking, 'Yes, I should be satisfied' ... But I wasn't satisfied." She moved to New York in 1982 to take acting lessons with Lee Strasberg, founder of the Actors Studio, but never enrolled after her plans changed.
She auditioned for and was signed by director Robert Altman for the Broadway stage production ''
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'', playing a member of a James Dean fan club holding a 20-year reunion. That year, Altman cast her again in the
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of the same title.
Director Mike Nichols, who had seen Cher onstage in ''Jimmy Dean'', offered her the part of Dusty Ellis, Dolly Pelliker, a plant co-worker and Meryl Streep's lesbian roommate in the film ''
Silkwood
''Silkwood'' is a 1983 American biographical drama film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was adapted from the book ''Who Killed Karen Silkwood?'' by ''Rollin ...
''. When it premiered in 1983, audiences questioned Cher's ability as an actress. She recalls attending a film preview during which the audience laughed when they saw her name in the credits. For her performance, Cher received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.
In 1985, Cher formed the film production company Isis.
Her next film, ''
Mask
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
'' (1985), reached number two at the box office and was Cher's first critical and commercial success as a leading actress. For her role as a drug addict biker with a teenage son who has a severe physical deformity, she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. During the making of the film, however, she clashed with director Peter Bogdanovich, and was ultimately omitted from the Oscar nomination list. She attended the 58th Academy Awards in a tarantula-like costume, later deemed by ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'' Esther Zuckerman as Cher's "Oscar revenge dress". "As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress," Cher declared before presenting the nominees for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor. The incident garnered her much publicity.
Cher's May 1986 guest appearance on talk show ''Late Night with David Letterman'', during which she called David Letterman, Letterman "an asshole", attracted much media coverage; Letterman later recalled, "It did hurt my feelings. Cher was one of the few people I've really wanted to have on the show ... I felt like a total fool, especially since I say all kinds of things to people." She returned to the show in 1987, reuniting with Sonny for the last time before his death to sing an impromptu version of "I Got You Babe". According to ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' Andy Greene, "they weren't exactly the best of friends at this point, but both of them knew it would make for unforgettable television. Had YouTube existed back then, this would have gone insanely viral the next morning." ''Rolling Stone'' listed the performance among "David Letterman's Top 10 Musical Moments" in 2015.
1987–1992: Film stardom, third musical comeback
Cher starred in three films in 1987. In ''Suspect (1987 film), Suspect'', she played a public defender who is both helped and romanced by one of the jurors in the homicide case she is handling. Alongside Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer, she starred as one of three divorcees involved with a mysterious and wealthy visitor from hell who comes to a small New England town in the comedy horror ''
The Witches of Eastwick
''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008.
Plot
The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witch ...
''. In Norman Jewison's romantic comedy ''
Moonstruck
''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follows Lor ...
'', she played an Italian widow in love with her fiancé's younger brother. The two last films ranked among the top ten highest-grossing films of 1987, at number ten and five, respectively.
''The New York Times'' Janet Maslin wrote ''Moonstruck'' "offers further proof that Cher has evolved into the kind of larger-than-life movie star who's worth watching whatever she does." For that film, Cher won the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...
and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
By 1988, Cher had become one of the most bankable actresses of the decade, commanding $1 million per film. That year, she released the fragrance Uninhibited, which earned about $15 million in its first year sales.
In 1987, Cher signed with Geffen Records and revived her musical career with what music critics Johnny Danza and Dean Ferguson describe as "her most impressive string of hits to date", establishing her as a "serious rock and roller ... a crown that she'd worked long and hard to capture".
Michael Bolton, Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child, and Richie Sambora produced her first Geffen album, ''
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
''.
Despite facing strong retail and radio airplay resistance upon its release, the album proved to be a commercial success, certified platinum by the RIAA.
''Cher'' features the rock ballad "I Found Someone", Cher's first US top-ten single in more than eight years.
By the end of the 1980s, Cher was also receiving attention for her controversial lifestyle, including her tattoos, plastic surgeries, exhibitionist fashion sense, and affairs with younger men. She had romantic relationships with actors Val Kilmer, Eric Stoltz, and Tom Cruise, hockey player Ron Duguay, film producer Joshua Donen, Josh Donen, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, and Rob Camilletti, a bagel baker 18-years her junior whom she dated from 1986 to 1989.
Cher's 19th studio album ''
Heart of Stone'' (1989) was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
The music video for its second single, "
If I Could Turn Back Time
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album '' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically f ...
",
caused controversy due to Cher's performance on the battleship , straddling a cannon, and wearing a leather thong that revealed her tattooed buttocks. The song topped the Australian charts for seven weeks,
reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and became one of Cher's most successful singles.
Other songs from ''Heart of Stone'' to reach the US top ten were "After All (Cher and Peter Cetera song), After All", a duet with Peter Cetera, and "Just Like Jesse James". At the 1989 People's Choice Awards, Cher won the Favorite All-Around Female Star Award. She embarked on the Heart of Stone Tour in 1989.
Most critics liked the tour's nostalgic nature and admired Cher's showmanship. Its parent television special ''Extravaganza: Live at the Mirage, Cher at the Mirage'' (1991) was filmed during a concert in Las Vegas.
In her first film in three years, ''
Mermaids
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
'' (1990), Cher paid tribute to her own mother in this story about a woman who moves her two daughters from town to town at the end of a love affair.
She clashed with the film's first two directors, Lasse Hallström and Frank Oz, who were replaced by Richard Benjamin.
Believing Cher would be the star attraction, the producers allowed her creative control for the film. ''Mermaids'' was a box office success and received generally positive reviews. One of the two songs Cher recorded for the film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
, a cover version of Betty Everett's "
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
"It's in His Kiss" is a song written and composed by Rudy Clark. It was first released as a single in 1963 by Merry Clayton that did not chart. The song was made a hit a year later when recorded by Betty Everett, who hit No. 1 on the ''Cashbox' ...
", topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks.
Cher's final studio album for Geffen Records, ''
Love Hurts
"Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known from the 1974 international hit version by Scottish hard rock band Nazaret ...
'' (1991),
stayed at number one in the UK for six weeks and produced the UK top-ten single "
Love and Understanding
"Love and Understanding" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 20th studio album, ''Love Hurts''. Written by Diane Warren and produced by Warren and Guy Roche, it was released as the album's lead single in 1991 for the North Ame ...
".
The album was certified gold by the RIAA.
In later years, Cher commented that her Geffen label "hit years" had been especially significant to her, "because I was getting to do songs that I really loved ... songs that really represented me, and they were popular!"
She released the exercise book ''Forever Fit'' in 1991, followed by the 1992 fitness videos ''CherFitness: A New Attitude'' and ''CherFitness: Body Confidence''. She embarked on the Love Hurts Tour during 1992. That year, the UK-only compilation album ''Greatest Hits: 1965–1992'' peaked at number one in the country for seven weeks.
It features three new songs: "Oh No Not My Baby", "Whenever You're Near", and "Many Rivers to Cross".
1992–1997: Health and professional struggles, directorial debut
Partially due to her experiences filming ''Mermaids'', Cher turned down leading roles in such films as ''The War of the Roses (film), The War of the Roses'' and ''Thelma & Louise''.
According to Berman, "After the success of ''Moonstruck'', she was so worried about her next career move that she was overly cautious." In the early 1990s, she contracted the Epstein–Barr virus
and developed chronic fatigue syndrome, which left her too exhausted to sustain her music and film careers. Because she needed to earn money and was not healthy enough to work on other projects, she starred in infomercials launching health, beauty, and diet products, which earned her close to $10 million in fees.
