Cher Reveals Two Of Her Songs She Cherishes But Wishes Were Bigger Hits

Dec 22, 2020 by apost team

Over the course of her illustrious career, Cher has had her fair share of hits. From being part of duo Sonny & Cher, to going solo and having multiple comebacks, there is no era that Cher and her music haven't been a part of. However, the 74-year-old singer recently took to social media to share her feelings on two songs in particular that she wishes had performed better commercially.

On December 12 Cher took to Twitter to reveal her thoughts about the songs Song for the Lonely and You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.

Her post read: "You Ynow… When I Did SONG FOR THE LONELY & YOU HAVENT SEEN THE LAST OF ME IT BROKE MY HEART THAT THEY WEREN’T BIG HITS. I DID MY BEST… .I ALWAYS DO. Funny thing… When I sing them PPL LOVE THEM.”

Song for the Lonely was released in 2002 and was part of her 2001 album Living Proof. The song has is especially important because Cher dedicated it to "the courageous people of New York" and all the firefighters and service people, in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In an interview with Billboard in 2002, Cher said:

"At the time, we still lived in a world of innocence, and all I knew was that this was perhaps one of the best songs I've ever had the opportunity to sing. Since the world has changed so dramatically, the lyrics have a different weight. They're heavier, yet they're comforting at the same time. Over the past month or so, I've had a number of people tell me that the song has helped them cope. What a humbling compliment." She continued, "When I first started to sing that song, I felt like I was taking off on a rocket ship. It just soars. Just when you don't think it can reach any higher—either musically or emotionally—it goes a little further.”

Despite many around the world finding comfort in the song, and lots of airplay on the radio, its highest position was at number 85 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

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It is understandable that this was a disappointment for Cher considering the deep meaning and underlying message this song has. The LGBTQ+ community embraced this song because of its message that “nobody is alone in this world; there is always somebody there for you,” reports Penn State. It is a message close to her heart and she has been a strong advocate for the community, especially after her son, Chaz Bono, transitioned in 2009. She has supported him and he has always been appreciative of her.

Chaz Bono told The Sun, “She sticks up for me—and what an ally to have. We are developing a new relationship.” The song is almost important as Cher is a strong animal rights advocate, and the lonely theme continues with her animal welfare activism.

She recently oversaw the successful transportation of an elephant to a new safe home in a sanctuary in Cambodia. The elephant, named Kavaan, was dubbed the loneliest elephant in the world. He had spent his entire life in Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan. Kavaan has Cher to thank for his new home, as the superstar was instrumental in making the rescue happen with her charity, Free the Wild.

On its official website Free the Wild discloses its mission:

“FTW endeavours to stop the suffering of wild animals in captivity and ultimately find a way to release them into sanctuaries or better equipped zoos. Also assisting with the betterment of existing zoos and empowering its staff to care for and protect the animals in their care. We aim to provide education and support in terms of professional carers, handlers and vets and to introduce augmented and virtual reality into establishments as a replacement of some species, thereby ultimately eliminating animal trafficking.”

The elephant, now 36 years old, had been a gift to Pakistan from the Sri Lankan government in 1985 when she was just a baby—only a year old. Unfortunately, the zoo did not have adequate space and resources for him, and he developed multiple physical and psychological problems, the most painful experience for him was loneliness after the death of his only elephant companion, Saheli, in 2012, reports The Guardian.

Cher even traveled all the way to Cambodia to welcome him into his new home. “I am so proud he is here,” she told AFP. “He’s going to be really happy here,” added Cher.

You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me is a more recent song Cher had hoped would be more successful. The song was written and recorded for the 2010 film Burlesque and was part of the soundtrack for the movie Burlesque: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The song is a true power ballad and was written by mega songwriter Diane Warren, whose top hits include Celine Dion’s Because You Love Me, LeAnn Rimes’ How Do I Live, and Aerosmith’s I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.

You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 2011. The film, which starred big names such as Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, and Stanley Tucci received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. The film saw the return of Cher to the big screen after she had taken some time off from acting.

Unbelievably, the song did not peak on the Billboard Hot 100 list at all, despite being nominated for a Grammy in 2011. It did however peak at number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. This made Cher the only act to have notched a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the last six decades.

Cher spoke to FilmReview Online in 2010 and admitted that the lyrics really resonated with her at that point in her career and reflected exactly what she was going through.

In an interview with FilmReview online Cher spoke candidly about the song, “First of all Diane Warren wrote it. She’s been my friend for a long time. She wrote, “If I Could Turn Back Time.” There were two songs in my life that I didn’t think I was going to be able to sing and that was one of them. The other one was “Song for the Lonely.” It was so high for me that I truly didn’t have those notes. There were three notes and I didn’t have them in my range and I really don’t know where they came from. I was more surprised than anybody. This song was so good, and doing it, I thought, was so perfect for the character and she wrote it for that moment in time.”

She continued, delving into what the lyrics really meant for her, stating: “Yes. When I started this character, I thought, ‘This is hard to play supporting to this girl and know that this is what’s happening in my life, or potentially happening in my life. I have to kind of move over’. Not that I’m doing it gracefully, because you’d have to pull me over but yeah that song, for me, had a lot of meaning.”

As soon as Cher posted her tweet, her fans rushed to support her. They were quick to let the singer know that they adore every single song in her expansive music catalog. They also shared in Cher’s disappointment that the two songs she mentioned weren’t commercial hits, as for them the songs are amongst her all-time classics!

One fan expressed their disbelief, saying, “Some of the best songs! Why don't you do a concert of YOUR favorite songs?? Wed all LOVE to see that!”

Another fan added, “Are you kidding Cher? Those are two of my favorites!! I feel the emotions all the way down to my bones. I love you Cher. It matters more if the songs moved you love... but if fans also love it and they do it’s icing on the cake. But they are amazing.”

One fan gave some words of wisdom: “A hit is in the eye of the beholder..‘Song for the Lonely..is what we need right now..so relevant ...now as when you recorded it...such diversity...& hope…”

Cher has had a successful career both in the music and movie industry. Not many can claim to be equally as talented in both areas. With her first husband, Sonny Bono, the couple performed as a duo, "Sonny & Cher." Between 1965 and 1972, they had ten Billboard top 40 singles together, including their five top 10 singles, I Got You Babe, Baby Don't Go, The Beat Goes On, All I Ever Need Is You, and A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done.

Incredibly, at one point, they had a total of five songs in the top 50 at the same time. According to The New York Times, this is something that only happened to The Beatles and Elvis Presley. As the end of 1967 approached Sonny & Cher had sold an impressive 40 million records worldwide.

Cher also won an Academy Award for her role in In Norman Jewison's romantic comedy Moonstruck. The New York Times' Janet Maslin wrote Moonstruck "offers further proof that Cher has evolved into the kind of larger-than-life movie star who's worth watching whatever she does."

In 1998 her song Believe became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK—what an accolade! We are sure we will see a lot more from her in the future, both on screen, on the radio, and in the news for her animal welfare campaigns. There is no stopping her.

What do you think about these two songs? What is your favorite Cher song? Let us know, and share this with any fans of the legend!