You all know the score by now. 'Cher News' asked all of you to share your top five favorite Cher songs of all-time, in order, so that the results could be compiled into an ultimate list of your favorite Cher songs. We've already seen tracks 50 - 21. So, now it's time to take a look at the next ten in the list.
There's some huge hits in this portion of the countdown - there's four million-sellers, Cher's debut hit and three fan-favorites from Cher's 1995 album 'It's A Man's World'.
20. Love and Understanding
One of Cher's biggest hits of the 1990's is the lead single from her 1991 album 'Love Hurts'. It peaked in the top 20 in some of the biggest markets in the world including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. However, apart from it being sung on the album's supporting 'Love Hurts Tour', Cher chooses not to perform the hit during concerts, for whatever reason. And its music video was left off her 2004 DVD 'The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection'. But the fans clearly love it!
19. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
Cher's 1995 cover of the classic 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' by Frankie Valli - made famous by The Walker Brothers - was lifted as the fourth UK single from that year's 'It's A Man's World' album, being released the following year. It peaked at number 26 on the chart. However, it's absence from the top of the charts does not reflect its popularity amongst Cher's fans.
18. All I Really Want To Do
Cher's debut hit - her cover of Bob Dylan's 'All I Really Want To Do'. A small paragraph isn't anywhere near enough to delve into the story behind her rendition of the Dylan song. However, it is enough to say that it hit number 15 in the US, and #9 in the UK, way back in the summer of 1965, whilst three more songs by her as part of Sonny & Cher were lingering in the upper reaches of the US charts.
17. Half Breed
"My father married a pure cherokee..." Cher's 1973 US number one hit is her third best-selling solo single of all-time, selling over 2,000,000 copies worldwide! Also reaching number one in Canada and New Zealand, the single returned Cher to the top of the US charts, two years after 'Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves', but she wouldn't have to wait long unitl her next US chart-topper...
16. 'Dark Lady'
...And neither will we! After 'Half Breed', Cher returned to the top of US Hot 100 in early 1974 with another story-song, 'Dark Lady' - becoming her third US chart-topper of of the 1970's. Although the song hit more charts around the world than its predecessor, it sold slightly less, with 1.6 million copies worldwide - mostly due to the fact it spent less time on the charts in the US. However, you fans chose it as your favorite Cher 1970's chart-topper! It has two music videos, a live one and an animated one - to choose which one to include here, 'Cher News' fans on Facebook and Twitter were asked for their preference and they choose this one:
15. Take Me Home
Yet another US million-seller from the 1970's! Although this one rose no higher than number 8 on the US Hot 100, in 1979. The disco craze was in full-swing in 1979, and record sales in the genre were very high! One example is Cher's single 'Take Me Home', which was certified Gold in America despite the fact it only reached number 8. Cher would bag another disco million-seller with 'Strong Enough' twenty years in the future - I wonder if we'll see that tune anytime soon...
14. One By One
There's two popular versions of this song - the original version and the US version - it's the original version that you have placed in the list of your all-time favorite Cher songs. Released in 1996 as the second single from 'It's A Man's World' - first single in the US (with the remix version that only reached #52) - 'One By One' became a moderate hit on the charts (including #7 in the UK) and a big hit with Cher's biggest fans.
13. Strong Enough
This 1999 disco million-seller was of course the follow-up to Cher's mega-selling 1998 hit 'Believe'. Of course, it didn't repeat the success of 'Believe' - that would be impossible - but it did become an impressive hit. It reached number 3 in France, number 3 in Germany and number 5 in the UK - selling over 250,000 copies in each territory. But it only reached number 57(!) in the US.
12. Angels Running
The only song in this portion of the countdown that wasn't released as a single - 'Angels Running'. The song is a cover of a track originally called 'Good Thing' by American singer-songwriter Patty Larkin (her original version was ultimately inlcluded in the 1999 romantic drama film 'Random Hearts', starring Harrison Ford). Cher's re-titled version was released on her 1995 album 'It's A Man's World' - with a remix version on the US 1996 version of the album. Again. it's the original version that you fans chose.
11. Alive Again
Taken from Cher's 2001 dance-pop album 'Living Proof' - and just missing out on being in the top ten of our countdown - is 'Alive Again'. It was released in some of Europe with its greatest success being in Germany - where it spent almost two months on the chart with a peak position of number 27. Its music video was a seemingly last-minute making from footage originally intended for use in an advertisement to promote its parent album.
There we go! Numbers 20 - 11. The next time you see 'Cher News' counting down your favorite songs will be when we reveal the top ten!
Right now though, let's take a look at some of the biggest Cher hits that didn't make the top 50 countdown!
Only one Sonny & Cher hit was included in the entire list, meaning that many of their hits were left out - 'Baby Don't Go', 'I Got You Babe', 'But You're Mine', 'What Now My Love', 'The Beat Goes On', 'All I ever Need Is You' and 'A Cowboy's Work Is never Done'.
Solo million-sellers 'The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)' from 1991 and 1966's 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' were not chosen by enough fans to be included in the list. Her almost-million-seller ballad 'The Way of Love' from 1972 was also left out.
Further hits absent from the countdown are early US top 40 hits 'Where do You Go', 'Alfie' 'Living In A House Divided' and 'Train of Thought'. Also not in the top 50 are the popular UK hit collaborations 'Dead Ringer For Love' with Meat Loaf, which hit number 5, and 'Love Can Build A Bridge' with Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton, which was a 1995 chart-topper.
I know what songs make up the top ten - and in which order. But are you prepared to take any guesses on what you think we'll be seeing - and whereabouts - when we count down numbers ten to one?
That's a great selection! It surprises me ;The Way of Love; was left out, it's one of the best Cher singles and Cher delivered it with an amazing vocals!
ReplyDeletebtw 'All I really Wanna Do' peaked at #9 in the UK, and One by One was a big (not a moderate) hit there, it's among UK's 200 best selling female singles of the 90s :)!
Thanks for your comment! You're absolutely correct about the UK chart position of 'All I Really Want To Do'! - I think the sentence started out as saying that it "was a top 10 hit in the UK" and then I changed it but didn't change the number. (I'll change it when I'm back at the computer). Anyway lol, "One By One" WAS a big hit in the UK - 164k sales if I'm remembering correctly (with all the work I do with her record sales, they're stuck in my head lol) - but I mean't that it was a moderate hit worldwide, and not just in the UK although I can definitely see how the UK chart position in brackets would leave you to believe otherwise.
Delete'Strong Enough' also went to #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart here in the US. Alive Again and Strong Enough are my favorite Cher songs and if you listen to the demo of Alive Again without the vocalizer... amazing...
ReplyDeleteThanks Daniel! Can't wait for the top 10!!!!!
YHSTLOM,Believe,All or nothing,Still,Walking in Memphis and shoop shoop shoop song should be on top 10!
ReplyDeletehopefully woman's world will be our future fave
ReplyDelete