The skits were parodied on ''Saturday Night Live'' and critics considered them a sellout,
many suggesting her film career was over. She told ''Ladies' Home Journal'', "Suddenly I became the Infomercial Queen and it didn't occur to me that people would focus on that and strip me of all my other things."
Cher made cameo appearances in the Robert Altman films ''The Player (1992 film), The Player'' (1992) and ''Prêt-à-Porter (film), Prêt-à-Porter'' (1994). In 1994, she started a mail-order catalog business, ''Sanctuary'', selling Gothic-themed products, and contributed a rock version of "I Got You Babe" to MTV's animated series ''Beavis and Butt-head''. Alongside Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry, and
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, she topped the UK Singles Chart in 1995 with the charity single "Love Can Build a Bridge". Later that year, she signed with Warner Music UK's label Warner Music Group, WEA and released the album ''It's a Man's World (Cher album), It's a Man's World'' (1995), which came out of her idea of covering men's songs from a woman's point of view.
In general, critics favored the album and its Rhythm and blues, R&B influences, some saying her voice had improved. Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' wrote that "From an artistic standpoint, this soulful collection of grown-up pop songs ... is the high point of her recording career."
''It's a Man's World'' reached number 10 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned the UK top-ten single "One by One (Cher song), One by One".
Tracks were remixed for the American release of the album, abandoning its original rock sound in favor of a style more accessible to US radio. The US release failed commercially, reaching number 64 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
In 1996, Cher played the wife of a businessman who hires a hitman to murder her in the Chazz Palminteri-scripted dark comedy film ''Faithful (1996 film), Faithful''. Although the film received negative reviews from critics, Cher was praised for her role; ''The New York Times'' Janet Maslin wrote that she "does her game best to find comic potential in a victim's role." Cher refused to promote the film, claiming it was "horrible".
She made her directorial debut with a segment in the abortion-themed anthology ''
If These Walls Could Talk
''If These Walls Could Talk'' is a 1996 American television film, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years apart: 195 ...
'' (1996), in which she starred as a doctor murdered by an anti-abortion fanatic. It drew the highest ratings for an original HBO movie to date, registering an 18.7 rating with a 25 share in HBO homes and attracting 6.9 million viewers. Her music played a large role in the American TV series ''The X-Files'' episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus", which aired in November 1997. Written for her, it tells the story of a scientist's grotesque creature who adores Cher because of her role in ''Mask'', in which her character cares for her disfigured son.
1998–1999: Death of Sonny Bono, fourth musical comeback
Following Sonny Bono's death in a skiing accident in 1998, Cher delivered a tearful eulogy at his funeral, calling him "the most unforgettable character" she had met. She paid tribute to him by hosting the CBS special ''Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers'', which aired on May 20, 1998. That month, Sonny and Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television.
Later that year, Cher published ''The First Time'', a collection of autobiographical essays of "first-time" events in her life, which critics praised as down-to-earth and genuine. Although the manuscript was almost finished when Sonny died, she could not decide whether to include his death in the book; she feared being criticized for capitalizing on the event. She told ''Rolling Stone'', "I couldn't ignore it, could I? I might have if I cared more about what people think than what I know is right for me."
Cher's 22nd studio album ''
Believe'' (1998) marked a musical departure for her, as it comprises
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
songs, many of which capture the "disco-era essence"; Cher said, "It's not that I think this is a '70s album ... but there's a thread, a consistency running through it that I love.'"
''Believe'' was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA
and went on to be certified gold or platinum in 39 countries, selling 10 million copies worldwide. The album's
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may al ...
reached number one in more than 23 countries and sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
It became the bestselling recording of 1998 and 1999, respectively, in the UK
and the US,
and Cher's most successful single to date. "Believe" topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks and became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK, selling over 1.84 million copies in the country up until October 2018.
It also topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for four weeks,
selling over 1.8 million units in the US up until December 1999. The song earned Cher the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording and the 1999 Billboard Music Award for Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999, Hot 100 Single of the Year.
[1999 Winners Database]
Billboard Music Awards.
On January 31, 1999, Cher performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl XXXIII. Two months later, she sang on the television special ''VH1 Divas Live 2'', which attracted 19.4 million viewers. According to VH1, it was the most popular, and most watched program in the television network's history, as Cher's presence was "a huge part of making it exactly that." The Do You Believe? (tour), Do You Believe? tour ran from 1999 to 2000 and was sold out in every American city in which it was booked, amassing a global audience of more than 1.5 million.
Its companion television special, ''Live in Concert (video), Cher: Live in Concert – From the MGM Grand in Las Vegas'' (1999), was the highest rated original HBO program in 1998–99, registering a 9.0 rating among adults 18 to 49 and a 13.0 rating in the HBO universe of about 33 million homes. Capitalizing on the success of "Believe", Cher's former record company Geffen Records released in April 1999 the US-only compilation album ''If I Could Turn Back Time: Cher's Greatest Hits'', which features the previously unreleased song "Don't Come Cryin' to Me". It was certified gold by the RIAA.
Seven months later, Cher released the compilation album ''The Greatest Hits (Cher album), The Greatest Hits'', which sold three million copies outside of the US up until January 2000.
Cher was named the number-one dance artist of 1999 by ''Billboard''.
At the 1999 World Music Awards, she received the Legend Award for her "lifelong contribution to the music industry".
Her next film, Franco Zeffirelli's ''Tea with Mussolini'' (1999), received generally positive reviews, and she earned critical acclaim for her performance as a rich, flamboyant American socialite whose visit to Italy is not welcome among the Englishwomen; one reviewer from ''Film Comment'' wrote, "It is only after she appears that you realize how sorely she's been missed from movie screens! For Cher is a star. That is, she manages the movie star trick of being at once a character and at the same time never allowing you to forget: that's Cher."
2000–2009: Touring success, retirement, Vegas residency
''Not Commercial'' (2000) was written mostly by Cher after she had attended a songwriters' conference in 1994; it marked her first attempt at writing most of the tracks for an album. As the album was rejected by her record label for being uncommercial, she chose to sell it only on her website. In the song "Sisters of Mercy", she criticized as "cruel, heartless and wicked" the nuns who prevented her mother from retrieving her from a Catholic orphanage in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton, PA. The Catholic church denounced the song.
Cher's highly anticipated dance-oriented follow-up to ''Believe'',
''Living Proof (Cher album), Living Proof'' (2001), entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number nine and was certified gold by the RIAA.
The album includes the UK top-ten single "The Music's No Good Without You"
and "Song for the Lonely", the latter song dedicated to "the courageous people of New York" following the September 11 attacks.
In May 2002, she performed during the benefit concert ''VH1 Divas Las Vegas''. At the 2002 Billboard Music Awards, 2002 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, she won the Dance/Club Play Artist of the Year Award and was presented with the Artist Achievement Award by Steven Tyler for having "helped redefine popular music with massive success on the ''Billboard'' charts".
That year, her wealth was estimated at $600 million.
In June 2002, Cher embarked on the
Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, announced as the final live concert tour of her career, although she vowed to continue making records and films. The show highlighted her successes in music, television, and film, featuring video clips from the 1960s onwards and an elaborate backdrop and stage set-up.
