Sirius Radio did a limited run Cher channel back in April. I don't have Sirius but my friend does so I was able to listen to the last 7 days, not 24/7 but during work hours, give or take a meeting when I had to turn it off. I would estimate I listened to 5 to 6 hours a day.
Immediately, I nerded out with the decision to write down every song they played so that I could partake in the nerd activities of (1) cataloging them by album, (2) analyzing the choices and (3) judging them.
Below are the results of what they played by album. Is it random? It's surely mysterious and I can't imagine Cher was involved in the selecting because most of her reported favorites are M.I.A. The playlist definitely favored deep cuts and later-day Sonny & Cher. As you would expect, all Warner Bros. albums (70s and current) are also missing, including her latest album!! So strange but part of the mysterious world of Cher.
See how many times your favorites were played…
All I Really Want to Do (1965)
Come and Stay With Me: 3 Plays
Cry Myself to Sleep: 3
Dream Baby: 2
See See Rider: 2
I Go To Sleep: 1
All I Really Want to Do: 1
Needles & Pins: 1
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright: 1
The Bells of Rhymney: 1
Total plays: 15
Total songs: 9
They basically played the full album minus Blowin’ In the Wind and Girl Don’t Come. Deep cuts get multiple plays while hits get one.
Look at Us (Sonny & Cher) (1965)
Just You: 1 Play
Total plays: 1
Total songs: 1
They hardly touched this album and failed to play these good tracks: Then He Kissed Me, 500 Miles, Let It Be Me, You Don’t Love Me and Why Don’t They Let Us Fall in Love. And gasp: no I Got You Babe!!?? WTF!
The Sonny Side of Cher (1966)
Old Man River: 4 Plays
Where Do You Go: 4
A Young Girl: 3
Bang Bang: 3
Time: 3
Milord: 2
Come to Your Window: 2
Like a Rolling Stone: 1
Elusive Butterfly: 1
Total plays: 23
Total songs: 9
Yikes. Old Man River is like the worst on that album. Why overplay that and skip the lovely Our Day Will Come, Girl From Impanema and It’s Not Unusual?
The Wondrous World of Sonny & Cher (1966)
What Now My Love: 1 Play
Total plays: 1
Total songs: 1
Yeah, well there’s not much else I would play from this album either.
Cher (1967)
I Feel Something in the Air: 4 Plays
Alfie: 4
Pied Piper: 1
Catch the Wind: 1
I Want You: 1
The Cruel War: 1
Total plays: 12
Total songs: 6
No Twelfth of Never, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Until It’s Time for You to Go, Sunny (!), Homeward Bound or You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.
In Case You’re In Love (Sonny & Cher) (1967)
The Beat Goes On: 3 Plays
Total plays: 3
Total songs: 1
I get it. Sonny & Cher are getting the shaft. No, I'm wrong: this doesn’t turn out to be the case (see below). Sixties Sonny & Cher are getting the shaft. No Love Don’t Come, Little Man (that’s been made into a commercial for pete's-sake) or Stand By Me.
With Love, Cher (1967)
You’d Better Sit Down Kids: 5 Plays
Sing for Your Supper: 4
Mama: 2
There But For Fortune: 1
Look at Me: 1
Hey Joe: 1
The Times They Are A-Changing: 1
Total plays: 15
Total songs: 7
No I Will Wait for You, I Can’t Love You More or Behind the Door. Too bad.
Good Times Movie Soundtrack (1967)
The alternate version of I Got You Babe: 1 Play
Total plays: 1
Total songs: 1
This is a great version of IGUB; what a great surprise! But no It’s the Little Things?? Sacrilege!!
Backstage (1968)
A House Is Not a Home: 3 Plays
The Click Song: 3
The Impossible Dream: 3
I Wasn’t Ready: 2
Masters of War: 2
Carnival: 2
It All Adds Up Now: 1
Total plays: 16
Total songs: 7
No Song Called Children, Go Now, Reason to Believe, Do You Believe in Magic or Take Me For a Little While.
3614 Jackson Highway (1969)
Nothing!! Not surprising since it’s never been re-released outside of collectors issues, but the whole Atco catalog (outside of hits) is missing here.
Non-album/Rare Cuts (1960s):
Baby Don’t Go: 5 plays
Ringo I Love You: 1
Total plays: 6
Total songs: 2
Sonny & Cher Live (1971)
I Got You Babe: 1 Play
The Beat Goes On: 1
Total plays: 2
Total songs: 2
Crime to skip over the Judy Garland/Spiral Staircase/Beatles medley of Once in a Lifetime/More Today Than Yesterday/Gotta Get You Into My Life , Someday, Cher’s Danny Boy or Hey Jude.
