"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress

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 ...

from her 1989 nineteenth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically for Cher by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...

, who produced it in collaboration with Guy Roche. Cher initially rejected the song after listening to a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

sung by Warren, but subsequently changed her opinion after the latter forced her to record it. The lyrics talk about the feelings of remorse due to bad deeds and the willingness to reverse time to make things right. "If I Could Turn Back Time" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

and

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

song that features instrumentation from guitars, piano and

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

. The song received mostly positive reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s, who applauded its overall production and Cher's vocal performance, with some considering it to be a highlight of the album. Commercially, the song peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became Cher's first number-one hit in Australia. It also reached the top 10 of the

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often ...

s in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "If I Could Turn Back Time", directed by

Marty Callner Marty Callner (born 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American television director, who has made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials, and television shows, in a career spanning from 1977 to present day. He is the creator of HBO's '' Ha ...

, was shot on board of the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

and portrays Cher performing for the ship's crew, wearing a leather thong that revealed her tattooed buttocks and straddling a cannon. Military personnel condemned the video, while some family groups protested against its broadcast, because they deemed it offensive for the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and controversial. Following these protests,

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

was forced to air the video after the 9pm watershed. "If I Could Turn Back Time" has been performed on seven of Cher's concert tours, most recently on the

Here We Go Again Tour The Here We Go Again Tour was the seventh solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher in support of her twenty-sixth studio album ''Dancing Queen''. This was the first time the singer had embarked on a world tour since her Living Proof: T ...

in 2018–2020, and at the

1989 MTV Video Music Awards The 1989 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 1989, honoring the best music videos from April 2, 1988, to June 1, 1989. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This year four new "genre" cat ...

. The song has been covered by a number of artists and has also been featured on 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 ...

of ''

Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero comedy film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to ''Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment overall in the ''X-Men'' film series. T ...

'' (2018), among others. "If I Could Turn Back Time" is noted for the mayhem surrounding its music video and has been considered one of Cher's most representative songs and a testament to her longevity, with her ability to continuously reinvent herself and remain relevant and contemporary.

Background

The song was written by

, who produced the song along with Guy Roche. While the

track was specifically written for Cher, the singer initially disliked the song upon hearing a demo and turned it down. Warren claimed in 1991: "I got on my knees and pleaded. I told her I wasn't going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did." In 2014, she further added: "She really hated t but I held her leg down during a session and said, 'You have to record it!'" According to Warren, Cher reportedly responded: "'Fuck you, bitch! You're hurting my leg! OK, I'll try it.' Once Cher sang it, she gave me this look like, 'You were right'."

Critical reception

Gary Hill of

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 ...

retrospectively wrote that the song "has a crunchy texture to it, albeit in a poppy, '80s

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 188 ...

sort of arrangement." The Daily Vault's Mark Millan noted it as a "

soft-rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

anthem". ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' described it as "a well-produced FM sing-along."

Music video

The

for "If I Could Turn Back Time", directed by American television director

, takes place on board the

. It depicts Cher and her band performing a concert for the ship's crew. The video was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on Friday night, June 30, 1989, while the ship was stationed at the former

Long Beach Naval Shipyard The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International ...

at Pier D. In the video, the band plays on the foredeck, and the ship is rigged with spotlights, light racks and strobes. Cher's son,

Elijah Blue Allman Elijah Blue Allman (born July 10, 1976), known professionally as P. Exeter Blue (Phillips Exeter Blue), is an American musician, and the son of singer Cher and her second husband, Gregg Allman; he is the half-brother of Chaz Bono, Delilah All ...

, 12 at the time, appears as one of the band's guitarists wearing dark glasses and a

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...

. The Department of the Navy had granted permission for the music video shoot because of its potential for boosting Navy recruitment: the Navy did not have a budget for TV ads in 1989. The Navy initially selected the battleship for the video. However, ''New Jersey'' was out to sea when Callner needed to do an initial site survey, so he toured her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

, ''Missouri'', instead. During Callner's visit, ''Missouri''s public affairs officer, Lieutenant Mark Walker, convinced him to change the filming location to ''Missouri''.Source: Interview with Lt. Mark Walker Cher's outfit for the original video, a

fishnet In the field of textiles, fishnet is hosiery with an open, diamond-shaped knit; it is most often used as a material for stockings, tights, gloves or bodystockings. Fishnet is available in a multitude of colors, although it is most often sporte ...

body stocking under a black one-piece bathing suit that left most of her buttocks (and a tattoo of a butterfly) exposed, proved very controversial, and many television networks refused to show the video.