Initially scheduled for 49 shows, the worldwide tour was extended several times. By October 2003, it had become the most successful tour ever by a woman, grossing $145 million from 200 shows and playing to 2.2 million fans. A collection of live tracks taken from the tour was released in 2003 as the album ''Live! The Farewell Tour''. The NBC special ''The Farewell Tour (video), Cher – The Farewell Tour'' (2003) attracted 17 million viewers. It was the highest rated network-TV concert special of 2003 and earned Cher the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.
After leaving Warner UK in 2002, Cher signed a worldwide deal with the US division of
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
in September 2003. ''The Very Best of Cher'' (2003), a greatest-hits collection that surveys her entire career, peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.
She played herself in the Farrelly brothers comedy ''Stuck on You (film), Stuck on You'' (2003), mocking her public image as she appears in bed with a much younger boyfriend.
Cher's 326-date Farewell Tour ended in 2005 as one of the
highest-grossing concert tours of all time, seen by over 3.5 million people and earning $250 million. After three years of retirement, she began in 2008 a three-year, 200-performance residency at
the Colosseum at Caesars Palace
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is a theater located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The theater is the main entertainment venue for Caesars Palace. Deemed the ''Home of the Greatest Entertainers in the World'', the theater has hosted ...
, Las Vegas, for which she earned a reported $60 million. Titled Cher (2008–2011 concert residency), Cher, the production featured state-of-the-art video and special effects, elaborate set designs, 14 dancers, four aerialists and more than 20 costume changes.
2010–2017: ''Burlesque'', return to music and touring
In Burlesque (2010 American film), ''Burlesque'' (2010), Cher's first musical film since 1967's ''Good Times'', the actress plays a nightclub impresario whom a young Hollywood hopeful is looking to impress. One of the two songs she recorded for the film's Burlesque (soundtrack), soundtrack, the power ballads, power ballad "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", reached number one on the Dance Club Songs, ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in January 2011, making Cher the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a ''Billboard'' chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s.
In November 2010, she received the honor of placing her handprints and footprints in cement in the courtyard in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
The next year, she lent her voice to Janet the Lioness in the comedy ''Zookeeper (film), Zookeeper''. ''Dear Mom, Love Cher'', a documentary she produced about her mother Georgia Holt, aired on Lifetime in May 2013.
''Closer to the Truth (Cher album), Closer to the Truth'', Cher's 25th studio album and the first since 2001's ''Living Proof'', entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number three in October 2013, her highest position on that chart to date.
Michael Andor Brodeur of ''The Boston Globe'' commented that "Cher's 'Goddess of Pop' sash remains in little danger of undue snatching; at 67, she sounds more convincing than Jennifer Lopez, J-Lo or Madonna reporting from 'the club'". Cher premiered the lead single "Woman's World (song), Woman's World" on the The Voice (U.S. season 4), season four finale of the talent show ''The Voice (U.S.), The Voice'', her first live TV performance in over a decade.
She later joined the show's The Voice (U.S. season 4), season five as judge Blake Shelton's team adviser.
On June 30, 2013, Cher headlined the annual Dance on the Pier benefit, celebrating Gay Pride day. It became the event's first sellout in five years. In November 2013, she appeared as a guest performer and judge on the Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 17), seventeenth season of ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series), Dancing with the Stars'', during its eighth week, which was dedicated to her. She embarked on the Dressed to Kill Tour (Cher), Dressed to Kill Tour in March 2014, nearly a decade after announcing her "farewell tour".
She quipped about that fact during the shows, saying this would actually be her last farewell tour while Crossed fingers, crossing fingers. The tour's first leg, which included 49 sold-out shows in North America, grossed $54.9 million.
In November 2014, she canceled all remaining dates due to an infection that affected kidney function.
On May 7, 2014, Cher confirmed a collaboration with American Hip hop music, hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan on their album ''Once Upon a Time in Shaolin''. Credited as Bonnie Jo Mason, she uses an pseudonym, alias of hers originated in 1964. Only one copy of the album has been produced, and it was sold by online auction in November 2015. It is the most expensive single album ever sold. After appearing as Marc Jacobs' guest at the 2015 Met Gala, Cher posed for his brand's fall/winter advertising campaign. The fashion designer stated, "This has been a dream of mine for a very, very long time."
Classic Cher, a three-year concert residency at both the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Park Theater at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, and MGM National Harbor, The Theater at MGM National Harbor, Washington, opened in February 2017. At the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, 2017 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, Cher performed "Believe" and "If I Could Turn Back Time", her first awards show performance in more than 15 years, and was presented with the
''Billboard'' Icon Award by Gwen Stefani, who called her "a role model for showing us how to be strong and true to ourselves
ndthe definition of the word Icon."
2018–present: Return to film, ''Dancing Queen'', upcoming projects
In 2018, Cher returned to film for the romantic musical comedy film ''
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' is a 2018 British-American jukebox musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Ol Parker, from a story by Parker, Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis. It is the sequel to the 2008 film '' Mamma Mia!'', ...
''. ''New York (magazine), New York'' magazine's Viviana Olen and Matt Harkins commented that "it's only at the climax of the movie when its true promise is fulfilled: Cher arrives ... It becomes clear that every single movie—no matter how flawless—would be infinitely better if it included Cher." She stars as Ruby Sheridan, who is the grandmother of Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, and the mother of Donna, portrayed by Meryl Streep. Cher recorded two ABBA songs for the film's soundtrack: "Fernando (Cher song), Fernando" and "Super Trouper (song), Super Trouper". Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA commented, "She makes Fernando her own. It's her song now."
On March 4, 2018, Cher headlined the 40th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Tickets sold out within three hours after she hinted her performance on her Twitter account. In September 2018, Cher embarked on the Here We Go Again Tour.
While promoting ''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'', Cher confirmed she was working on an album that would feature cover versions of songs from ABBA. The album, ''
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus al ...
'', was released on September 28, 2018. Brittany Spanos from ''Rolling Stone'' commented that "the 72-year-old makes ABBA songs not only sound like they should've been written for her in the first place but like they firmly belong in 2018". Marc Snetiker from ''Entertainment Weekly'' called it Cher's "most significant release since 1998's ''Believe''" and noted that "the album ender, 'One of Us (Cher song), One of Us', is frankly one of Cher's best recordings in years."
''Dancing Queen'' debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, tying with 2013's ''Closer to the Truth'' for Cher's highest-charting solo album in the US. With first-week sales of 153,000 units, it earned the year's biggest sales week for a pop album by a female artist, as well as Cher's largest sales week since 1991. ''Dancing Queen'' also topped ''Billboard''s Top Album Sales chart, making it Cher's first number-one album on that chart.
''The Cher Show (musical), The Cher Show'', a jukebox musical based on Cher's life and music, officially premiered at the Oriental Theatre (Chicago), Oriental Theatre in Chicago, on June 28, 2018, and played through July 15.
It began Broadway theatre, Broadway previews November 1, with its official opening on December 3, 2018. Written by Rick Elice, it features three actresses playing Cher during different stages of her life.
''The Cher Show'' is set to launch a UK and Ireland tour in 2022.
On December 2, 2018, Cher received a
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...
prize, the annual Washington distinction for artists who have made extraordinary contributions to culture.
The ceremony featured tribute performances by Cyndi Lauper, Little Big Town and Adam Lambert. During 2018, Cher used Twitter to announce she was working on four new projects for the next two years: a Christmas music, Christmas album;
a second album of ABBA covers;
an autobiography;
and a biographical film about her life.
