Cher Really Loved Two of Her Singles That Weren’t Hits
Cher is one of the biggest icons of the past few decades. Her hits span genres, from folk to pop-rock to disco to dance-pop. Going through her catalog of hits is like getting a history lesson about post-1950s pop music.
Many Cher fans have a hard time picking their favorite of her singles. In a 1999 interview, Cher revealed which of her singles she liked the most. Interestingly, neither of those songs became hits.
Which of her singles Cher liked the best
Mim Udovich of Rolling Stone asked Cher which of her singles were her favorites. Cher told Udovich “There are two, and neither one of them was a hit. One was ‘I Paralyze,’ and the other was ‘Save Up All Your Tears.’”
“I Paralyze” and “Save Up All Your Tears” are two very different songs. The former is a new wave song that sees Cher going out of her comfort zone. “Save Up All Your Tears” is a pop-rock power ballad that’s not too far from her other songs like “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Just Like Jesse James.” Interestingly, the song was not originally by Cher. Bonnie Tyler, the singer behind “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” released the original version of the track. Some fans might be surprised Cher felt a song which was not originally hers is one of her favorite of her own singles.
How the songs performed commercially
Cher was right when she said the tracks were not hits. Billboard reports “Save Up All Your Tears” reached only No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. That might be a huge accomplishment for another artist, but for Cher — a singer who’s had multiple No. 1 hits — it wasn’t impressive.
On the other hand, “I Paralyze,” the title song of the album of the same name, did not reach the Billboard Hot 100 at all. No music video was ever produced for the song, which speaks to its relative obscurity. According to the book Cher: Strong Enough, the song’s producer, David Wolfert, had reservations about the song. He simply didn’t believe it had much potential to become a success. He wished the song’s B-side, “Walk with Me,” had been released as the lead single from the album instead.
Why those songs meant so much to Cher
Udovich asked Cher why she felt those songs where special. “I don’t know. I just like them. When I listen to music, it’s mostly the sound that gets me first, and if the lyrics are fabulous, well then, that’s a bonus. But my favorite song is ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ by Procol Harum, and I still have no idea what the f*ck they’re talking about.
“I Paralyze” and “Save Up All Your Tears” were not hits. Cher loved them anyway. In addition, many fans love both songs even if they don’t get much attention or radio play.
