Cher’s Emotional Investment in “Believe”
By the late 1990s, Cher had already cemented her status as an iconic entertainer with a career spanning decades in music and film. However, her most recent albums in the early 90s had failed to achieve major commercial success. At age 52 in 1998, many questioned if she still had what it takes to remain relevant in the fast-changing pop landscape. That’s when Cher released “Believe”, a dance-pop album that would prove all the doubters wrong and mark an incredible career rejuvenation. Beyond the commercial success, what was Cher’s own emotional investment in this pivotal project? Let’s examine the context, lyrics, critical reception, and Cher’s own words to better understand her feelings towards “Believe”.
Career Rejuvenation
After achieving success in the 1960s and 70s with albums like “Cher” and “Dark Lady”, the 1980s saw Cher continue to top the charts with songs like “If I Could Turn Back Time”. However, her 1992 album “Love Hurts” and 1995’s “It’s a Man’s World” did not perform as well commercially. This period coincided with personal struggles as well – her long marriage to Sonny Bono ended in divorce in 1975 and she lost her partner Salvador in 1989. By 1998, it seemed the pop landscape had moved on without Cher still at the forefront. But “Believe” would change all that, becoming her biggest hit album to date and re-establishing her as a commercially viable artist. The massive success must have brought Cher immense pride and validation after years of doubters. It proved she still had what it takes to top the charts through hard work and artistic evolution.
Creative Control
Reports indicate Cher had more creative control over “Believe” compared to previous albums. She co-wrote six of the songs and worked closely with producers Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling to craft the overall sound. Having a stronger say over the artistic process likely gave Cher a deeper emotional connection to the project. It allowed her vision to shine through without outside interference. The album truly felt like an authentic representation of Cher in 1998. This sense of ownership would naturally make her invested in its success. She wanted to prove that after decades in the industry, she still had fresh ideas and wasn’t content to rest on past laurels. “Believe” was Cher’s chance to showcase a new creative chapter on her own terms.
Lyrics and Themes
Many songs dealt with themes of resilience, perseverance in the face of heartbreak, and staying true to yourself. In “The Power”, Cher sings “It’s in my power to change or let things be/It’s in my hands, what I can’t see”. These lyrics of empowerment and self-determination paralleled Cher’s own journey of reinvention at this stage in her career. On “All or Nothing”, she reflects on a past relationship with the lines “You took a part of me that I’m never gonna need again/You left your mark on me, I ain’t never gonna be the same”. These bittersweet lyrics of life experience could reflect Cher looking back on her own highs and lows in the industry and relationships over decades. If Cher did co-write any of these lyrics as reported, they offer a window into her mindset – willing to take risks, evolve, but never forgetting where she came from. The themes aligned with Cher using “Believe” as a statement that she wasn’t done growing yet.
Genre Shift
Moving from her rock and folk roots into contemporary dance-pop was a bold choice that challenged expectations of what a then-50 year old artist should sound like. But Cher embraced the genre shift, collaborating with top producers like Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling known for hits by artists like Spice Girls. Her willingness to experiment with a new sound, incorporating elements like Auto-Tune, showed she wanted to push creative boundaries rather than rest on past glories. It was a risk that paid off by introducing Cher to a new generation of fans. The genre shift must have required immense trust in her collaborators and belief in herself to carry off such a drastic reinvention. It demonstrated Cher’s emotional investment in continually evolving and staying artistically engaged, even if it meant leaving some fans behind in the process.
Interviews and Public Statements
In interviews at the time, Cher expressed nervousness about taking on such a drastic change but also great excitement over the new sonic direction. She said she saw “Believe” as “a chance to show people I’m not just some Vegas act doing the same old thing.” In the HBO documentary “The Cher Show”, she recalls feeling immense pressure to prove the naysayers wrong. But she also felt a sense of liberation being able to fully realize her artistic vision. After the album’s massive success, Cher said it was incredibly gratifying to achieve her goal of “staying forever young” through hard work and creative evolution. These public statements give a window into Cher’s mindset – she saw “Believe” not just as another album but as a pivotal moment to reshape her career and image on her own terms. The emotional stakes were high.
Critical Reception and Commercial Success
Reviews of “Believe” were overwhelmingly positive, praising Cher’s vocal prowess and the album’s danceable production. Critics declared her reinvention a success. Commercially, “Believe” was an instant hit, debuting at number three on the Billboard charts. Its lead single “Believe” reached number one, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. The album has since been certified diamond for over 10 million copies sold in the US alone. This level of commercial validation for taking a big risk must have been tremendously emotionally gratifying for Cher after the doubts she faced. It proved all the naysayers wrong by showing Cher’s timeless ability to evolve with the times through hard work and artistic vision. The massive success of “Believe” allowed Cher’s to experience pride, vindication, and a renewed sense of purpose in her later career and artistry.
Cher’s Own Words
In interviews and documentaries since, Cher has continually expressed pride in “Believe” as one of her proudest career accomplishments. She sees it as demonstrating her willingness to take risks and push boundaries even when it wasn’t the obvious choice commercially. Cher credits her drive and emotional investment to prove people wrong as fueling the album’s success. It gave her the validation to continue believing in herself as an artist capable of growth. She now looks back fondly on “Believe” as representing the height of her creative freedom and control over her vision. For Cher, it wasn’t just another album – it was a pivotal moment to reshape expectations and stay true to her art on her own terms late in her career. That level of personal significance is a testament to how deeply Cher invested herself emotionally in this career-defining project.
In conclusion, through examining the context, lyrics, critical reception and Cher’s own reflections, it’s clear she felt immense emotional stakes and investment in “Believe”. It represented a chance for creative liberation, commercial validation after doubts, and most importantly, proof of her ability to evolve continually as an artist even decades into her career. The massive success validated Cher’s resilience, work ethic and belief in artistic growth – traits that still drive her today. More than a collection of songs, “Believe” became a landmark moment for Cher to reshape her legacy and image fully on her own terms through immense creative risk-taking and passion. Two decades later, it remains one of her proudest accomplishments, a testament to the emotional significance it held.