In October 2019, Cher launched a new perfume, Cher Eau de Couture, which was four years in the making. Described as "genderless", it is Cher's second fragrance after 1987's Uninhibited. On February 4, 2020, Cher was announced as the new face of fashion brand Dean and Dan Caten, Dsquared2. She starred in the brand's spring/summer advertising campaign, which was directed by photographers Mert and Marcus. In May, Cher released her first Spanish-language song, a cover of ABBA's "Chiquitita#Cher version, Chiquitita". Proceeds from the single were donated to UNICEF following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, Cher spawned a UK top-ten single as part of the charity supergroup BBC Radio 2 Allstars with "Stop Crying Your Heart Out (BBC Radio 2 Allstars song), Stop Crying Your Heart Out", an Oasis (band), Oasis cover recorded in support of BBC's ''Children in Need'' charity.
Cher appeared in a voice-over role as a bobblehead version of herself in the animated feature film ''Bobbleheads: The Movie'' (2020). The same year, she was featured on ''The New York Times Magazine''s list of "The Best Actors of 2020",
the first time an actor not in a current-year theatrical release made it on the annual list; film critics Wesley Morris and A. O. Scott commented, "Cher's radiant performance in ''
Moonstruck
''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follows Lor ...
'' warmed us in COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantine."
In May 2021, Cher guest-starred as God in Pink (singer), Pink's music video "All I Know So Far (song)#Music video, All I Know So Far". In January 2022, Cher appeared as the star of MAC Cosmetics' "Challenge Accepted" campaign alongside rapper Saweetie. In June 2022, Cher partnered with Donatella Versace for an exclusive "Chersace" capsule collection in honor of LGBT pride#LGBT Pride month, Pride month. A portion of the proceeds was donated to Gender Spectrum, a charity which works with LGBTQIA+ children and young people.
Artistry
Music and voice
Cher has employed various musical styles, including
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
, pop rock, power ballads, disco, new wave music, rock music, punk rock, arena rock, and hip hop; she said she has done this to "remain relevant and do work that strikes a chord".
Her music has mainly dealt with themes of heartbreak, independence, and self-empowerment for women; by doing so, she became "a brokenhearted symbol of a strong but decidedly single woman", according to ''Out (magazine), Out'' magazine's Judy Wieder. ''Goldmine (magazine), Goldmine'' magazine's Phill Marder credited Cher's "nearly flawless" song selection as what made her a notorious rock singer; while several of her early songs were penned by or sung with Sonny Bono, most of her solo successes, which outnumbered Sonny and Cher's successes, were composed by independent songwriters, selected by Cher.
''Not Commercial'' (2000), Cher's first album mostly written by herself, presents a "1970s singer-songwriter feel" that proves "Cher adept in the role of storyteller", according to AllMusic's Jose F. Promis.
Robert Hilburn of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' writes, "There were a lot of great records by female singers in the early days of rock ... None, however, reflected the authority and command that we associate with rock 'n' roll today as much as [Cher's] key early hits".
Some of Cher's early songs discuss subjects rarely addressed in American popular music such as divorce, prostitution, unplanned and underaged pregnancy, and racism.
According to AllMusic's Joe Viglione, the 1972 single "
The Way of Love "The Way of Love" is a song written by Jacques ("Jack") Dieval, with English lyrics by Al Stillman. It was originally a 1960 French song titled "J'ai le mal de toi", and it was first recorded in English by Kathy Kirby in 1965. The best-known Englis ...
" is "either about a woman expressing her love for another woman, or a woman saying au revoir to a gay male she loved" ("What will you do/When he sets you free/Just the way that you/Said good-bye to me"). Her ability to carry both male and female ranges allowed her to sing solo in Androgyny, androgynous and gender-neutral songs.
Cher has a
contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
singing voice, described by author Nicholas E. Tawa as "bold, deep, and with a spacious vibrato". Ann Powers of ''The New York Times'' called it "a quintessential rock voice: impure, quirky, a fine vehicle for projecting personality." AllMusic's Bruce Eder wrote that the "tremendous intensity and passion" of Cher's vocals coupled with her "ability to meld that projection with her acting skills" can provide "an incredibly powerful experience for the listener." ''The Guardian'' Laura Snapes described her voice as "miraculous ... capable of conveying vulnerability, vengeance and pain all at once". Paul Simpson, in his book ''The Rough Guide to Cult Pop'' (2003), posits that "Cher [is] the possessor of one of the huskiest, most distinctive voices in pop ... which can work wonders with the right material directed by the right producer". He further addresses the believability of her vocal performances: "she spits out the words ... with such conviction you'd think she was delivering an eternal truth about the human condition".
Writing about Cher's musical output during the 1960s, Robert Hilburn of the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated that "Rock was subsequently blessed with the staggering blues exclamations of Janis Joplin in the late '60s and the raw poetic force of Patti Smith in the mid-'70s. Yet no one matched the pure, seductive wallop of Cher".
By contrast, her vocal performances during the 1970s were described by Eder as "dramatic, highly intense ...
ndalmost as much 'acted' as sung".
First heard in the 1980 record ''Black Rose'', Cher employed sharper, more aggressive vocals on her hard rock-oriented albums, establishing her sexually confident image. For the 1995 album ''It's a Man's World'', she restrained her vocals, singing in higher registers and without vibrato.
The 1998 song "Believe" has an electronic vocal effect proposed by Cher,
and was the first commercial recording to feature
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
—an audio processor originally intended to disguise or correct off-key inaccuracies in vocal music recordings—as a deliberate creative effect. According to ''Rolling Stone'' Christopher R. Weingarten, the "producers ... used the pitch correction software not as a way to fix mistakes in Cher's iconic voice, but as an aesthetic tool." After the success of the song, the technique became known as the "Cher effect"
and has since been widely used in popular music. Cher continued to use Auto-Tune on the albums ''Living Proof'' (2001), ''Closer to the Truth'' (2013), and ''Dancing Queen'' (2018).
In a 2013 interview with the ''Toronto Sun'', Cher reflected on how her voice has evolved throughout her career, becoming stronger and suppler over the years. She said working with vocal coaches had made a significant difference: "It's so freaky because people my age are having to lose notes and I'm gaining notes, so that's pretty shocking."
Films, videos, and stage
''Maclean's'' magazine's Barbara Wickens wrote, "Cher has emerged as probably the most fascinating movie star of her generation ... [because] she has managed to be at once boldly shocking and ultimately enigmatic."
''New York Post'' movie critic David Edelstein attributes Cher's "top-ranking star quality" to her ability of projecting "honesty, rawness and emotionality. She wears her vulnerability on her sleeve."
Jeff Yarbrough of ''The Advocate (LGBT magazine), The Advocate'' wrote that Cher was "one of the first superstars to 'play gay' with compassion and without a hint of stereotyping", as she portrays a lesbian in the 1983 film ''Silkwood''.
Author Yvonne Tasker, in her book ''Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema'' (2002), notes that Cher's film roles often mirrors her public image as a rebellious, sexually autonomous, and Self-made man, self-made woman. In her films, she recurrently serves as a social intermediary to disenfranchised male characters, such as Eric Stoltz's Craniodiaphyseal dysplasia character in ''Mask'' (1985), Liam Neeson's mute homeless veteran in ''Suspect'' (1987), and Nicolas Cage's socially isolated baker with a wooden hand in ''Moonstruck'' (1987). Film critic Kathleen Rowe wrote of ''Moonstruck'' that the depiction of Cher's character as "a 'woman on top' [is] enhanced by the unruly star persona Cher brings to the part'".