first banned the video, and later played it only after 9 PM. A second version of the video was made, including new scenes and less overtly sexual content than the original. The outfit and risque nature of the video were a complete surprise to the Navy, who expected Cher to wear a jumpsuit for the concert, as presented on storyboards during original discussions with producers. The sailors were already in place and the band had begun playing when Cher emerged in her outfit. Lieutenant Commander Steve Honda from the Navy's Hollywood Liaison office requested Callner briefly suspend shooting and convince Cher to change into more conservative attire, but Callner refused. The Navy received criticism for allowing the video shoot, especially from World War II veterans who saw it as a desecration of a national historic site that should be treated with reverence: USS ''Missouri'' was the site of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

's surrender on September 2, 1945, thus ending World War II. No Navy officials were disciplined for their role in supporting the video, although reportedly the Secretary of the Navy briefly considered firing the captain of USS ''Missouri''. In 2003, Cher released her ''Living Proof: Farewell Tour'' concert on DVD which included an official "If I Could Turn Back Time" remix video.

Live performances

Cher performed the song on the following concert tours: * Heart of Stone Tour (1989–1990) *

Love Hurts Tour The Love Hurts Tour was the third solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour supported her twentieth studio album, ''Love Hurts''. The tour reached Europe and North America. It played in arenas and followed the previous Heart of ...

(1992) *

Do You Believe? Tour Do You Believe?, also known as the Believe Tour, Cher Live in Concert DVD was the fourth solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour, which took place in 1999 and 2000, promoted her album, ''Believe.'' History The tour began on ...

(1999–2000) * The Farewell Tour (2002–2005) *

Cher at the Colosseum Cher was the second concert residency by American singer-actress Cher at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada. For the three-year engagement, Cher received $60 million. Performing at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the first sho ...

(2008–2011) * Dressed to Kill Tour (2014) *

Classic Cher Classic Cher was the third concert residency by American singer-actress Cher. The show is performed in Las Vegas, Oxon Hill, and Atlantic City. Set list This set list is representative for the opening concert on February 8, 2017. #" Woman's W ...

(2017–2020) *

(2018–2020)

Track listings

* US and European 7-inch and cassette single # "If I Could Turn Back Time" (remix) – 3:59 # "Some Guys" – 3:59 * European 12-inch single # "If I Could Turn Back Time" (rock guitar version) – 4:06 # "Some Guys" – 3:59 # "Kiss to Kiss" – 4:23 * European CD single # "If I Could Turn Back Time" (rock guitar version) – 4:06 # "If I Could Turn Back Time" (7-inch version) – 3:59 # "

I Found Someone "I Found Someone" is the name of a chart single originally written and composed for Laura Branigan by Michael Bolton and Touch keyboardist Mark Mangold. The song was a bigger hit for Cher in 1987, reaching the Top 10. Background Though best k ...

" (7-inch version) – 3:42

Personnel

* Cher – lead vocals *

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...

, Maria Vidal, Michael Anthony, Robin Beck, Jimmy Demers,

Jean McClain Jean McClain (born March 8, 1953), better known as Pepper Mashay, is an American soul, house and dance music singer-songwriter who has had success as a touring and studio performer. Early life McClain grew up in Muncie, Indiana. Growing up, h ...

– backing vocals *

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

, Glenn Sciurba, Gene Black – electric guitar * Guy Roche, Alan Pasqua – keyboard * John Pierce – bass guitar * Mark T. Williams – drums, tambourine

Production

* Arranged and produced by Diane Warren and Guy Roche * Recorded by Frank Wolf, with assistance from Guy Roche * Mixed by Frank Wolf * Published by Realsongs

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Appearances in the media

The song is featured in a post-credit scene in the 2018 film ''

''. In the film '' Walking on Sunshine'', there is a version of this song performed by the protagonists Taylor (

Hannah Arterton Hannah Jane Arterton (born 26 January 1989) is an English actress. She attended Gravesend Grammar School for Girls and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2011. She has most notably appeared in the television series '' The Five' ...

) and Raf (

Giulio Berruti Giulio Berruti (born 27 September 1984) is an Italian actor and dentist, known for his roles in ''Monte Carlo'' (2011), '' Walking on Sunshine'' (2014), and '' Gabriel's Inferno'' (2020). Guiñol nerítico murió en 2021 Life and career Berruti ...

). The song was used in the 2019 commercial for Luminess Silk Foundation makeup products.

References

{{Authority control 1980s ballads 1989 singles Cher songs Number-one singles in Australia Songs written by Diane Warren Music videos directed by Marty Callner Rock ballads 1989 songs Geffen Records singles Music video controversies Obscenity controversies in music