I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to have been given a reason to write about an artist before. Cher is releasing a new DVD called “The Whole Story” and it’s sparked this blog about her. I’m so glad to be writing about someone who’s been such a source of inspiration to me when I was young. Everyone knows I love Madonna and Kylie Minogue, and I think many of my other influences usually show through my own music, but Cher has also made an impact on me and the only reason why that doesn’t show, is because I will not wear her daring outfits nor have the voice to do her combination of rock and pop music (from before she did dance music).
In the 80s, I only knew her as the actress, and through UB40’s cover with Chrissie Hynde of “I Got You Babe”, I heard she had made music before, but never actually was interested. Then, one day, I saw the LP “Cher” lying around in the house and I was sold. I loved the dynamics of going all out in the dramatics and then bringing it back to simple songs like “Main Man”. I could dance to it, which I loved doing at the time and really lose myself in everything the album had to offer.
In fact, the album also got me interested in Bonnie Tyler and Meatloaf, who had a similar sound and who also used to work with a lot of the same people: Desmond Child, Michael Bolton and Diane Warren. But Cher’s appearance in videos was what made her rise above all of them. Risking the danger of sounding every bit of a fan, I still remember her chain mille clothes (clothes made by a zillion small rings that are beaded together – you can still see it in the video “I Found Someone”) and all of the completely see through body suits that I’m sure you remember from “If I Could Turn Back Time”. Just her sheer guts to do it is something I admired.
I once spent a few hours in a (huge) NYC book store, while a new photo book was just released of her career. I was amazed to see photos of her when she was little, and from before the plastic surgery, then see the transformation into this powerhouse pop star and great actress. I found out she broke a lot of boundaries and has influenced many of today’s stars, like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.
Her latest video (“I Walk Alone” featuring P!nk) also shows Cher’s career path one step at a time, in photos, and, if you’re a fan, it’s an absolute pleasure to watch.
I kept up with Cher all the way up to her introduction of autotune to today’s pop music (thanks Cher! Who knew it would stick so heavily). I also went to see her farewell tour when it came to the Netherlands. She just seemed like an artist you just had see live once in your lifetime. But that’s also the time I started to only check in with her career every once in a while.
Cher is now celebrating her 50th year in entertainment. Wow! This is why she’s releasing the DVD “The Whole Story”. To lead up to the DVD release, she’s been uploading videos of all kinds of career highlights to her Vevo channel. All very cherable. ;-)
