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Diane Warren was--and still is--an amazing and prolific songwriter.
She's won Grammy's, Emmys, and Golden Globe Awards. She has an honorary Oscar (and several Oscar nominations), and was named "Songwriter of the Year" by Billboard Magazine three years in a row: 1997-99!
And that hat just scratches the surface of her accomplishments!
Diane has written Great Songs songs for just about every major artist in every genre from Rock to Country...but one artist was NOT impressed--at first.
In 1989, Diane wrote a song she thought was perfect for Cher. Unfortunately, Cher thought it sucked--so much so, she refused to record it.
According to Diane, she begged and pleaded--and even grabbed Cher's leg so she wouldn't leave the studio without recording it.
Finally, to get Diane off her back (and her leg), Cher recorded "If I Could Turn Back Time," and after listening to the playback, she decided it was a Great Song after all. Music critics and fans agreed.
"If I Could Turn Back Time" charted in 14 countries, and went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in both the US and Canada. On Billboard's Hot 100, it reached #3 in the US, and in Canada, it just missed at #2 on the Top 40.
And to this day, Cher still sings the song in concert.
Note: The video was recorded on the USS Missouri (where Japan signed their surrender, ending WWII). Some felt it would be a good tool for recruitment. It did not go well--Cher's skimpy costume (which took everyone by surprise), was a bone of contention for both the Navy--and WWII Veterans, who saw it as a desecration of a National Historical Site. (They had a point).
Trivia: Cher's 12-year-old son Elijah appears in the video, wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-Shirt and playing a guitar.
"If I Could Turn back Time" by Cher. Thanks in part to badgering by Diane Warren, it became a Great Song of 1989. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n3A_-HRFfc
Tomorrow: Stevie gets serious with Jermaine.
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