Upon release, Living Proof received mixed reviews from music critics. Some of them praised the album itself, saying that it was even better than Believe, while others criticized the excessive use of Auto-Tune on Cher's vocals. Commercially, the album did not reach the same success as its predecessor, debuting at number nine on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 82,000 copies. It was received moderately in Europe, peaking within the top 30 in Sweden and the top 50 in the United Kingdom, despite being certified gold by both Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF) and British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Living Proof is estimated to have sold more than one million copies worldwide.
Six singles were released from Living Proof. "The Music's No Good Without You" was released as the album's worldwide lead single, and made Cher one of the few artists to have a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in five consecutive decades. American lead single "Song for the Lonely" reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart. The following singles, "Alive Again", "A Different Kind of Love Song", "When the Money's Gone" and "Love One Another", failed to make much impact on the charts. To further promote the album, Cher made promotional television appearances and embarked on the Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, becoming the longest running concert tour ever in North America and one of the highest-grossing tours by a solo artist, earning an estimated US$250 million.
On March 9, 2024, it was announced by Dion Singer via Instagram that Living Proof would be released on vinyl for the first time on June 28, 2024. It was also announced that the Japanese only track “The Look” and the European only track "You Take It All" would be included on the deluxe edition of the album released on the same day.[2]
Background
After the commercial success of Believe (1998), Cher released her twenty-third studio album Not Commercial in late 2000. It was sold exclusively online and had a "not commercial" sound, hence she did not consider it as an "official" follow-up to Believe.[3] The singer began work on her 24th studio album in 2000. She began giving hints of the album at the time, calling it "son of Believe" because "that's how I differentiate it in my mind", and elaborated that "If you liked Believe, you're going to love the new one, because the new one is so much fun", calling it "so terrific".[4] Cher commented about one of the songs she was considering for the album while recording it, saying she "almost killed" herself while she was dancing in the shower.[4]
For the album, Cher collaborated with several musicians including Stargate, Chicane and previous collaborator Mark Taylor. She said she felt lucky for having a chance to have "great songs and great producers" for the album.[5] Cher said her favorite song slated for the album was a cover version of "When the Money's Gone", written by Bruce Roberts, stating it was "so perfect" for her. "It's about this person who's [asking her lover], 'If I lose all my money, will you still love me if we have to eat fast food out of a beat up car?'. It's so dance. It's so gay. It's so good", she said.[6] The album cover, photographed by Michael Lavine, was revealed through Cher official website on October 8, 2001.[7] It depicts Cher wearing a "flowing" blond wig in contrast to her all-black, medieval-like outfit. The Dallas Morning News commented that "even with a pensive look on her exquisitely snipped and tucked face, she commands attention".[8]
Music and lyrics
The international version for Living Proof opens with "The Music's No Good Without You", a disco-inspired song filled with "hypnotic synth lines",[9] while Cher's vocals are manipulated with Auto-Tune which made her sound like the "embodiment of a haunted extra-terrestrial".[10][11] The following track "Alive Again" is described as a "trance anthem",[12] and its lyrics revolve around Cher singing about the "broken world of a dissolved relationship". "I only wanna learn to feel the rain/Then maybe I could stop the leaves from falling/I only wanna learn to freeze the flame/I know I'll be alive again", she sings during the chorus.[13] Third song "Song for the Lonely" lyrically "evokes September 11", and addresses subjects such as heroism, longing, bravery and perseverance over a disco beat.[14] Musically, it abandons electronic instruments in favor of a more pure and impassioned performance.[12] The following track, "A Different Kind of Love Song" lyrically alludes to themes of tragedy, heroism and brotherhood,[15] while musically it has "cloud-scrapping chorus, breezy melody, and a kitschy production tics", including Cher's heavily processed vocals by Auto-Tune.[16]
