Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Cher
#10: Being Real About Aging
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Her career began in the early 1960s, and with a tenure like that, it’s safe to say Cher’s seen it all. But that doesn’t mean she’s under any illusions. When asked about her long and illustrious career, she doesn’t make any bones about how aging is not her favorite thing. Where other pop stars might try to be phony about their aging, or the surgical means they use to look young, Cher has always been upfront about going into old age kicking and screaming. Not that she has anything to worry about. She’s in her late 70s, still making hits, and still looking at least 20 years younger.
#9: The “Will & Grace” Cameos
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Apparently, Jack McFarland pays more respect to his Cher doll than he does the real woman. When the pop superstar shows up in a cameo as herself on this season 3 episode, Jack thinks she’s a drag queen. Clearly, she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Watching her humor him before giving him a well-deserved slap in the face is peak “Will & Grace.” She would show up the next season cast in the fitting role of God in Jack’s fantasy. The best thing about both of these guest spots is that you can see how much fun she’s having the whole time.
#8: Her Tweets
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Yes, we mean every single tweet. Whether she’s shading Madonna, experiencing some technical difficulties, or getting into a spat with the literal president of the United States, Cher is always speaking her mind. That doesn’t mean what she’s saying is always crystal clear. If you ask us, it just makes her online presence more unique, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Frankly, her wisdom and wit go beyond words. When you substitute the president’s name for a toilet emoji, you don’t need much more context than that.
#7: When She Showed Up at the End of “Mamma Mia 2”
The movie’s getting ready to wrap things up when Cher flies in at the end to inject a heaping dose of fabulousness. Playing Amanda Seyfried’s absent grandmother, she’s perfectly cast as a globe-trotting fashionista with only a casual understanding of normal human emotions. Despite her late entrance, she gets to headline two musical numbers. The fact that she’s cast as Meryl Streep’s mother despite being only three years older than her in real life is just a hilarious wink to her seeming agelessness. Also, we have this movie to thank for her instantly classic album full of ABBA songs.
#6: Playing EVERY Part in “West Side Story”
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The 70s were the decade of bell bottoms, disco, and variety specials. Cher’s Emmy-winning 1978 special includes one of her greatest and underrated moments of showmanship. That’s right, you heard the lady. And boy does she deliver. Singing and dancing through shortened versions of the show’s biggest hits, Cher gives a performance that would be impressive by any standard. With an assist from the era’s most sophisticated technology, we’re treated to multiple Chers onstage at once. It’s audacious to take a show with such a big cast and reenact it as a one-woman show, but what else would you expect from such an incredible entertainer?
#5: That Playful Feud with David Letterman
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Remember what we said about Cher speaking her mind? She’ll do that even if she’s guesting on someone else’s show. That’s what David Letterman found out in this 1986 appearance. When he asked why she kept turning down invitations to be on the show, she was very blunt. It’s safe to say that over the years, Dave won her over. That first time set the stage for her appearances, where their playful banter would often veer into flirtatious territory. Whatever was lying underneath all that tension, pretend or otherwise, it was always so fun to watch. When Letterman ended his show in 2015, she was one of the stars who paid tribute in a way that only she could.
#4: When She Challenged Britney & J. Lo
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Although she called it her “farewell tour,” Cher was a long way from retiring in 2002. Still, she was sharing the charts with younger artists with new sounds. Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez may have been topping the charts at the time, but Cher threw down the gauntlet. She was determined to make her show so fabulous, it would put these up-and-coming pop divas to shame. Clearly, it was just professional bluster, and there was no ill will between her and Spears. During the #FreeBritney frenzy, Cher voiced her support and empathy for the singer as she fought to escape her conservatorship.
#3: The “If I Could Turn Back Time” Music Video
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The music video for the 1989 hit was a lightning rod for controversy. “If I Could Turn Back Time” features Cher in a revealing outfit, performing the song for a group of rowdy sailors on the historic USS Missouri. Her look became an iconic fashion moment, but it proved so scandalous that MTV banned the video at first. Then, they decided to just show it late at night instead. Veterans were outraged, calling the video a desecration of an historic site. Not only is the video a camp classic, but it’s loaded with enough suggestive imagery and subtext to keep Freud up at night.
#2: When She Won an Oscar for “Moonstruck”
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Cher is the original queen of reinvention. After dazzling on the pop charts and on television for almost twenty years, Cher began the next phase of her career: serious acting. She made her Broadway debut in 1982, but when she tried to move into film, people were not necessarily open to that idea. That was until we realized she was an incredible actor. Her unforgettable performance as the widow Loretta Castorini in “Moonstruck” actually earned Cher her second Oscar nomination. When she won the award, it meant so much more because it was her peers who gave it to her, even though many of them were probably her biggest skeptics.
#1: When She Released “Believe”
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Cher underwent another reinvention in 1998 when she pivoted to dance music with the “Believe” album. She was 52 when she dominated a genre thought to be the domain of young up-and-comers. With the ubiquitous single, Cher largely popularized Auto-Tune as an artistic choice. While some singers have been criticized for needing digital enhancement to even pass for credible vocalists, she had over thirty years of powerhouse vocals under her belt by then. The song is also notable for how empowering it is. Anyone can sing about perseverance after a breakup, but from a legend like Cher, it sounds like gospel. Despite having had a number one single in seven different decades, “Believe” is still her signature song.
