"Half-Breed" | ||||
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Single by Cher | ||||
from the album Half-Breed | ||||
B-side |
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Released | July 23, 1973 | |||
Recorded | Larrabee Sound Studios, 1973 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:46 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Snuff Garrett | |||
Cher singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative covers | ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
"Half-Breed" is a popular song recorded by Cher in 1973.
Cher's version,recorded with instrumental backing by L.A. sessions musicians from the Wrecking Crew, [1] was recorded on May 21,1973 at Larrabee Sound in Los Angeles. Lyrically,the song describes the life of a girl who faces societal rejection due to having a White father and Cherokee mother. It contains themes of racism and double standards. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100,becoming Cher's second solo number 1 hit in the US. [2] The single was certified Gold in the US in 1974 for the sales of over 1 million copies. [3]
The 1973 version was the first international release from Cher's album Half-Breed ,recorded and intended for the American market. Written and performed by non-Natives,it is a classic "Tragic mulatto" narrative,from a non-Native perspective,of a young woman with a White father and an alleged Cherokee mother. The song offers a scenario in which the singer relates that oppressive Whites call her "Indian squaw",and claims that Native Americans do not accept her as one of their own because,"The Indians said I was White by law." [4] The lyrics are in error,as the Cherokee (like most Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands) are a matrilineal culture,meaning that a child born to a Cherokee mother is accepted as Cherokee,no matter the nationality or ethnicity of the father,and thus the parental ethnicities would have to be reversed—a White mother and native father—for such a situation to arise. [5]
The song is written in the key of A minor,with a moderato tempo of 116 beats per minute in common time. Cher's vocals span the notes of F3-A4. [6]
In 1973,"Half-Breed" topped the United States Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks,becoming Cher's second solo and third overall Number 1 hit,and second Gold certified solo single for the sales of over 1,000,000 copies. It was a Number 1 hit in Canada and New Zealand,and a Top 10 hit in Australia and Quebec,respectively.
Peter Fawthrop wrote that this song has a jingling rhythm and that it is one of the lighter-hearted songs on the album. [7] Rolling Stone recommended it and described Cher's vocals as frantic and the production as supremely commercial. [8]
In 1999,after almost 25 years of not performing the song live,Cher performed the song in her Do You Believe? Tour. In 2002,she performed the song 326 times in her Living Proof:The Farewell Tour. In 2018,she performed the song during her Here We Go Again Tour. She performed it in Oceania but it was dropped after the first leg.
Cher performed the song on the following concert tours:
The video for "Half-Breed",a 1973 performance on The Sonny &Cher Comedy Hour ,features stereotypical "Hollywood Indian" imagery. Cher appears on horseback in a Bob Mackie-designed outfit combining elements unrelated to Cherokee culture,including a Plains-style warbonnet,a halter top inspired by a hair pipe breastplate,and a glittery loincloth. [4] The set includes Pacific Northwestern totem poles and flames,also unconnected to Cherokee traditions. [4]
Cher has faced criticism from Native American activists for cultural appropriation,continuing to use similar costumes in performances until 2017. [9] [10] [11] In a 2017 Twitter exchange,she stated she would no longer perform the song or wear the costume. [10] [12] [13] Rolling Stone noted the omission of "Half-Breed" from Cher's 2024 compilation Forever ,attributing it to a broader trend of artists reassessing their catalogs in light of changing cultural sensibilities. [14]
In 2002,a special remix medley was created by Dan-O-Rama for a video montage that was used in Cher's Living Proof:The Farewell Tour. The medley contains the videos of "All I Really Want to Do","Gypsys,Tramps &Thieves","Half-Breed",and "Dark Lady".[ citation needed ]
According to the AFM contract sheet,excluding Cher’s vocals,the following musicians played on the track. [15]
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Cher is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry. She is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice, for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment and for adopting a variety of styles and appearances. Cher rose to fame in 1965 as one half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher before releasing her first solo top-ten singles "Bang Bang " and "You Better Sit Down Kids". Throughout the 1970s, she scored the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady", becoming the female solo artist with the most number-one singles in US history at the time.
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Chér is the self-titled seventh studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released in September 1971 by Kapp Records. For this album, Cher left her husband Sonny Bono to produce the album, and for the first time she collaborated with Snuff Garrett and with Al Capps for the arrangements. The album was retitled after the success of the single of the same name. It received positive reviews from critics, and the RIAA certified it Gold on July 2, 1972. The album was her first and most successful album of the '70s. Two singles were released from the album, "The Way of Love" and "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves", both reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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Half-Breed is the tenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released in September 1973 by MCA. For the production of the album Cher returned with Snuff Garrett and Al Capps. Half-Breed was her second record for MCA and was promoted on her successful The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour television show. After its release, the album faced mixed reviews from critics, and the RIAA certified it gold on March 4, 1974. The album was her second solo album to receive a certification by RIAA.
Dark Lady is the eleventh studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released in May 1974 by MCA. Cher again collaborated with Snuff Garrett as a record producer, and with Al Capps for the arrangements. Dark Lady was the third and final studio album for MCA. It was also the last record promoted on her successful The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour show. After its release, the album received positive reviews from critics but, unlike her previous record produced by Garrett, was only moderately successful.
American entertainer Cher has released 27 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, two soundtrack albums, and three live albums. Widely recognized as the Goddess of Pop, Cher has sold over 100 million records worldwide and a further 40 million as part of Sonny & Cher, making her one of the best-selling female recording artists in history. Billboard ranked her as the 109th Greatest Artist of all time and the 49th Greatest Hot 100 Artist of all time. According to RIAA, she has sold 12.5 million albums in the United States. Her signature hit "Believe" has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, and it is the UK's best-selling single by a female artist in history, and one of the best-selling physical singles of all time.
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I Did Song 50 yrs ago,& it wasn't meant 2🐝offensive. However,That's kinda Bull Shit excuse.Need to retire beautiful Costume,& stop singing it,it's WAY past time.
Already said I'd stop doing it.