The fifth song "Rain, Rain" is a "dressed-down" track with "electronic gurgles and aquatic vocal renderings",[12] in which "listeners get a glimmer of Cher's husky vocals".[1] Next song is "Love So High", which "blends futuristic keyboards with earthy acoustic guitars".[9] The seventh track on the international version, "Body to Body, Heart to Heart", is a Spanish-influenced song penned by Diane Warren.[12][1] The eighth song "Love Is a Lonely Place Without You" lyrically carries the theme of a "brokenhearted symbol of a strong but decidedly single woman".[17] The following track, "Real Love", features "computer-altered vocals adding a futuristic feel" to it.[18] The tenth track "Love One Another" is an "anthemic" and "heartfelt rendition" of a song originally by singer Amber.[9][19] The 11th song on the international version of the album, "You Take It All", is an "alpine breakbeat number", while the track that replaces it on the American version is "When You Walk Away", another track penned by Warren.[12] The closing song, a cover of Bruce Roberts' "When the Money's Gone", is an "airy track" which has "rapid-fire drum beats".[1]
Cher embarked on her fifth concert tour titled Living Proof: The Farewell Tour in June 2002 in Toronto. It was originally planned as a 59-date tour in North America, but due to the popularity of the tour, Cher extended it a number of times to play in territories she either had never been to or had not played for a long time.[35] The tour gave Cher the opportunity to perform in new territories, including her first tour to reach New Zealand.[36] According to the Dakota Student, the performance at the Alerus Center, in Grand Forks, North Dakota was the largest single night audience the artist has performed for during her solo career.[37] The final show took place in Los Angeles in April 2005 after a record-breaking 325 dates.[38] The Living Proof: The Farewell Tour was a critical and commercial success. It became the longest running concert tour ever in North America and the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist, earning an estimated $250 million from 325 shows.[39] The concert played at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, in November 2002, was broadcast on NBC in February 2003.[35][40] It attracted near 17 million viewers and won three Primetime Emmy Awards.[41] The show was included on a DVD titled The Farewell Tour which was released in 2003.[42]
Singles
"The Music's No Good Without You" was released as the album's lead single worldwide in November 2001, except for the United States, where it was released later in 2002.[43] It was a success in the United Kingdom, reaching number eight on the UK Singles Chart, while Cher achieved the feat of having a top 10 hit in five consecutive decades there.[44] The song managed to become a top 10 hit in Canada,[nb 1] and Italy.[45][46] The American lead single,[16] "Song for the Lonely", was released in March 2002 and peaked at number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Dance Club Songs chart.[47][48] It also reached the top twenty in Canada,[45][nb 1] and the top forty in Romania.[49]
"Alive Again" was released as the third and final European single from Living Proof.[50] Its commercial response was limited and quite poor in European countries, managing to chart in Germany at number 27,[51] and Switzerland at number 80.[52] "A Different Kind of Love Song", the second American single,[16] topped the Dance Club Songs and peaked at number 30 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[48][53] The third and final American singles were "When the Money's Gone"/"Love One Another".[54] Although "When the Money's Gone" topped the Dance Club Songs chart, the former did not chart at all.[48]
Living Proof received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Michael Paoletta from Billboard was positive, stating that after a few listens, the record shows it is actually better than its predecessor Believe.[19] In a similar review, Post-Tribune newspaper felt the album "should show just how essential Cher still is in the world of pop".[59] Baby A. Gil, writer for The Philippine Star, praised the album as "another rousing dancefest", while noting that Cher's singing was "in full control and in better form than it was during her early days", calling it an "excellent example" that time can stand still.[60] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine was mostly positive, noting that "each track pumps with melodies so thickly contagious that their hit potentials are essentially guaranteed", while even the album's weakest moments maintain the high-energy, club-ready pace. However, he also noted that Cher "shamelessly revisits her proven hit formula with such fervent immodesty it's hard to believe three years have gone by".[12]Entertainment Weekly's Jim Farber gave a positive feedback, despite saying Cher's vocals seemed "even more worked on than her face. But she still has feeling".[56] Colm O'Hare from Irish magazine Hot Press exalted the album's international lead single "The Music's No Good Without You", noting it uses the same voice effect from "Believe", and said "it's almost a 'Believe' Part Two proving that nothing succeeds like repetition".[61]