For ''Moonstruck'', Cher was ranked 1st on ''Billboard''s list of "The 100 Best Acting Performances by Musicians in Movies", and her performance was described as "the standard by which you mentally check all others". ''Moonstruck'' was acknowledged by the American Film Institute as the eighth best romantic comedy film of all time.
Cher's public image is also reflected in her music videos and live performances, in which she "repeatedly comments on her own construction, on her search for perfection and on the performance of the female body", wrote Tasker. Unlike other acts of that time, who often featured female backers mimicking the singer's performance, Cher uses a male dancer dressed as her in the 1992 concert video ''Cher at the Mirage''; author Diane Negra commented, "In authorizing her own quotation, Cher acknowledges herself as fictionalized production, and proffers to her audience a pleasurable plurality." James Sullivan of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' wrote that "Cher is well aware that her chameleonic glitz set the stage for the current era of stadium-size razzle-dazzle. She's comfortable enough to see such imitation as flattery, not theft." American singer Pink (singer), Pink, who is recognized by her acrobatic stage presence, started studying Aerial silks after watching Cher's
Living Proof: The Farewell Tour in 2004.
Cher was ranked 17th on VH1's list of the "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era". The 1980 video for "
Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the First transcontinental railroad in 186 ...
" involves cinematic techniques and was one of the first music videos ever. Deemed "controversial" for her performance on the battleship , straddling a cannon, and wearing a leather thong that revealed her tattooed buttocks, the 1989 music video for "
If I Could Turn Back Time
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album '' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically f ...
" was the first ever to be banned by MTV.
Public image
Fashion
''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine's Cady Lang described Cher as a "cultural phenomenon [who] has forever changed the way we see celebrity fashion."
Cher emerged as a fashion trendsetter in the 1960s, popularizing "hippie fashion with
bell-bottoms
Bell-bottoms (or flares) are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg. These are similar to flared jeans.
History Naval origins
In the early 19th century, when a standardized uni ...
, bandanas, and Cherokee-inspired tunics".
She began working as a model in 1967 for photographer Richard Avedon after then-''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' magazine editor Diana Vreeland discovered her at a party for Jacqueline Kennedy that year.
Avedon took the controversial photo of Cher in a beaded and feathered nude gown designed by
Bob Mackie
Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marlene D ...
for the cover of ''Time'' magazine in 1975; ''Billboard'' magazine's Brooke Mazurek described it as "one of the most recreated and monumental looks of all time."
Cher first wore the gown to the 1974 Met Gala. According to ''Vogue'' magazine's André Leon Talley, "it was really the first time a Hollywood celebrity attended, and it changed everything. We are still seeing versions of that look on The Met red carpet 40 years later."
''Billboard'' wrote that Cher has "transformed fashion and [become] one of the most influential style icons in red carpet history".
Through her 1970s television shows, Cher became a sex symbol with her inventive and revealing Mackie-designed outfits, and fought the network censors to bare her navel. Although Cher has been erroneously attributed to being the first woman to expose her navel on television (e.g. Nichelle Nichols, BarBara Luna and Diana Ewing in the 1960s TV series ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek''), she was the most prominent to do so
[Sources recognizing Cher as the first woman to expose her navel on television:
*
*
* ] since the establishment of the American Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters in 1951, which prompted network censors to ban navel exposure on US television. ''People'' dubbed Cher the "pioneer of the belly beautiful". In 1972, after she was featured on the annual "Best Dressed Women" lists, Mackie stated: "There hasn't been a girl like Cher since Marlene Dietrich, Dietrich and Greta Garbo, Garbo. She's a high-fashion star who appeals to people of all ages."
In May 1999, after the
Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory des ...
recognized Cher with an award for her influence on fashion, Robin Givhan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called her a "fashion visionary" for "striking just the right note of contemporary wretched excess".
Givhan referenced Tom Ford, Anna Sui and Dolce & Gabbana as "[i]nfluential designers [who] have evoked her name as a source of inspiration and guidance."
She concluded that "Cher's Native American showgirl sexpot persona now seems to epitomize the fashion industry's rush to celebrate ethnicity, adornment and sex appeal."
''Vogue'' proclaimed Cher "[their] favorite fashion trendsetter" and wrote that "
heset the grounds for pop stars and celebrities today", describing her as "[e]ternally relevant
ndthe ruler of outré reinvention". Alexander Fury of ''The Independent'' lauded Cher as "the ultimate fashion icon" and traced her influence among female celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian, stating that "[t]hey all graduated from the Cher school of never sharing the stage, with anyone, or anything ... They're trying to share the spotlight, to have Cher's success."
Physical appearance
Cher has attracted media attention for her physical appearance—particularly her youthful looks and her tattoos. Paddy Calistro of the ''Los Angeles Times'' observed that during Cher's rise as a movie star in the 1980s, her "highly articulated bone structure captured audience attention", which led to an increased number of medical requests for "surgically inserted 'cheekbones.'" Journalists have often called Cher the "poster girl" of plastic surgery.
Author Grant McCracken, in his book ''Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture'' (2008), draws a parallel between Cher's plastic surgeries and the transformations in her career: "Her plastic surgery is not merely cosmetic. It is hyperbolic, extreme, over the top ... Cher has engaged in a transformational technology that is dramatic and irreversible."
Caroline Ramazanoglu, author of ''Up Against Foucault: Explorations of Some Tensions Between Foucault and Feminism'' (1993), wrote that "Cher's operations have gradually replaced a strong, decidedly 'ethnic' look with a more symmetrical, delicate, 'conventional' ... and ever-youthful version of female beauty ... Her normalised image ... now acts as a standard against which other women will measure, judge, discipline and 'correct' themselves."
Cher has six tattoos. ''The Baltimore Sun'' called her the "Ms. Original Rose Tattoo".
She got her first tattoo in 1972.
According to Sonny Bono, "Calling her butterfly tattoos nothing was like ignoring a sandstorm in the Mojave. That was exactly the effect Cher wanted to create. She liked to do things for the shock they created. She still does. She'll create some controversy and then tell her critics to stick it." In the late 1990s, she began having laser treatments to remove her tattoos. The process was still underway in the 2000s. She commented, "When I got tattooed, only bad girls did it: me and Janis Joplin and :Motorcycling subculture, biker chicks. Now it doesn't mean anything. No one's surprised."
In 1992, Madame Tussauds wax museum honored Cher as one of the five "most beautiful women of history" by creating a life-size statue. She was ranked 26th on VH1's list of the "100 Sexiest Artists" published in 2002.
Cher was the inspiration for Mother Gothel, a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature film ''Tangled ''(2010). Director Byron Howard explained that Gothel's exotic appearance, whose beauty, dark curly hair and voluptuous figure were deliberately designed to serve as a Foil (literature), foil to Rapunzel (Tangled), Rapunzel's, was based on Cher's "exotic and Gothic looking" appearance, continuing that the singer "definitely was one of the people we looked at visually, as far as what gives you a striking character."
Social media
Cher's social media presence has drawn analysis from journalists. ''Time'' named her "Twitter's most outspoken (and beloved) commentator".
''The New York Times'' writer Jenna Wortham commended Cher on her social media usage, stating, "Most celebrities' social-media feeds feel painfully self-aware and thirsty ... In her own way, Cher is an outlier, perhaps the last unreconstructed high-profile Twitter user to stand at her digital pulpit and yell (somewhat) incomprehensibly, and be rewarded for it. Online, authenticity and originality are often carefully curated myths. Cher thrives on a version of nakedness and honesty that is rarely celebrated in the public eye." Monica Heisey of ''The Guardian'' described Cher's Twitter account as "a jewel in the bizarro crown of the internet", and remarked, "While many celebrities use Twitter for carefully crafted self-promotion, Cher just lets it all hang out."
