Monday, June 17, 2013

MUSIC & LYRICS

Believe by Cher (1998)

A musical treat this Tuesday for Overlooked Films, Audio and Video over at Todd Mason's blog Sweet Freedom.

“Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, now”


Did you know that Cher released three films in 1987? They were The Witches of Eastwick, based on the novel by John Updike, Suspect, and Moonstruck. Did you also know that the American pop diva has acted in more than a dozen films and television series? I didn’t.

I haven’t seen Suspect which sounds like a good crime thriller with Cher playing a lawyer. Dennis Quaid and Liam Neeson are in the film too.

I liked The Witches of Eastwick mainly on account of Jack Nicholson and Susan Sarandon. The latter with Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer made three fine witches. Moonstruck almost put me to sleep. I prefer Nicholas Cage as a much older actor in his latter films. 

This post is not about Cher the actor but Cher the singer, and that is primarily what she is. A couple of months ago, we were at a mall when her hit single, Believe, played. The song sounded terrific on the hidden loudspeaker system. I wondered where I’d heard it before and then I remembered that I listened to it occasionally on my cellphone. What a difference it made! 

 I cannot analyse the music behind Cher’s powerful, manly voice. But, according to Wikimedia, “Believe is a dance-pop song that incorporates elements of techno, Eurodance, and house music. It also uses heavy amounts of Auto-Tune, which has since become one of the song's most notable features.” 

Released in October 1998, Believe is the lead single from Cher’s twenty-third album of the same name and it has become one of the best-selling singles of all time.


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10 comments:

  1. Bill Selnes17 June 2013 at 21:29

    Prashant: I enjoyed your post. I loved Moonstruck. At this time I find sad how desperately Cher tries to stay young looking.

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    1. Prashant C. Trikannad20 June 2013 at 00:40

      Bill, thank you for the appreciation. I remember not liking MOONSTRUCK at all, for whatever reason. I don't know what Cher is up to these days. So many stars and singers have simply faded away.

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  2. J F Norris18 June 2013 at 07:34

    Almost put to sleep by Moonstruck? Wow. I loved that movie. It's sort of a retelling of Cinderella. There are all sorts of fairy tale allusions in the story, too. I can still watch it and find lovely moments in it. I think the scene between Olympia Dukakis and John Mahoney is one of the best in the movie. And then again Dukakis berating her father: "Old man, you give those dogs another piece of my food and I'm gonna kick you 'til you're dead!"

    Cher had her heyday and she's definitely part of a long gone era. Anytime I hear one of her later dance tunes like "Believe" I'm transported to my 20s and early 30s.

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    1. Prashant C. Trikannad20 June 2013 at 01:19

      John, I'm glad you disagree with me! I didn't know she'd get the votes in this space. The film has been shown repeatedly on Indian cable television though I have never been inclined to watch it again. I think I'll watch MOONSTRUCK again and see how I feel about it now. I have always considered Cher more as a singer than an actor. I have listened to some of her songs of which I like "Believe" the most. She has a rich voice.

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  3. pattinase (abbott)18 June 2013 at 07:41

    I loved MOONSTRUCK at the time. But when I watched it again years later, it didn't work for me anymore. Both Cher and Cage seemed comical-- but not in a good way. The parts that worked were the scenes with Dukakis and Mahoney. I liked her in SUSPECT though.

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    1. Prashant C. Trikannad20 June 2013 at 01:26

      Patti, a lot of films don't work for me anymore; MANNEQUIN starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall, for instance. John mentions the scenes with Dukakis and Mahoney, too, so I might watch those parts again.

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  4. Todd Mason18 June 2013 at 08:01

    MOONSTRUCK had me gritting my teeth, as not even a knowing use of Italian-American cliche...but I can certainly see falling asleep.

    This one comes close to being more a Monthly Music rather than Overlooked A/V post!

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    1. Prashant C. Trikannad20 June 2013 at 01:32

      Todd, I admit a part of the reason I didn't like MOONSTRUCK was because I couldn't think of Cher as an actor. Besides, I couldn't connect with Nicholas Cage at the time, not having seen his early films. I'll keep that criteria for Overlooked A/V posts the next time. This does seem out of place.

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  5. TracyK18 June 2013 at 08:34

    Prashant, I did see Witches of Eastwick, but don't remember much about it except Jack Nicholson looking really evil and demented. I love Cher's singing, especially her earlier work.

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    1. Prashant C. Trikannad20 June 2013 at 01:46

      Track, I enjoyed Jack Nicholson's performance in that film. In fact, he is one of two veteran actors (the other being Gene Hackman) whose films I love watching. I have heard some of Cher's songs though I don't remember much now. "Believe," though, has stayed with me.

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