If I Could Turn Back Time

Not to be confused with If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time or Turn Back the Hands of Time (song).
"If I Could Turn Back Time"
Single by Cher
from the album Heart of Stone
B-side "Some Guys"
Released June 1, 1989
Recorded 1989
Genre Pop rock
Length 4:00
Label Geffen
Writer(s) Diane Warren
Producer(s) Diane Warren, Guy Roche
Certification Gold (RIAA)[1]
Cher singles chronology
"After All"
(1989)		 "If I Could Turn Back Time"
(1989)		 "Just Like Jesse James"
(1989)
Audio sample
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"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American recording artist Cher. Written by Diane Warren and co-produced along with Guy Roche, the pop rock track was included on Cher's nineteenth album, Heart of Stone (1989). The song was released on June 1, 1989 as the second North American and first European single release from the album. The song also appears on the greatest hits compilations The Greatest Hits (1999) and The Very Best of Cher (2003). It was certified Gold by the RIAA for the sales of 500,000 copies. In November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of "If I Could Turn Back Time" to be 394,000 in the US.[2]

Highly successful around the globe, "If I Could Turn Back Time" was seen as a major comeback for Cher in the late 1980s. It charted at number one in Australia and Norway, and reached number three in the United States and number six in the United Kingdom, respectively. It also became Cher's second consecutive solo number one hit on Billboard‍ '​s Adult Contemporary chart.[3] A critical success, Gary Hill of Allmusic described the song that it "has a crunchy texture to it, albeit in a poppy, '80s Starship sort of arrangement."[4]

Background

"If I Could Turn Back Time" was written by Diane Warren, who produced the song along with Guy Roche.[5] While the soft rock track was not specifically written for Cher, the singer initially disliked the song upon hearing a demo and turned it down. Speaking of its recording, Warren elaborated in 1991: "I got on my knees and pleaded. I told her I wasn't going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did."[6] In 2014, she further added: "She really hated [it], but I held her leg down during a session and said, 'You have to record it!'." According to Warren, Cher reportedly responded: "'Fuck you, bitch! You're hurting my leg! OK, I'll try it.' She gave me this look like, 'You were right'."[7]

Music video

Cher in the music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time".

The video for "If I Could Turn Back Time", directed by Marty Callner, takes place on board the battleship USS Missouri, where Cher sings to a large group of sailors. This video was filmed in Los Angeles on July 1, 1989, 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 on the foredeck, and the whole vessel is rigged with spotlights, light racks and strobes. The crew is on the deck, waving with the rhythm. 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).

Cher's outfit for the original video, a fishnet body stocking under a very revealing black one-piece bathing suit, caused a lot of controversy, and many television networks refused to show the video. In 1989 the MTV network banned the video and later played it only after 9 p.m. A "censored" video was made, including new scenes, and showing less explicitly sexual content than the original. The outfit and sexual nature of the video were not expected by the Navy when they had originally granted permission for filming. The USS Missouri liaison, Steve Honda, asked Callner to prevent Cher from wearing the outfit when he saw it on-set, but Callner refused. Following the release of the video, the Navy took a lot of flack and has since refused to allow any music videos to be filmed aboard US Navy ships.[8]

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

In popular culture and covers

Live performances

Cher performing "If I Could Turn Back Time" during the 2014 Dressed to Kill Tour.