Barry Walters from Rolling Stone gave a mixed review, saying that Living Proof "endeavors to make lightning strike twice in the same place. [...] Unlike house music or modern R&B, Cher's twenty-first-century disco is built on fully fleshed songs and detailed arrangements, and the studio wizardry is even grander than before", but also felt that it "lacks its predecessor's unexpected impact".[15]AllMusic's Kerry L. Smith called it a "peppy dance album that spouts warm sentiments and reverberating sounds to keep you going all night long", however noted that the power of the album's punch loses its luster when the Auto-Tune transforms Cher's "deep, sexy voice" into a "canned electronic robot dialect".[1] Josh Regan from Dotmusic gave the album four out of 10 stars, stating that Cher's voice was "as strong and distinctive as ever" on the album, but "the uptempo easy listening production courtesy of the likes of Chicane and Stargate means that this one is strictly for the mums and dads".[55]The Dallas Morning News gave the album a C grade, saying Living Proof set itself up for failure by "shamelessly" copying and then overdoing the formula that made its predecessor artistically and commercially contagious. The review finished saying that it was "Believe II sans the imagination, the free-spirited pizzazz that made the former work so well".[8] The album earned Cher a nomination on the Best Dance Recording category for "Love One Another" on the 46th Grammy Awards. However, she lost the award to Kylie Minogue's song "Come into My World".[62]
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, Living Proof debuted at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending December 2, 2001, and remained for three weeks on the chart.[63] The album was certified Gold on November 23, 2001, by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of 100,000 copies. It became her eighth consecutive album to be certified at least Gold in the United Kingdom.[64] In Austria, Living Proof debuted and peaked at number 19, remaining on the albums chart for only five weeks.[65] In France, it peaked at number 53 on the albums chart, during the week dated November 24, 2001.[66]Living Proof fared considerably better, debuting at its peak of number 13, on the German Albums Chart, on December 3, 2001. After spending 11 weeks on the chart, the album was certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), for shipments of 150,000 units.[67][68] In Australia, Living Proof debuted at number 68 on the ARIA Charts, on the issue dated December 3, 2001.[69] In New Zealand, the album debuted at number 26 and spending only a week inside the New Zealand Albums Chart.[70]
In the United States, Living Proof debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with first-week sales of 82,000 copies on the issue dated March 16, 2002.[71][72] It became the highest-debuting album of her career, and her third-highest-charting album at the time.[73] The album remained for 21 weeks inside the chart, considerably less than its predecessor Believe, which spent 79 weeks inside the Billboard 200.[74] It was eventually certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of more than 500,000 units within the country.[75]Living Proof has sold 520,000 copies in the United States as of December2012[update], according to Nielsen SoundScan.[76] In Canada, the album entered the albums chart at number 64 for the week ending December 2, 2001.[77]As of December2012[update], Living Proof has sold more than one million copies worldwide.[78]
During the week of July 7, 2024, Living Proof re-entered the Scottish albums chart at number 72. It also re-entered at number 50 on the physical albums chart, debuted at number 59 on the album sales chart, and debuted at number 21 on the vinyl albums chart.[79]
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.
The Very Best of Cher is the eighth compilation album by American singer-actress Cher, released on April 1, 2003. The album includes many of Cher's most popular songs, such as "If I Could Turn Back Time", "Believe", "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" and "Take Me Home". It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 albums chart and later reached number four on the issue date of May 17. As of November 2011, the album has sold 2.8 million copies in the United States.
Believe is the twenty-second studio album by American singer and actress Cher, released on October 22, 1998, by WEA and Warner Bros. Records. Following the commercial disappointment of her previous studio album It's a Man's World (1995), her record company encouraged her to record a dance-oriented album, in order to move into a more mainstream sound. Cher started working on the album in the spring of 1998 with British producers Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling at the Dreamhouse Studios in London. The album was dedicated to her former husband Sonny Bono, who had died earlier that year.
Roger Davies is an Australian artist manager, business manager, and music producer in the global music industry. Davies was born in 1952, and his career spans more than half a century.
"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.
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.
"Dark Lady" is a song recorded by American singer-actress Cher, and the title selection song from her eleventh studio album, Dark Lady released in 1974. Written and composed by John Robert "Johnny" Durrill and produced by Snuff Garrett, it was released as the album's first single in December of 1973. The song became Cher's third solo U.S. number 1 hit on March 23, 1974.
"The Music's No Good Without You" is a song recorded by American singer Cher for her twenty-fourth studio album, Living Proof. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2001, by WEA, while in the United States, it was released in 2002. The song reached the top 20 in many countries worldwide, expanding Cher's chart success into five decades.