As a gay icon
The reverence held for Cher by members of the LGBT community has been attributed to her career accomplishments, her sense of style, and her longevity.
Cher is considered a gay icon, and has often been imitated by drag queens.
According to ''Salon magazine, Salon'' magazine's Thomas Rogers, "[d]rag queens imitate women like Judy Garland, Dolly Parton and Cher because they overcame insult and hardship on their path to success, and because their narratives mirror the pain that many gay men suffer on their way out of the closet".
According to ''Maclean's'' magazine's Elio Iannacci, Cher was "one of the first to bring drag to the masses" as she hired two drag queens to perform with her at her Cher in Concert, Las Vegas residency in 1979. Cher's role as a lesbian in the film ''
Silkwood
''Silkwood'' is a 1983 American biographical drama film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was adapted from the book ''Who Killed Karen Silkwood?'' by ''Rollin ...
'', as well as her transition to dance music and social activism, have further contributed to her becoming a gay icon. The NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'' acknowledged Cher's status by making her the idol of gay character Jack McFarland. Cher guest-starred as herself twice on the show, in 2000—making the episode "Gypsies, Tramps and Weed" (named after her 1971 song "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves") ''Will & Grace''s second-highest rating ever— and 2002.
Other interests
Philanthropy
Cher's primary philanthropic endeavors have included support of health research and patients' quality of life, anti-poverty initiatives, veterans rights, and vulnerable children.
The Cher Charitable Foundation supports international projects such as the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Operation Helmet, and the Children's Craniofacial Association.
Children
Beginning in 1990, Cher served as a donor and as the National Chairperson and Honorary Spokesperson for the Children's Craniofacial Association, whose mission is to "empower and give hope to facially disfigured children and their families".
The annual Cher's Family Retreat is held each June to provide craniofacial patients, their siblings and parents an opportunity to interact with others who have endured similar experiences. She supports and promotes Get A-Head Charitable Trust, which aims to improve the quality of life for people with head and neck diseases.
Cher is a donor, fundraiser, and international spokesperson for Keep a Child Alive, an organization that seeks to accelerate action to combat the HIV/AIDS, AIDS pandemic, including the provision of antiretroviral medicine to children and their families with HIV/AIDS.
In 1996, she hosted the amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) Benefit alongside Elizabeth Taylor at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2015, she received the amfAR Award of Inspiration for "her willingness and ability to use her fame for the greater good" and for being "one of the great champions in the fight against AIDS".
In 2007, Cher became the primary supporter of the Peace Village School (PVS) in Ukunda, Kenya, which "provides nutritious food, medical care, education and extracurricular activities for more than 300 orphans and vulnerable children, ages 2 to 13 years."
Her support enabled the school to acquire land and build permanent housing and school facilities, and in partnership with Malaria No More and other organizations, she piloted an effort to eliminate malaria mortality and morbidity for the children, their caregivers and the surrounding community.
Soldiers and veterans
Cher has been a vocal supporter of American soldiers and returning veterans. She has contributed resources to Operation Helmet, an organization that provides free helmet upgrade kits to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has contributed to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which serves military personnel who have been disabled in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those severely injured in other operations.
In 1993, she participated in a humanitarian effort in Armenia, taking food and medical supplies to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, war-torn region.
Poverty
Cher has engaged in the construction of houses with Habitat for Humanity and served as the Honorary National Chair of a Habitat's elimination of poverty housing initiative "Raise the Roof", an effort to engage artists in the organization's work while on tour.
Environment
In 2016, after the discovery of Flint water crisis, lead contamination in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, Cher donated more than 180,000 bottles of water to the city as part of a partnership with Icelandic Glacial.
Elder rights
In 2017, Cher weighed in on the need to protect elder rights as she executive produced ''Edith+Eddie'', a documentary about a nonagenarian interracial couple. It received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).
COVID-19
Following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Cher launched the CherCares Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative (CCPRRI) alongside Irwin Redlener, Dr. Irwin Redlener, the head of Columbia University's Pandemic Resource and Response Center. The charity's initial plan is to distribute $1 million to "chronically neglected and forgotten people" during the pandemic through the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Cher told ''Billboard'', "There are rural areas where people of color and Latinos and Native Americans were getting no services. It's not a lot of money — $1 million goes in the blink of an eyelash! — so now I'm trying to get my friends to make it a lot more so we can do something that will really meet people's needs. A friend once told me, 'When people walk in your path, then you know what you have to do.'"
Animal rights
In November 2020, Cher joined Four Paws, Four Paws International and traveled to Pakistan to advocate for and work with the country's government to have Kaavan, an elephant who had been confined to a zoo for 35 years, transferred to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia. In April 2021, Paramount+ released the documentary film ''Kaavan#Cher & the Loneliest Elephant, Cher and the Loneliest Elephant'', detailing Cher's quest, alongside animal aid groups and veterinarians, to free Kaavan from confinement.
LGBT rights
Cher's older child, Chaz Bono, first came out as a lesbian at age 17, which reportedly caused Cher to feel "guilt, fear and pain". However, she soon came to accept Chaz's sexual orientation, and came to the conclusion that
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
people "didn't have the same rights as everyone else, [and she] thought that was unfair". She was the keynote speaker for the 1997 national Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) convention, and has since become one of the LGBT community's most vocal advocates. In May 1998, she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for having "made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lesbians and gay men".
On June 11, 2009, Chaz came out as a transgender man, and his transition from female to male was legally finalized on May 6, 2010.
Politics
Cher has said that she is not a registered Democrat, but has attended many Democratic Party (United States), Democratic conventions and events.
Over the years, Cher's political views have attracted media attention, and she has been an outspoken critic of the conservatism in the United States, conservative movement. In an interview with ''Vanity Fair'', she was critical of a variety of political topics, including Republican politicians like Sarah Palin and Jan Brewer.
She has commented that she did not understand why anyone would be a Republican because eight years under the Presidency of George W. Bush, administration of George W. Bush "almost killed [her]".
During the 2000 United States presidential election, ABC News wrote that she was determined to do "whatever possible to keep him [Bush] out of office".
She told the site, "If you're black in this country if you're a woman in this country, if you are any minority in this country at all, what could possibly possess you to vote Republican? ... You won't have one fucking right left."
She added, "I don't like Bush. I don't trust him. I don't like his record. He's stupid. He's lazy."
On October 27, 2003, Cher anonymously called a C-SPAN phone-in program to recount a visit she made to maimed soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and criticized the lack of media coverage and government attention given to injured servicemen. She remarked that she watches C-SPAN every day. Although she identified herself as an unnamed entertainer, she was recognized by the C-SPAN host, who subsequently questioned her about her 1992 support for independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. She said, "When I heard him talk right in the beginning, I thought that he would bring some sort of common-sense business approach and also less partisanship, but then ... I was completely disappointed like everyone else when he just kind of cut and run and no one knew exactly why ... Maybe he couldn't have withstood all the investigation that goes on now".
On Memorial Day weekend in 2006, Cher called into C-SPAN's ''Washington Journal'' endorsing Operation Helmet, a group that provides helmets to help soldiers avoid head injuries while in the war zone. On June 14, 2006, she made a guest appearance on C-SPAN with Dr. Bob Meaders, the founder of Operation Helmet. That year, in an interview with ''Stars and Stripes (newspaper), Stars and Stripes'', she explained her "against the war in Iraq but for the troops" position: "I don't have to be for this war to support the troops because these men and women do what they think is right. They do what they're told to do. They do it with a really good heart. They do the best they can. They don't ask for anything."
