If you've noticed a shortage of wigs in Phoenix, there's good reason: Judging from Cher's Facebook page, the diva arrived in town last week, apparently to get ready for the launch of her latest tour Saturday, March 22.
Of course, it comes nine years after her farewell tour ended, but we won't quibble. After all, a Cher tour is usually a spectacular, over-the-top affair that blends kitsch, glamour and movie-star charisma. It doesn't even matter which album she's promoting.
The "Dressed to Kill" tour comes on the heel's of last year's "Closer to the Truth" disc, which is one of her lesser affairs. Still, who cares? She has one heck of a back catalog from which to draw. That brings us to this list of 11 of Cher's greatest singles. Why 11? Well, it's hard to narrow them down further, and we're already leaving out such gems as "You Better Sit Down Kids," "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" and the roller-disco fave "Hell on Wheels." We also eliminated Sonny and Cher offerings, which is why you won't find "I Got You Babe" or "The Beat Goes On" in here. The songs are presented chronologically, so you can follow her progress from a folkie '60s babe with ironed hair to the 67-year-old arena-filling goddess.
'All I Really Want To Do' This jangly cover of a Bob Dylan tune became Cher's debut hit in 1965. It actually reached the chart a couple of weeks before "I Got You Babe," meaning it marks the first time Cher's name appears on a national music chart. Oddly enough, the record sounds like a duet, with Cher doing an uncanny imitation of Sonny's ragged vocals on the verses. "Now I ain't looking to compete with you" Cher sings in her natural voice, before morphing into Sonny for "Beat or cheat or mistreat you." The song continues in that schizophrenic manner for 2½ minutes of AM radio heaven. (1965; No. 15 in Billboard).
'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' Say what you will about Sonny Bono, but the man could come up with some amazing records. He wrote and produced this beauty, which features great lyrical imagery — "We rode on horses made of sticks" — and an arrangement that makes it sound vaguely Greek. There is also a sudden tempo change in the middle while Cher shouts "Hey!" repeatedly; you can imagine her spinning around while men smash plates on the floor in front of her. Another sign of Sonny's greatness: Cher's metalish remake from her 1987 comeback album is dreadful. (1966; No. 2).
'Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves' Misspelled title and all, Cher came up with a tune that signaled one of the most successful periods of her recording career. She scored three No. 1 hits from 1971-1974 with a collection of story songs that all had sad endings. In this tune, she winds up unwed and pregnant, but the chorus chugs along brightly, with almost a calliope feel. Side note: Check out the way Cher works her vibrato on the line "But every night all the men would come around/And lay their money down." She's a more skillful vocalist than people give her credit for. (1971; No. 1).
'Half-Breed' A tom-tom beats out an infectious rhythm as Cher wails about being torn between two worlds: "Both sides were against me since the day I was born!" she declares. The record builds to a feverish pitch when it hits the chorus, as bells and Native American chanting back the leading lady's vocals. It's kitschy, irresistible and overheated, words that can describe a lot of Cher's best works. (1973; No. 1).
'Dark Lady' The final entry in Cher's trashy trilogy of great story songs, this one could be the most tragic. The song finishes with Cher murdering the title character after discovering the woman in bed with her cheating spouse. Also, more gypsy references in the lyrics, for those who keep track of such things. An animated video accompanied the tune on an episode of "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour," which is probably buried in the memory of every kid who watched the show. (1974; No. 1).
'I Paralyze' Released during one of Cher's cold spells, this slinky little number came and went with little fanfare. Still, it's a great record, with a synth-driven, pseudo new-wave production from John Farrar, best-known as the mastermind behind most of Olivia Newton-John's hits. Farrar wrote the song with Steve Kipner; the two also wrote Newton-John's sexually charged "Physical." This song would have been playful in Livvy's hands, but Cher's dark-hued intensity lends a slightly dangerous edge to the kinky lyrics (i.e., "Earth is gonna shake/Watch me elevate your expectations)." (1982; failed to chart).
'I Found Someone' In 1986, this Michael Bolton ballad flopped for Laura Branigan. One year later, Cher took the tune and polished it up with an arena-rock production courtesy of Bolton. The result is a big, emotive weeper that heralded a comeback for Cher as a commercially viable singer. In a neat bit of serendipity, the song was released in November 1987. A month later, "Moonstruck" opened in theaters, giving the goddess one of her highest periods of visibility. Trivia: That's then-boyfriend Rob Camilletti — aka "Bagel Boy" — in the video. (1987; No. 10).
'If I Could Turn Back Time' This ringing single (written and produced by Diane Warren) was impossible to miss in its heyday. And why not? The production boasts a twinkly '80s keyboard and the kind of musical hook that stays in your head for days. Adding to the song's luster is a memorable video that features a scantily clad Cher performing on the USS Missouri for a group of horndog sailors. The video is both strangely phallic (Cher's on top of a gun barrel!?) and sweetly patriotic: Would Kate Smith have done as much for our troops? I think not. (1989; No. 3).
'Save Up All Your Tears' The singer powers her way through a throbbing kiss-off that should have inspired fist-pumping in arenas around the world. Instead, it was a minor hit, coming just as bombastic pop-rock retreated from Top 40 radio. Bonnie Tyler also recorded the song, but she can't rival Cher's ability to mine genuine emotion out of such lyrics as "The need burns, a knife turns/Your heart bleeds like mine." The Wilson sisters would have killed for a song like this at the time. (1991; No. 37).
'Not Enough Love in the World' Even Cher's biggest fans have to admit that subtlety is not the diva's strong point. Then again, who wants it to be? That being said, her version of Don Henley's 1985 hit featured one of her most mature, nuanced vocals. The song moves at a slightly quicker clip than the original, but stays firmly in adult-contemporary territory. Taken from her consistently strong "It's a Man's World" disc (1995), the song charted in England but wasn't issued as a single in the States. (1995; No. 31 in the United Kingdom).
'Believe' For people of a certain age, this is the song that defines Cher as a singer: A big, swirling, twirly piece of electronic disco that features an insanely catchy chorus and some then-new autotune effects that make Cher's voice sound temporarily robotic. When the song reached the top of the chart, 52-year-old Cher became the oldest woman to have a No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. It later earned a Grammy for best dance recording, marking the first — and so far, only — time Cher has been honored by the recording academy. (1999; No. 1).
Source : AzCentral
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