Bittersweet White Light

Bittersweet White Light was the ninth studio album by American singer-actress Cher. The album was released on April 1973 by MCA. It was the last solo Cher album produced by then-performing partner and husband Sonny Bono. While many fans consider the album to be her best vocal performance,^[1] Bittersweet White Light, composed mostly of covers of American pop standards, was Cher's first commercial failure of the 1970s. It was Cher's first record released only by MCA, both in the UK and the US.

Album information

Due to the success of Cher's solo torch spots on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" like "My Funny Valentine" and "What a Difference a Day Makes", Bono decided she should record an album featuring modern arrangements of standards from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.^[1][2][1]

Bittersweet White Light was a collection of fully orchestrated, lushly-arranged classics. Producer Bono had started in the music business working with legendary "Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector and the album clearly demonstrates Spector's influence.^[1] Songs in the record range from Gershwin tunes "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "The Man I Love" to Al Jolson's "Sonny Boy" to Judy Garland's "The Man That Got Away" to Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good". The album was promoted on her successful "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" show. The title of the album was reported to be taken from the staging of such songs on her television show—which she performed in front of a torch spotlight. Bittersweet White Light was also the first of Cher's album's to feature medleys, "Jolson Medley", and with track mixed, "How Long Has This Been Going On" with "The Man I Love" and "Why Was I Born" with "The Man That Got Away". The other albums that got tracks mixed together were Take Me Home and Prisoner.

Bittersweet White Light was re-released on CD in 1999 under the name Bittersweet: The Love Songs Collection along with selected ballads tracks from other Cher albums, including Cher, Half-Breed and Dark Lady. The disc was compiled and co-produced by Mike Khouri.

Critical reception

Bittersweet White Light received mixed reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone said about the album that it "consists entirely of ballad-rocked standards by Kern, Gershwin, etc., and should please the artist's TV fans."^[4]

Chart performance and single

Bittersweet White Light was her first commercial flop of the seventies. It charted only in the Billboard 200 at #160. The album, unlike the previous, didn't enter in the Canadian album chart and in any European charts. Due to the album's lack of success, only one single was released, "Am I Blue". It missed the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #111 in Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.

Track listing

Additional notes

• "Jolson Medley" is a medley of the songs "Sonny Boy", "My Mammy" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody".

Credits

• Cher - lead vocals
• Sonny Bono - record producer
• Jeff Porcaro - drum programming
• Dean Parks - guitar
• David Paich - keyboards
• Joe Sample - keyboards
• Ted Dale - keyboards
• Lennie Roberts - sound engineer

• Bittersweet: The Love Songs Collection (re-issue 1999)
• Re-issue producers: Mike Khouri, Andy McKay
• Compiled by Mike Khouri

Chart positions

References