Cher supported Hillary Clinton in her 2008 presidential campaign.
After Obama won the Democratic nomination, she supported his candidacy on radio and TV programs. However, in a 2010 interview with ''Vanity Fair'', she commented that she "still thinks Hillary would have done a better job", although she "accepts the fact that Barack Obama inherited insurmountable problems".
During the 2012 United States presidential election, Cher and comedian Kathy Griffin released a public service announcement titled "Don't Let Mitt Turn Back Time on Women's Rights". In the PSA, the pair criticized Republican Party (United States), Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for his support of Richard Mourdock, the US Senate candidate who suggested that pregnancies resulting from rape were "part of God's plan".
In September 2013, Cher declined an invitation to perform at the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Russia due to the country's Concerns and controversies at the 2014 Winter Olympics#Pride House and LGBT rights, controversial anti-gay legislation that overshadowed preparations for the event. In June 2015, after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president, she made a series of critical comments on Twitter, stating that "Donald Trump's punishment is being Donald Trump". In October 2018, after the victory in Brazil's presidential election of Right-wing populism, right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, Cher called him a "pig" and "a politician from hell", before declaring that Bolsonaro should be "locked in prison for the rest of his life".
In September 2020, Cher raised nearly $2 million for Joe Biden's presidential campaign at a virtual, LGBTQ-themed fundraiser. In October, she traveled to Nevada and Arizona to campaign on behalf of Biden, and released a cover version of "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe, Happiness is Just a Thing Called Joe", a song conceived for the 1943 musical film ''Cabin in the Sky (film), Cabin in the Sky'', with lyrics updated to be about Biden. The same month, Cher posted messages on Twitter in support of Armenia and Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh regarding the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh war. She stated, "We stand with the people of Armenia
ndurge our leaders in Washington to conduct the sustained and rigorous diplomacy necessary to bring peace to the Artsakh region."
In 2022, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian invasion of Ukraine, she publicly supported Ukraine. In her Twitter account, Cher repeatedly raised the issue of the war in Ukraine, calling for aid to Ukrainians. On March 18, the singer announced that she would shelter Ukrainian refugees in her home. Earlier, on February 23, Cher called Putin a despot who is ready to restore the Soviet Union.
Legacy and impact
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' Rob Sheffield stated how "there are no other careers remotely like hers, [particularly] in the history of pop music" and referred to Cher as "the one-woman embodiment of the whole gaudy story of pop music." According to ''Goldmine (magazine), Goldmine'' magazine's Phill Marder, Cher "has been and remains today one of the Rock Era's most dominant figures".
He described her as the leader of an effort in the 1960s to "advance feminine rebellion in the rock world
ndthe prototype of the female rock star, setting the standard for appearance, from her early hippie days to her later outlandish outfits, and her attitude—the perfect female punk long before punk even was a rock term."
[ '']Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Joe Lynch described Cher as "a woman who pioneered an androgynous musical identity in the mid '60s", and who by doing so "teed things up for people like David Bowie, Bowie and Patti Smith".
''Billboard'' Keith Caulfield wrote that "there's divas, and then there's Cher." ''The New York Times'' Matthew Schneier stated, "her
Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun She (pronoun), she.
Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Music
* H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer
**H.E.R. (album), ''H.E.R.'' ...
has earned her :wikt:mononym, mononym. Her star power is such that she has spored an entire industry of imitators, both figurative and literal." ''Dazed'' magazine's Shon Faye elaborates: "If Madonna and Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue, Kylie and Cyndi Lauper were playing football, Cher would be the stadium they played on, and the sun that shone down on them." According to Jeff Miers from ''The Buffalo News'', "Her music has changed with the times over the decades, rather than changing those times through groundbreaking work"; however, he felt that subsequent female pop singers were heavily inspired by Cher's abilities to combine "showmanship with deep musicality ... to make valid statements in a wide variety of trend-driven idioms ... to ease effortlessly between pop subgenres ndto shock without alienating her fans", as well as by her charismatic stage presence and the strong LGBT support among her fan base.
Cher is commonly referred to by the media as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop".[Sources referring to Cher as the "Goddess of Pop":
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* ] Her work in music, film, television, and fashion has influenced artists including Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Betsy (singer), Betsy, Beyoncé, Bonnie McKee, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Cléo Pires, Cleo, Cyndi Lauper, Drew Barrymore, Dua Lipa, Gemma Chan, Gwen Stefani, Helena Vondráčková, Jennifer Lopez, Kacey Musgraves, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga,
Lil' Kim, Lizzo, Lucy Dacus, Miley Cyrus, Olivier Rousteing, Paulina Rubio, Pink (singer), Pink, Madonna, Marc Jacobs, Ralph (singer), Ralph, Rihanna, Rita Ora, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, RuPaul, Sarah Paulson, Saweetie, Shirley Manson of Garbage (band), Garbage,
Sofia Carson, Taylor Swift, Tina Turner, Tracy Chapman, Troye Sivan, and Zendaya.
Cher has repeatedly reinvented herself through various personas, for which Professor Richard Aquila from Ball State University called her "the ultimate pop chameleon". According to ''Entertainment Weekly''
Marc Snetiker, "Cher has floated through generation after generation, scooping up new fans, thrilling old ones, reinventing her own myth and glittering splendidly through it all." ''Billboard'' magazine's Brooke Mazurek credited Cher as having "revolutionized the idea of what a pop star could visually accomplish, the way they could create multiple personas that live on and off-stage." James Reed from ''The Boston Globe'' elaborates: "Along with David Bowie, she is one of the original chameleons in pop music, constantly in flux and challenging our perceptions of her ''The New York Times'' declared Cher as the "Queen of the Comeback". According to author Lucy O'Brien, "Cher adheres to the American Dream of reinvention of self: 'Getting old does not have to mean getting obsolete.'"
Author Craig Crawford, in his book ''The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World'' (2007), describes Cher as "a model of flexible career management", and relates her career successes to a constant reshaping of her image according to the evolving trends of popular culture. He further explains that she billed "each dramatic turnaround of style as another example of rebellion—an image that allowed her to make calculated changes while appearing to be consistent." Author Grant McCracken stated, "The term 'reinvention' is now often used to talk about the careers of American celebrities. But in Cher's case, it is particularly apt [because she] is inclined to lock on to each new fashion wave ndis swept violently down the diffusion stream and out of fashion. Only substantial re-creation permits her to return to stardom." Her "integrity" and "perseverance" are highlighted in the ''Reaching Your Goals'' book series of illustrated inspirational stories for children, in which her life is detailed emphasizing the importance of self-actualization: "For years, Cher worked hard to become a successful singer. Then she worked hard to become an actress. Even when she needed money, she turned down movie roles that weren't right for her. Her goal has always been to be a good actress, not just a rich and famous one."
