I’m dangerously close to being the person that’s issued with an ASBO for playing too much Cher. And here’s why; Cher is my pharmaceutical free antidepressant. I just got off the phone with a friend who, without wishing to undermine her situation, is in a somewhat of a funk. It’s my personal belief that you can’t actually feel depressed while listening to (selected*) Cher songs. Part of the elation I feel when listening to these songs comes from the sheer embarrassment factor of loving them so much and the other part is from the ridiculous awesomeness of them.
As a child of the 80’s it was hard to escape Cher whether she was straddling a cannon on a navy ship or picking up an Oscar clad in Bob Mackie. I was mostly exposed to Cher in my Dad’s Ford Capri, my personal soft rock era Cher bubble. This was the reason why, as a nine year old, I spent my Christmas money on a cassette of Cher's Greatest Hits: 1965-1992 from Ourprice.
When I got my own car ten years later I dug it out along with a load of other old tapes to play in its cassette deck. I wish could say my taste in music had moved on since I was nine but I’d be lying. I had however developed a self consciousness, or self awareness if you will, that had me frantically reaching for the volume dial when I was driving past my university classmates with If I Could Turn Back Time on full blast. Although I did do a Dark Lady lap of honour around Pittville Park to blow off some steam after I handed in my dissertation. I’m so cool.
It’s that utter embarrassment that never fails to put a smile on my face when I listen to Cher. It’s the ‘if anyone could see me now’ mortification I feel when I dance around the bathroom to Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves or sing Just Like Jesse James at the top of my lungs in the car, that pulls me out of any kind of funk I find myself in. While I appreciate the fact that Cher as an antidepressant may be specific to me I challenge you not to feel a little happier while listening to this**.
*We All Sleep Alone might bum you out.
**again this might bum you out if you were indeed teased for being of Cherokee decent.
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