If I Could Turn Back Time

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Not to be confused with the song "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time".

“If I Could Turn Back Time”
“If I Could Turn Back Time” cover
Single by Cher
from the album Heart of Stone
Released June 1, 1989
Recorded 1989
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:49
Label Geffen
Writer(s) Diane Warren
Producer David Geffen
Certification Platinum (U.S.)
Gold (UK)
Cher North American singles chronology
"After All"
(1989)
"If I Could Turn Back Time"
(1989)
"Just Like Jesse James"
(1989)


Cher European singles chronology
"We All Sleep Alone"
(1988)
"If I Could Turn Back Time"
(1989)
"Just Like Jesse James"
(1989)

"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song written by Diane Warren and was released on June 1 1989 as the second North American and first European single release from American singer/actress Cher's 20th album Heart of Stone.

Contents

[edit] Song information

After a small comeback with "I Found Someone" in 1987, Cher's career hit big with the release of "If I Could Turn Back Time", which charted at number 1 in Australia and Norway, number 3 in the United States and number 6 in the United Kingdom.

It was very successful and it became Cher's second consecutive number 1 in the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It topped the charts in two countries and it became a top ten hit in nearly ten countries. Cher had several subsequent hits including "The Shoop Shoop Song", "Strong Enough" and "Believe".

In episode 3-07 (first aired on November 16, 2000) of Will & Grace, Jack meets Cher in a café and mistakes her for a drag queen. She sings a few notes of If I could turn back time to make him understand she's the real Cher.

In 2001 Cher has released a double vinyl with 3 remix of If I Could Turn Back Time called Cher Vs. Almighty.

[edit] Music video

The video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" takes place on board the USS Missouri, where Cher sings to a large group of sailors. This video was filmed while the ship was stationed at the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard at Pier D along with the crew. In the music video, the band plays in the midships, and the whole vessel is rigged with spotlight, lightracks and strobos. The crew is on the deck, waving with the rhythm.

Cher's outfit for the original video (a fishnet body stocking under a very revealing black one-piece bathing suit) caused some controversy, and many television networks refused to show the video. In 1989 the MTV network banned the video and only played it after 9:00 PM. A "censored" video, including new scenes, and showing less explicitly sexual content than the previous original video was then made.

In 2000 a remix was released, which was recorded during her previous tour, "Do You Believe?". An unofficial video was also created by Garry A. Cagle, which showed various clips of Cher singing "If I Could Turn Back Time" from her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, Do You Believe? Tour and Heart of Stone Tour. The video also included many old clips of Cher, in which they had taken her off many videos and digitally added her into new backgrounds.

Finally in 2003 Cher released her "Living Proof - Farewell Tour" concert on DVD which included an official "If I Could Turn Back Time" remix video.

This specific Cher video has been parodied many times, most recently in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, where Meg Griffin is in the role of Cher, but instead of the sailors enjoying it, they all flee for their lives and the boat appears to sink at the end.

Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, only twelve at the time, makes an appearance in the video, playing a guitar (he wears dark glasses and a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt).

[edit] Formats and track listings

If I Could Turn Back Time US Promo CD Single

  1. If I Could Turn Back Time (Remix)
  2. If I Could Turn Back Time (Original Mix)
  3. If I Could Turn Back Time (Rock Mix)
  4. If I Could Turn Back Time (AC Mix)

If I Could Turn Back Time European CD Single

  1. If I Could Turn Back Time (Rock Guitar Version)
  2. If I Could Turn Back Time
  3. I Found Someone

If I Could Turn Back Time Remix

  1. Believe (Almighty Definitive Mix)
  2. If I Could Turn Back Time (Almighty Remix)
  3. If I Could Turn Back Time (TNT Vocal Mix)
  4. If I Could Turn Back Time (TNT Dub)
  5. One By One (Junior Vasquez Vocal Remix)

[edit] Charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 2
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 1
Austrian Singles Chart 14
Belgian Singles Chart 6
Canadian Singles Chart 7
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart 6
West German Singles Chart 16
Irish Singles Chart 6
Italian Singles Chart 15
Norwegian Singles Chart 1
Polish Singles Chart 3
Swedish Singles Chart 11
Swedish Airplay Chart 11
UK Singles Chart 6
United World Chart 1
world wide sales 4,000,000

[edit] External links



Preceded by
"Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx
"Swing the Mood" by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single
October 9, 1989
November 6, 1989December 25, 1989
Succeeded by
"Swing the Mood" by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
"Love Shack" by The B-52's
Languages