REPORT Famous ABBA Fans Talk: Cher

As Ruby Sheridan, The lyrics the mother of Donna It took her a while to fully appreciate them: [Meryl Streep], Cher “When I used to hear ABBA, although I liked was the unexpected, the music, I never listened to the lyrics. I didn’t secret weapon of know Fernando until I started to sing it, and I © Ursula Esser Mamma Mia! Here We didn’t realise how pertinent and emotional that Go Again. One thing song is. They didn’t write from an American or led to another and, in English perspective, so the lyrics are arranged the wake of the 2018 differently, and they just grabbed me. Iwas hit film, the Oscar, listening to Super Trouper, and I recognised Emmy and Grammy the girl in the lyrics from the beginning. ABBA award-winning legend knew how to write a story within a song. announced she would Björn’s lyrics are great. He is a brilliant, the release a complete most incredible lyricist - just listen to When All album of songs from Is Said And Done, I adore it. Björn asked me ABBA’s catalogue. to do Chiquitita in Spanish, which I have done, The result, Dancing though it hasn’t been finished yet.” Queen, was a critical and commercial Her album Dancing Queen success, giving Cher The idea hit her unexpectedly: “It came out her first number one of nothing. I didn’t plan it. I didn’t think about on the US Top Album it. I did the movie. I did Fernando and the Sales chart and hitting beginning of Super Trouper. One day, I just the top ten in a further thought it really would be wonderful to do a 18 countries. To cover album, and I’d never thought that in my promote the album, entire life. I couldn’t even imagine matching Cher embarked on the two people or two groups less alike than me aptly-named Here We and ABBA. After filming Mamma Mia! Here Go Again tour. We Go Again, I was reminded again of what Inspired by the great and timeless songs they wrote. I started album’s success, thinking, why not do an album of their music? Cher has recorded So the movie was a blessing in disguise. additional ABBA songs, including Voulez- “I had Mark [Taylor, Cher’s producer] at my Vous, When All Is Said And Done and the house, we had all the different songs to look Spanish version of Chiquitita. It is presently at and made a selection of those we thought unclear what will happen with these recordings were a good idea to try. Then I did One Of Us, although Cher is apparently discussing their my managers heard it, and they played it to the release with her management. Hopefully, they record company. They just said, “Do what you realise that fans are eager to hear them; as want!” The songs on the album are so different. Benny once said, “The combination of Cher There is not one that is like the other. Gimme! and ABBA is pretty exciting.” In the meantime, Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), for we are happy to present you the following example, isn’t like any of the other songs, it’s compilation of ABBA-related Cher quotes. completely electronic. But all the songs go together well. They’re like cousins, they’re not Cher, an ABBA fan? like brothers and sisters. Indeed, she has said so herself: “I’ve always “With some of the songs, people said, “Don’t liked ABBA. Like most Americans, I knew do those, they are too iconic: Waterloo and Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Mamma Mia, and Mamma Mia.” that’s probably much of it. Then I became I just said, “I have to do them because I saw really a fan with the movie Muriel’s Wedding, Muriel’s Wedding, and that’s what made me a a hidden gem. And I saw the original Mamma huge ABBA fan.” Mia! musical on Broadway three times.” Were the ABBA songs hard to sing? ABBA’s music “The songs were harder to sing than I Cher is full of praise for Benny: “Benny is imagined. I thought that they were like poppy really good, and his riffs are like all over the songs, but some of them are as hard as hell. place and going one inside another. These I’ve struggled with a few, and some of the songs are much more intricate and much songs fit me like a glove, but I’m so happy with more designed than people realise. I think how the music came out...“I definitely tried to that people love ABBA, but I’m not so sure approach them as an ‘actress’. That’s why I they appreciate them on a musical level. I love One Of Us so much - that’s when I started don’t think they ask themselves, why am I the show, one of us had to go... loving this?” “Their songs go from really low to really high.

10 The girls and I have such different voices, which I’m happy if it can make people happier was quite hard sometimes. I didn’t want to than they were before they heard it.” disregard them, but I wanted to be myself. I’m at the absolute tip-top of my range. They have got Cher’s favourite songs on Dancing Queen ranges that go up to Yma Súmac [a Peruvian She has quite a few of those: “One Of Us coloratura soprano singer with an extreme vocal for sure, and I just love Chiquitita. I’m very range and who was one of the most famous proud of The Name Of The Game, and I like exponents of exotica music in the 1950s]. I had Mamma Mia, too; it makes me laugh. I was a hard time with two: Dancing Queen and The thinking about how grateful I am to Benny, Winner Takes It All. I was singing high, but I Björn, Agnetha and Anni-Frid for having couldn’t get some of the words. I had to go back made this album possible. They were beyond and do a couple of lines again. And I had to sing supportive.” Fernando twice because the first time I did it, it was awful. I thought, I’ll go in and ace it. Well, I TEXT: STANY VAN WYMEERSCH went in and got my ass kicked.”

A camp project? Original sources: Associated Press, Variety, Cher does not think so: “In my mind it wasn’t. Attitude, NY Times, LA Times, NBC Today, I didn’t mean it to be camp! I just thought it to Cher on twitter, Dion Singer, album and film be either fun or a little bit heart-breaking. But press releases.

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