Friday, November 26, 2010

Music Box: Cher

After a nice Thanksgiving dinner with Michael and his sister Rosie, we went directly to see "Burlesque" (natch). It was everything I thought it would be -- a two-hour cliche -- and I loved every minute of it. (Three words: Wagon. Wheel. Watusi.) I can never get enough Cher: it probably has something to do with her reminding me so much of my mother -- personality, not looks -- and that my mom and I used to dance to Cher records in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom in our old house on Tawas in Madison Heights, my favorite memory from my early childhood. After the movie I came home and started ripping all my old Cher CDs so I could add more material to my iPod. In doing so, I was reminded that her first solo hit was a charming cover of Bob Dylan's "All I Really Want to Do" (it was solo, despite Sonny's totally being on it with her) and then a perfect version of the Oscar-nominated "Alfie," which played during the closing credits of the U.S. release of the film.

Cher's chart-topping '70s and '80s heyday -- not to mention 1998's "Believe" craze -- tends to be what fans think of first. But her '60s repertoire is definitely worth a listen, and will leave you wondering why she wasn't Bacharach's muse -- "A House Is Not a Home" sure sounds like it was written for her -- or Goffin-King's first pick for "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"






1 comment:

Dan said...

I saw Burlesque the other day myself and while I loved the movie, I kept thinking what a shame it was Cher has had so much plastic surgery she no longer looks human.