1989 Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time (US: #3 UK: #6)
“If I Could Turn Back Time“ is a song by American recording artist Cher. Written by Diane Warren and co-produced along with Guy Roche, the pop rock track was included on Cher’s nineteenth album, Heart of Stone (1989). The song was released on June 1, 1989 as the second North American and first European single release from the album. The song also appears on the greatest hits compilations The Greatest Hits (1999) and The Very Best of Cher (2003). It was certified Gold by the RIAA for the sales of 500,000 copies. In November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of “If I Could Turn Back Time” to be 394,000 in the US.
Highly successful around the globe, “If I Could Turn Back Time” was seen as a major comeback for Cher in the late 1980s. It charted at number one in Australia and Norway, and reached number three in the United States and number six in the United Kingdom, respectively. It also became Cher’s second consecutive solo number one hit on Billboard ’s Adult Contemporary chart. Gary Hill of Allmusic said that the song “has a crunchy texture to it, albeit in a poppy, ’80s Starship sort of arrangement
“If I Could Turn Back Time” was written by Diane Warren, who produced the song along with Guy Roche. While the soft rock track was not specifically written for Cher, the singer initially disliked the song upon hearing a demo and turned it down. Speaking of its recording, Warren elaborated in 1991: “I got on my knees and pleaded. I told her I wasn’t going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did.” In 2014, she further added: “She really hated [it], but I held her leg down during a session and said, ‘You have to record it!’.” According to Warren, Cher reportedly responded: “‘Fuck you, bitch! You’re hurting my leg! OK, I’ll try it.’ She gave me this look like, ‘You were right’
Album
Heart of Stone is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on June 19, 1989 by Geffen Records. It is one of Cher’s best-selling albums with more than 4 million copies sold worldwide as of January 1991. The album was supported by her 1990 sold-out Heart of Stone Tour. Heart of Stone was […]
Musicians
| Bass | John Pierce |
| Drums | Mark T Williams |
| Guitar | Steve Lukather |
| Guitar | Glenn Sciurba |
| Keyboards | Alan Pasqua |
| Keyboards | Guy Roche |
| Background Vocals | Desmond Child |
| Background Vocals | Maria Vidal |
| Background Vocals | Michael Anthony |
| Background Vocals | Robin Beck |
| Vocals | Cher |
Produced By
Guy Roche
Dianne Warren
Songrwriter
Dianne Warren
Charts
US:#3
UK:#6