Cher's "ability to forge an immensely successful and lengthy career as a woman in a male-dominated entertainment world" has drawn attention from feminist critics. According to author Diane Negra, Cher was presented in the beginning of her career as a product of male creativity; Cher remembers, "It was a time when girl singers were patted on the head for being good and told not to think". However, her image eventually changed due to her "refusal of dependence on a man and the determination not only to forge a career (as an actor) on her own terms but to refuse the conventional role assigned to women over forty years old in an industry that fetishises youth", wrote author Yvonne Tasker. She was featured in the 16th-anniversary edition of ''Ms. (magazine), Ms.'' magazine as an "authentic feminist hero" and a 1980s role model for women: "Cher, the straightforward, tattooed, dyslexic single mother, the first Oscar winner to have entered into matrimony with a known heroin addict and to have admitted to being a fashion victim by choice, has finally landed in an era that's not afraid to applaud real women."
Stephanie Brush from ''The New York Times'' wrote, following the telecast of Cher's Oscar win in 1988, that she "performs the function for women moviegoers that Jack Nicholson has always fulfilled for men. Free of the burden of ever having been America's sweetheart, she is the one who represents us [women] in our revenge fantasies, telling all the fatheads ... exactly where they can go. You need to be more than beautiful to get away with this. You need to have been Cher for 40 years." Cher's 1996 interview for ''Dateline NBC''s Jane Pauley became a viral video in 2016; in it, Cher tells the story of her mother asking her to "settle down and marry a rich man," to which Cher replies, "Mom, I am a rich man." Cher's "Mom, I am a rich man" quote was included in Taylor Swift's 2019 music video "You Need to Calm Down". ''Bustle (magazine), Bustle'' magazine's Erica Kam commented, "[Cher's quote] puts a spin on typical gender norms ... It would make sense, then, that Swift would want to follow Cher's example."
Alec Mapa of ''The Advocate'' elaborates: "While the rest of us were sleeping, Cher's been out there for the last four decades living out every single one of our childhood fantasies ... Cher embodies an unapologetic freedom and fearlessness that some of us can only aspire to." ''Rolling Stone'' Jancee Dunn wrote, "Cher is the coolest woman who ever stood in shoes. Why? Because her motto is, 'I don't give a shit what you think, I'm going to wear this multicolored wig.' There are folks all over America who would, in their heart of hearts, love to date people half their age, get multiple tattoos and wear feathered headdresses. Cher does it for us." Alexander Fury of ''The Independent'' wrote that Cher "represents a seemingly immortal, omnipotent, uni-monikered level of fame." Bego stated: "No one in the history of show business has had a career of the magnitude and scope of Cher's. She has been a teenage pop star, a television hostess, a fashion magazine model, a rock star, a pop singer, a Broadway actress, an Academy Award-winning movie star, a disco sensation, and the subject of a mountain of press coverage." Lynch wrote that "the world would certainly be different if she hadn't stayed so irrevocably Cher from the start."
Achievements
As a solo artist, Cher has sold 100 million records worldwide (in addition to 40 million as part of the duo Sonny & Cher), making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She is one of the few artists to win three of the four major American entertainment awards (List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards, EGOT—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award, Tony), and one of five actor-singers to have had a US number-one single and won an acting Academy Award. Her breakthrough single, Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe", is a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee and was featured on ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list compiled in 2003. Her 1971 single "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" was called "one of the 20th century's greatest songs" by ''Billboard'' magazine. Her 1998 song "Believe" is the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK. It was voted the world's eighth favorite song in a poll conducted by BBC in 2003—the only American song to be named on the list. "Believe" was placed on the 2021 revised list of ''Rolling Stone'' "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 1988, Cher became the first performer to receive an Academy Award for acting and a RIAA-certified gold album in the same year since the inception of gold awards in 1958.
Cher is the only artist to have a number-one single on a ''Billboard'' chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. She has held US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles over the longest period of time in history: 33 years, seven months and three weeks between "I Got You Babe", which topped the chart for the first time on August 14, 1965, and "Believe", whose last week at number one was April 3, 1999. With "Believe", she became the oldest female artist to have a US number-one song in the rock era, at the age of 52. ''Billboard'' ranked her at number 43 on their "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" list. In 2014, the magazine listed her as the 23rd highest-grossing touring act since 1990, with total earned revenue of $351.6 million and 4.5 million attendance at her shows.
Cher has received numerous honorary awards, including the 1985 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, Woman of the Year Award by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals society at Harvard University, the GLAAD Vanguard Award, Vanguard Award at the 1998 GLAAD Media Awards, the Legend Award at the 1999 World Music Awards, a special award for influence on fashion at the 1999 Council of Fashion Designers of America, CFDA Fashion Awards, the Lucy Award for Innovation in Television at the 2000 Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards, Women in Film Awards, the Artist Achievement Award at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards, 2002 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Glamour Awards, ''Glamour'' Awards, the Legend Award at the 2013 Attitude (magazine), ''Attitude'' Awards, the Award of Inspiration at the 2015 amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, amfAR Gala, the Billboard Icon Award, Icon Award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, 2017 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, Kennedy Center Honor, the Ambassador for the Arts Award at the 2019 Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography, and the 2020 Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center#The Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award, Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award. In 2010, Cher received the honor of placing her handprints and footprints in cement in the courtyard in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Her name is on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of the duo Sonny & Cher. She had also been selected for the honor as a solo artist in 1983, but forfeited her opportunity by declining to schedule the mandatory personal appearance.
In 2003, Cher appeared at number 41 on VH1's list of "The 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons", which recognizes "the folks that have significantly inspired and impacted American society". She was ranked 31st on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Women in Music" for the period 1992–2012. ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine placed her at number 44 on their list of "The 75 Greatest Women of All Time". She was featured on the "100 Greatest Movie Stars of our Time" list compiled by ''People''. In a 2001 poll, ''Biography (TV series), Biography'' magazine ranked her as their third favorite leading actress of all time, behind Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
and Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
Collaboration albums
* '' Two the Hard Way'' with Gregg Allman as Allman and Woman (1977)
* ''Black Rose (Cher album), Black Rose'' as lead vocalist of Black Rose (1980)
Tours and residencies
Headlining concerts
Collaborative concerts
* Two the Hard Way Tour with Gregg Allman as Allman and Woman (1977)
* Black Rose (Cher album)#The Black Rose Show, The Black Rose Show as lead vocalist of Black Rose (1980)
Concert residencies
* Cher in Concert (1979–1982)
* Cher (concert residency), Cher (20082011)
* Classic Cher (2017–2020)
Filmography
Films
Headlining television shows and specials
See also
* Culture of the United States
* Honorific nicknames in popular music
* List of artists who reached number one in the United States
* List of bestselling music artists
* List of highest-grossing concert tours
* Forbes list of highest-earning musicians, ''Forbes'' list of highest-earning musicians
References
Sources
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{{Authority control
Cher,
1946 births
Living people
Best Actress Academy Award winners
Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners
David di Donatello winners
Grammy Award winners
Grammy Award winners for dance and electronic music
Kennedy Center honorees
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Echo (music award) winners
American contraltos
American dance musicians
American disco musicians
American women pop singers
American women rock singers
American women singer-songwriters
American house musicians
American pop rock singers
Las Vegas shows
Record producers from California
Sonny & Cher
Torch singers
Atco Records artists
Atlantic Records artists
Columbia Records artists
Geffen Records artists
Imperial Records artists
Kapp Records artists
MCA Records artists
Warner Records artists
American film actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Ethnic Armenian actresses
American adoptees
American musicians of Armenian descent
American people of English descent
American people of French descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent
California Democrats
People from El Centro, California
Actresses from Malibu, California
LGBT rights activists from the United States
Activists from California
Actresses from Los Angeles
Singers from Los Angeles
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
American women record producers
American women activists
American women in electronic music
Singer-songwriters from California
Actors with dyslexia