“I love every song on (the new album) Believe. When I listen to this album, I think it’s really consistent, and I’m consistent (on it). I’m more consistent on this album than I’ve ever been before. I think that the songs are all really good, and that my performance is really good on them.” This matters more to Cher than one might imagine because, above all else, she’s determined to please her fans.
She had once been quoted as saying, “It’s not easy being a Cher fan”, and we asked her what she meant by that. “Because, in the music business, I’ve never been cool. I’ve always been a hit in spite of it.” She says that she’s always had to battle preconceived notions of who, or what, she was supposed to be, and the limits that those perceptions placed on her were sometimes difficult to overcome. “When ‘I Found Someone’ came out, radio just refused to play us. I (then) did as much TV as I possibly could to let people know that the record was out there. I finally had to put the video that we made for it into a commercial for Bally Fitness, and that’s how we got it into people’s minds. Finally, it just got so much attention, and people started asking for it that radio had to play it. Before that, radio was just not interested. Sometimes, it’s amazing to me that I have a recording career at all! It’s just amazing.”
Amazing? You bet, but then that’s just one of many definitive descriptions that seem apropos when you’re talking about Cher. Resilient is another, and breath-taking another still. We doubt that any commercial endorsements will be necessary this time. The buzz on Believe is…well, unbelievable! And so is Cher. WE BELIEVE!
(Special thanks to Billy Sammeth, and to the indefatigable Stephen Ford, for their help)