Cher (1971)
Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves: 4 Plays
I’m In the Middle of Something: 3
Touch and Go: 3
I Hate to Sleep Alone: 3
When You Find Out Where You’re Going Let Me Know: 2
The Way of Love: 1
Total plays: 16
Total songs: 6
So one hit got a lot of plays but the other only got only one and some great stuff was passed over: He’ll Never Know, He Aint Heavy, Fire and Rain and One Honest Man
All I Ever Need Is You (Sonny & Cher) (1971)
A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done: 6 Plays
All I Ever Need Is You: 6
You’d Better Sit Down Kids (Sonny): 3
Somebody: 2
We’ll Watch the Sun Coming Up: 1
United We Stand: 1
More Today Than Yesterday: 1
Total plays: 20
Total songs: 7
All good choices. Lots of good plays. Missed: Here’s Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again, Crystal Clear/Muddy Waters and I Love What You Did with the Love I Gave You
Foxy Lady (1972)
Don’t Ever Try to Close a Rose: 4 Plays
Down, Down, Down: 3
Don’t Hide Your Love: 3
The First Time: 3
Living in a House Divided: 2
It Might as Well Stay Monday: 1
If I Knew Then: 1
Total plays: 17
Total songs: 7
Those are all okay, mostly filler. Why not play Song for You, Never Been to Spain and while we’re playing filler, Let Me Down Easy?
Bittersweet White Light (1973)
How Long Has This Been Going On: 3 Plays
Why Was I Born: 2
More That You Know: 2
The Man That Got Away: 2
The Man I Love: 2
By Myself: 1
Am I Blue: 1
Total plays: 13
Total songs: 7
No Jolson Medley (understood) or I Got It Bad and That Aint Good
Sonny & Cher Live (Vol. 2) (1973)
Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves: 4 Plays
I Got You Babe: 3
All I Ever Need Is You: 2
Bang Bang (Sonny): 2
(I heard this song anew this time. Sonny says this song was recorded 5 years ago and that seemed like such a long time ago when I was a kid, like a relic of another time. Sonny also accidentally makes a dick joke. I completely did not get this as a kid. I was so confused about why everyone was laughing. I finally get it. Thank you Sirius. And I now maintain that if Sonny can talk about his penis, we should be able to.
Total plays: 11
Total songs: 4
No Carole King songs (Where You Lead and You’ve Got a Friend) or Stevie Wonder’s You and I.
Half Breed (1973)
Half Breed: 4 Plays
Two People Clinging From a Thread: 3
Carousel Man: 2
Greatest Song I Ever Heard: 2
My Love: 1
Melody: 1
Chastity Sun: 1
Total plays: 14
Total songs: 7
No How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, David’s Song, The Long and Winding Road or This God-Forsaken Day.
Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs (1973)
Rhythm of Your Heartbeat: 4 Plays
I Believe in You: 3
Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer…:2
You Know Darn Well: 2
The Greatest Show on Earth: 2
By Love I Mean: 2
Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show: 1
Total plays: 16
Total songs: 7
No It Never Rains in Southern California, I Can See Clearly Now or Listen to the Music (completely understand that last one).
Dark Lady (1974)
Dark Lady: 6 Plays
Train of Thought: 4
I Saw a Man and He Danced with His Wife: 3
Apples Don’t Fall Far From the Tree: 3
What’ll I Do: 2
Just What I’ve Been Looking For: 2
Dixie Girl: 1
Make the Man Love Me: 1
Total plays: 22
Total songs: 8
No Miss Subway of 1952 or Rescue Me. Both good.
Stars (1975)
Stars: 1 Play
Total plays: 1
Total songs: 1
I’d Rather Believe in You (1976), Cherished (1977), Two the Hard Way (1977)
Nothing!! For the love of God, where are these albums??
Take Me Home (1979)
Take Me Home: 4 Plays
Love and Pain: 2
Get Down Guitar Groupie: 2
Happy Was the Day We Met: 2
Say the Word: 1
It’s Too Late to Love Me Now: 1
Total plays: 12
Total songs: 6
No Wasn’t It Good (great song!), Let This Be a Lesson to You or My Song.
Prisoner (1979)
Outrageous: 4 Plays
Holding Out For Love: 3
Holy Smoke: 3
Hell on Wheels: 2
Mirror Image: 2
Prisoner: 2
Boys and Girls: 2
Shoppin’: 1
Total plays: 19
Total songs: 8
They played all of this album!! Incredible!
