In the 1960's, supercouple Sonny & Cher were scoring huge hits with the likes of "I Got You Babe", "Baby Don't Go", "Little Man" and "The Beat Goes On". The female half of that duo - you may know her, she's called Cher - was also scoring huge hits of her own.For no reason whatsoever, other than to satisfy the die-hard fans and the record sales-enthusiasts, I've taken it upon myself to research and reveal Cher's best-selling solo singles of the 1960's.
1. "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"
Released in 1966, sold 1,474,030 copies
Although Cher had a recording career on her own alongside her work as part of Sonny & Cher, it's common knowledge that Sonny still called most of the shots for her solo efforts. Of course, he wrote this number for it to be featured on her second solo hit album "The Sonny Side of Chér". The track climbed all the way to number 2 on the American singles chart, being kept off the top spot by old pals The Righteous Brothers, whom Cher had once recorded backing vocals for. The song also reached number 3 in the UK whilst holding onto top 20 positions in Australia, Germany and Italy amongst many others.
2. "All I Really Want To Do"
Released in 1965, sold 745,373 copies
Cher's first hit record, this Bob Dylan cover, introduced many to Cher - if not at least her solo career. After a couple of failed attempts to gain chart success, solo and with Sonny, this was the one that hit it big first. It entered the US Hot 100 (at number 86) one week before the duo's debut hit "I Got You Babe" did. It stayed on the US Hot 100 for three months, peaking at number 15, whilst it climbed all the way to number 9 in the UK. In a somewhat-famous chart battle, it rivalled another version of the song on the charts at the time by American rock group The Byrds (which hit number 4 in the UK and number 40 in America). It became the title track to Cher's debut solo album.
3. "You Better Sit Down Kids"
Released in 1967, sold 684,249 copies
Another song written by Sonny Bono was this divorce ditty released in late 1967. There's little doubt that the song's somewhat then-taboo subject boosted sales, leading the single into a two-week stay in the top ten of the American singles chart with a peak of number 9. The hit also provided a much-needed sales boost for its parent album, "With Love, Chér".
4. "Where Do You Go"
Released in 1965, sold 196,253 copies
The follow-up to Cher's debut solo hit single was written by no other than - surprise, surprise - Sonny Bono. For whatever reason, it failed to capture the success of "All I Really Want To Do", enjoying moderate success in America, staying at its peak of number 25 for two weeks. It found its way onto Cher's second solo album "The Sonny Side of Chér".
5. "Sunny"
Released in 1967, sold 160,813 copies
A song that has charted for several different artists is this classic Bobby Hebb tune. Cher's version was included on her third album ("Chér") and was released outside America, becoming a top 5 hit in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. However, it's the song's moderate success in the UK (number 32) that made up the majority of its total sales.
6. "Alfie"
Released in 1966, sold 156,491 copies
Yet another song that has charted for several artists is 'Alfie'. The story behind this Burt Bacharach/Hal David number changes from source to source. However, it's usually accepted that UK singer Cilla Black was the first artist to record it - it was released to promote the UK release of the upcoming film of the same name. Her song became a big hit in the UK. Shortly afterwards, Cher recorded her version of the song for the intention that it would be played during the end credits of the US release of the film "Alfie". The song was released eight weeks before the film. However, the song only charted for six weeks (with a peak of number 32) meaning that the song had pretty much stopped selling by the time the film reached audiences in America. Anyway, the biggest hit came a year or two later when Dionne Warwick took the song all the way to number 15 on the US Hot 100.