I Paralyze

I Paralyze
Studio album by Cher
Released	May 28, 1982 [1]
Recorded	1982
Genre	New wave pop rock soft rock
Length	33:50
Label	Columbia Varèse Sarabande
Producer	John Farrar David Wolfert
Cher chronology
Prisoner (1979) I Paralyze (1982) Cher (1987)
Singles from I Paralyze
"Rudy" Released: May 6, 1982 "I Paralyze" Released: 1982

I Paralyze is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released in 1982 by Columbia Records. ^[2] It was her only album for the label.

The album was a commercial failure, failing to chart. The album was promoted by the release of two singles, "Rudy", and "I Paralyze", both of which also failed to chart. Following the release of the record, Cher took a five-year hiatus from music to focus on her film career, partly due to the lack of successful albums and singles. She made a comeback in 1987 when she released the Platinum-certified album Cher .

Album information

Recorded in 1982, the album was produced by John Farrar (of Olivia Newton-John fame) and David Wolfert, and it is her first collaboration with composer and producer Desmond Child. The album was promoted only on American Bandstand and Solid Gold . It failed to chart and was largely ignored by critics. The album was released on CD for the first time in 1989 by "The Entertainment Company", Columbia Records, and CBS Records International. Later, in 1999, the album was reissued on the Varèse Sarabande reissue label under license from Sony Music.

The album contains various musical styles: the rock style of Black Rose on cuts such as "Walk with Me", "The Book of Love", and "Rudy"; a slight new wave sound in "I Paralyze"; some ballads such as "When the Love Is Gone" and "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?"; and an "old '80s" style on "Back On the Street Again" (a retitled cover of the Babys' "Back on My Feet Again") and "Games", which was recorded by Lisa Hartman for her 1982 album Letterock. "Rudy " and "I Paralyze" were released as singles to promote the album, but they were both unsuccessful. "Rudy" was originally recorded by French singer Dalida as "Quand je n'aime plus, je m'en vais". In a review of the single "Rudy," Billboard described the song as "a midtempo rocker which recalls the pulse and energy of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound." The review noted the fitting nature of this sound, pointing out that "Cher started out as a background singer for Spector sessions." ^[3]

In 1981, Cher recorded a song with Meat Loaf called "Dead Ringer for Love" for his album Dead Ringer ; the song was a hit in the UK, but was left off her album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

A review from Billboard noted, "Don't let the punky sunglasses on the cover fool you: this time around Cher stays very much within an Olivia Newton-John/Sheena Easton pop context, with a collection of songs she can easily include in her Las Vegas shows." While acknowledging that "Cher has her detractors," the review concluded that "her musical ability cannot be denied and she handles the A/C adult contemporary material here with aplomb if not sensitivity." ^[6]

In a contemporary review for AllMusic, Bil Carpenter described I Paralyze as "a strong set" that features "a hardy rhythm section and good range of soft-rock and pop ballads well suited for Cher's vocals." He noted that the album successfully brought the singer "out of an outdated style into modern music," crediting the production work of John Farrar, who was known as Olivia Newton-John's producer. Carpenter highlighted the "girl-group-styled 'Rudy'" and the "piano ballad 'When the Love Is Gone'" as standout tracks. ^[4]

Track listing

All tracks produced by David Wolfert except "I Paralyze" by John Farrar.

I Paralyze track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Rudy"	Jacques Morali Henri Belolo Fergie Frederiksen Howie Epstein James "Jimmy" Hunter Mark Maierhoffer	3:54
2.	"Games"	Andrea Farber Vince Melamed	3:57
3.	"I Paralyze"	Farrar Steve Kipner	3:49
4.	"When the Love Is Gone"	Desmond Child	4:04
5.	"Say What's on Your Mind"	J. Gottschalk	4:06
6.	"Back on the Street Again"	Dominic King Frank Musker John Waite	3:19
7.	"Walk with Me"	Child Wolfert	3:32
8.	"The Book of Love"	Child	3:23
9.	"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"	Dorsey Burnette Michael Smotherman	4:13

Personnel

Cher – lead vocals Jai Winding – arranger, keyboards Rick Shlosser – drums Steve Lukather, Sid McGinnis, Carlos Rios, Thom Rotella – guitar Ralph Schuckett – Hammond organ Richard Crooks – percussion Nathan East – synthesizer, bass guitar David Wolfert – synthesizer, guitar, arranger, producer Ed Walsh – synthesizer Michael Boddicker – synthesizer, vocoder programming John Farrar – guitar, backing vocals Gary Herbig – saxophone Steve George – background vocals Tom Kelly – background vocals Myrna Mathews – background vocals Denise Maynelli DeCaro – background vocals, vocal contractor Marti McCall – background vocals Richard Page – background vocals

Technical Executive producer: Charles Koppelman Producer: John Farrar, David Wolfert Reissue producers: Cary E. Mansfield, Mike Khouri Reissue liner notes: Mike Khouri Engineers: Dennis Ferrante, John Arrias Mixing: Lee Decarlo Remixing: Dan Hersch Mastering supervisor, tape research: Bill Inglot Art direction: Nancy Greenberg Reissue design: Matt B. Photography: Harry Langdon

References

1. Smith, Courtney E. (June 6, 2022). "40 Years Ago: Why Did Cher's 'I Paralyze' Flop?" . Retrieved October 1, 2024.
2. Pizek, Jeff (September 18, 1999). "Cher: She keeps going and going and going and...". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 2.
3. "Top singles Picks". Billboard . Vol. 94, no. 20. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 22, 1982. p. 70. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
4. Bil Carpenter. "I Paralyze – Cher". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 128.
6. "Top Album Picks". Billboard . Vol. 94, no. 24. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 19, 1982. p. 58. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved September 2, 2025.

External links

• Cher at IMDb