Non-album/Rare Cuts (1970s):
When You Say Love: 2 Plays
Classified 1A (Sonny Version): 1
Real People: 1
Our Last Show (Sonny): 1
Total plays: 5
Total songs: 4
No: Don’t Put It On Me or Cher’s version of Classified 1A (which has the America the Beautiful outro that reminds me of the musical highway outside of Albuquerque).
Black Rose (1980)
88 Degrees: 3 Plays
Young and Pretty: 2
Fast Company: 2
Never Should’ve Started: 2
We All Fly Home: 1 (We All Sleep Alone)
Julie: 1
You Know It: 1
Total plays: 12
Total songs: 7
No Take It From the Boys
Cher (1987)
Bang Bang: 4 Plays
We All Sleep Alone: 4
Perfection: 2
I Found Someone: 2
Hard Enough Getting Over You: 2
Working Girl: 2
Dangerous Times: 1
Give Our Love a Fighting Chance: 1
Total plays: 18
Total songs: 8
No Main Man or Skin Deep (crazy!)
Heart of Stone (1989)
Jesse James: 7 plays
Love on a Rooftop: 4
Still in Love with You: 3
Emotional Fire: 2 (I always mix this song up with Fires of Eden)
All Because of You: 2
After All: 2
You Wouldn’t Know Love: 2
Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore: 2
Turn Back Time: 1
Total plays: 25
Total songs: 9
TBT last?? In what alternate reality are we in?? No Heart of Stone (criminal!), Starting Over or Kiss to Kiss.
Non-album/Rare Cuts (1980s):
Baby I’m Yours: 2 plays
Trail of Broken Hearts: 1
The Shoop Shoop Song: 1
Total plays: 4
Total songs: 3
Good ones missed: Many Rivers to Cross, IGUB (Beavis and Butt Head), Love Can Build a Bridge, Crimson and Clover (with Elijah), (Chrismas) Baby Please Come Home
Love Hurts (1991)
Could’ve Been You: 4 plays
Love and Understanding: 3
When Love Calls Your Name: 3
Save Up All Your Tears: 3
I’ll Never Stop Loving You: 2
Fires of Eden: 2
When Lovers Become Strangers: 1
Who You Gonna Believe: 1
One Small Step: 1
A World Without Heroes: 1
Total plays: 21
Total songs: 10
No Love Hurts!!! The title track??
It’s a Man’s World (1996)
None! No Walking in Memphis, Angels Running, The Gunman, The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore
Believe (1998)
Believe: 5 plays
Strong Enough: 2
Total plays: 7
Total songs: 2
No All or Nothing, Dov’e L’Amore, Taxi Taxi, Love is in the Groove
Non-album/Rare Cuts (1990s):
None
not.com.mercial (2000)
None. Wah!
Living Proof (2001)
Song for the Lonely: 1 Play, partially (in story only)
Total plays: -1
Total songs: -1
No The Music’s No Good Without You, Alive Again, Different Kind of Love Song, Love One Another (won a Grammy!), When the Money’s Gone, When You Walk Away (one of Diane Warren songs I really like).
Cher Live (2002)
Turn Back Time: 3 plays
Believe: 3
All I Really Want to Do: 3
Half Breed: 2
I Found Someone: 2
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For: 1
Dark Lady: 1
Jesse James: 1
All or Nothing: 1
Strong Enough: 1
Way of Love: 1
Total plays: 19
Total songs: 11
Non-album/Rare Cuts (2000s):
None: Piu Che Puoi or Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered
Burlesque (2010)
None. No Welcome to Burlesque or You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me
Closer to the Truth (2013)
None. No Woman’s World, I Walk Alone, Sirens, Take It Like a Man
Dancing Queen (2018)
None!! No pushing the latest album?? No SOS, Fernando, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Chiquitita?
The Cher Show Broadway Cast Recording (2019)
Haven’t Seen the Last of Me: 2
Heart of Stone: 1
All I Ever Need Is You: 1
Total plays: 4
Total songs: 3
Non-album/Rare Cuts (2010):
Ooga Boo: 2 plays
Total plays: 3
Total songs: 1
No Prayers for this World or Walls. Good opportunity lost.
So the most plays were from Heart of Stone (25), The Sonny Side of Cher (23), Dark Lady (22), Love Hurts (21) and All I Ever Need Is You (20). The only album played it its entirety was Prisoner.
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