Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves - Cher (1971) 5/23/21

Believe it or not, when 1971 rolled around, Cher hadn't had a hit in 4 years!

Sonny had tried to get her career restarted with no luck, so Cher's label, Kapp Records, called in master producer Snuff Garrett, who then called on his friend, songwriter Bob Stone, to write something Cher could knock out of the park.

Bob came up with a song that not only became a hit, it became a "Great Song of the '70s" and one of Cher's signature tunes: "Gypsies, Tramps, and White Trash."

Wait...what?

Although the lyrics contained themes of racism, teenage pregnancy and prostitution, Snuff thought the title was too harsh and had Bob change it to Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves."

When the song was released, a number of good things happened:

*It went to #1 in both the US and Canada--Cher's first #1.

*It sold more than a million copies.

*She was nominated for a Grammy (Best Female Pop Performance).

*It revived her career. Big Time.

*It got people talking about the social issues raised in the song.

*Billboard Magazine retroactively called it one of the 20th Century's Greatest Songs!

Thanks to Snuff Garrett, Bob Stone, and Cher (Sorry, Sonny), "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves is definitely a "Great Song of the '70s!