Cher performed the song on the following concert tours:

Formats and track listings

In 2000, Cher released a promotional double-pack vinyl in the UK with 3 new remixes of "If I Could Turn Back Time", with vocal which was recorded during her "Do You Believe?" tour. The Almighty remix was used as the opening track for the "Living Proof: Farewell Tour" which also featured the intro to "Dark Lady" and elements of "A Different Kind of Love Song".[11]

If I Could Turn Back Time US Promo CD Single[12]

  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[12]

  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[12]

  1. Believe (Almighty Definitive Mix)
  2. If I Could Turn Back Time (Almighty Definitive Mix)
  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)

Official versions and remixes

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[16] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[17] 14
Belgian Singles Chart[18] 6
Canadian Singles Chart[19] 7
Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart[20] 1
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart[21] 4
German Singles Chart[22] 16
Irish Singles Chart[23] 6
Italian Singles Chart[24] 15
New Zealand Singles Chart[25] 3
Norwegian Singles Chart[26] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[27] 11
UK Singles Chart[28] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 3
US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 2
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[30] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[31] 3

Year-end charts

Country (1989) Position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[32] 5
Canadian Singles Chart[33] 19
German Singles Chart[34] 118
Italian Singles Chart[24] 71
Dutch Singles Chart[35] 62
UK Singles Chart[36] 43
US Billboard Hot 100[37] 35

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[38] 2× Platinum 140,000^
United States (RIAA)[39] Gold 500,000^
Digital
United States (RIAA)[40] 394,000[41]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "American single certifications – If I Could Turn Back Time". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  2. ↑ "Ask Billboard: Cher Information, Yes?". Billboard. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 54.
  4. ↑ Review by Allmusic Retrieved October 14, 2013
  5. ↑ Heart of Stone (Media notes). Cher. Geffen Records. 1989.
  6. ↑ Sanz, Cynthia (1991-07-22). "They're Playing Her Song". People. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  7. ↑ Ginsberg, Merle (2014-07-23). "Diane Warren Reveals Cher's Reaction to 'If I Could Turn Back Time': 'F--- You, Bitch!'". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  8. ↑ Marks, Craig; Tannenbaum, Rob (2011). I want my MTV the uncensored story of the music video revolution. New York: Dutton. ISBN 978-1-101-52641-5.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 http://www.discogs.com/Cher-If-I-Could-Turn-Back-Time-Believe-One-By-One/release/784878
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "If I Could Turn Back Time Single".
  13. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Cher-If-I-Could-Turn-Back-Time/release/1353268
  14. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Cher-Turn-Back-Time-Almighty-Mix/release/3870808
  15. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Various-Almighty-Remixes/release/1239327
  16. ↑ Australian Charts
  17. ↑ Official Austrian Charts
  18. ↑ Ultratop charts
  19. ↑ RPM Official charts Canada
  20. ↑ RPM Official charts Canada
  21. ↑ Dutch Singles Chart . Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  22. ↑ Media Control Charts
  23. ↑ The Irish Charts
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yends/hpe1989.htm
  25. ↑ New Zealand Singles Chart . Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  26. ↑ VG-lista
  27. ↑ Swedish Singles Chart
  28. ↑ "If I Could Turn Back Time" in UK Singles Chart . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  29. ↑ Cher Hot 100 Billboard CHart History
  30. ↑ Cher Adult Contemporary Billboard Chart History
  31. ↑ "Cash Box 100 Singles chart
  32. ↑ Australian Recording Industry Association (1989). "ARIA charts — End of year charts". aria.com.au. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  33. ↑ RPM Official charts Canada - Top Singles of 1989
  34. ↑ German Singles Chart (1989). "German Singles Chart; End of year charts". ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  35. ↑ Dutch Top 40 (1989). "Dutch Top 40; End of year charts" (PDF). top40.nl. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  36. ↑ http://www.mostynhouseschool.com/pg/80/top50/uk89.htm
  37. ↑ http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1989.php
  38. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Gold and Platinum ARIA Accreditation Awards". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  39. ↑ "American single certifications – Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  40. ↑ "American single certifications – Cher – Believe". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  41. ↑ "Ask Billboard: Cher Information, Yes?". Billboard. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2012-03-11.

External links

Preceded by
"One" by Bee Gees		 Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single
September 30, 1989 		Succeeded by
"Cherish" by Madonna
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, 1989 – December 25, 1989 		Succeeded by
"Swing the Mood" by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
"Love Shack" by The B-52's