"All or Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 22nd studio album, Believe (1998). It was released as the third international single from Believe on June 7, 1999, by WEA and Warner Bros. Records. "All or Nothing" reached the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart at number 38 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. In Europe, the single was a top-10 hit in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Scotland.
"Believe" is a song by the American singer Cher, from her 22nd studio album, Believe (1998). It was released as the lead single on October 19, 1998, by Warner Bros. Records. After circulating for months, a demo written by Brian Higgins, Matthew Gray, Stuart McLennen and Timothy Powell, was submitted to Warner's chairman, Rob Dickins, while he was scouting for songs to include on Cher's new album. Aside from the chorus, Dickins was not impressed by the track so he enlisted two more writers, Steve Torch and Paul Barry to complete it. Cher contributed some lyrics but received no songwriting credit. Recording took place at Dreamhouse Studio in West London, while production was handled by Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling.
"Strong Enough" is a song by American recording artist Cher from her 22nd studio album, Believe (1998). The song was released as the second single from the album on February 22, 1999, by Warner Music. The song's composition and musical style is strongly reminiscent of 1970s disco music. The song received positive reviews from music critics, many calling it a highlight to Believe and comparing it to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". "Strong Enough" peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Worldwide, it reached number one in Hungary and entered the top 10 in 14 other countries.
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song performed by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album, Heart of Stone. It was released as the album's lead single in June 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically for Cher by Diane Warren, who produced it in collaboration with Guy Roche. Cher was unmoved by a demo of the song sung by Warren, but Roche insisted she record it. The lyrics talk about the feelings of remorse due to bad deeds and the willingness to reverse time to make things right.
"When the Money's Gone" is a song written by Bruce Roberts and Donna Weiss and first released by Roberts on his 1995 album Intimacy. English musician Elton John provided backing vocals. An uptempo dance remix featuring Kristine W was also issued. The track peaked at number thirty-two on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart.
"A Different Kind of Love Song" is a song by American recording artist Cher, taken from her 24th studio album, Living Proof (2001). The song was written and produced by Sigurd Rosnes and Johan Aberg, with additional writing done by Michelle Lewis, and was co-produced by Anders Hansson. The dance-pop song alludes to themes of tragedy, heroism and brotherhood, and was released as a double A-side single with "The Music's No Good Without You" in July 2002 through Warner Bros. Records and WEA.
"Song for the Lonely" is a song by American singer Cher from her twenty-fourth studio album, Living Proof (2001). It was written by Mark Taylor, Paul Barry and Steve Torch, and produced by Taylor. It released on March 19, 2002, as the second international single from the album, while in North America it was released as the lead single, by Warner Bros. Records and WEA. "Song for the Lonely" is a dance-pop song which was initially written as a love song, but after the September 11 attacks, Cher eventually saw it in a different way.
"One by One" is a song by American singer Cher from her twenty-first studio album, It's a Man's World (1995). Co-written by Cher and Anthony Griffiths, two versions of the song were recorded for the album: the original, included on British pressings, is a soul song with elements of rock and was produced by Stephen Lipson. The American mix was produced by Sam Ward and has an R&B feel with slight alterations; additional remixes were created by DJ Junior Vasquez. In the United Kingdom, WEA released the song as the second single from the album on January 6, 1996; in the United States it was issued through Reprise Records as the lead single on May 21.
"After All" is a song performed as a duet by American singers Cher and Peter Cetera, released on March 3, 1989 by Geffen Records. It was used as the love theme for the film Chances Are and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 62nd Academy Awards. The song was also the first North American single release from Cher's nineteenth album Heart of Stone. The song appears on Peter Cetera's 1997 album You're The Inspiration – A Collection and his 2017 album, The Very Best of Peter Cetera.
"Love One Another" is a song recorded by Dutch singer Amber in 1999 for her self-titled album. The track was released in 2000, by Tommy Boy Records, as the album's third and final single. It topped the US dance charts. Cher recorded a cover in 2001 on which Amber shared a Grammy nomination as co-songwriter.
"You Better Sit Down Kids" is a major hit single by American singer/actress Cher in 1967 from her fourth studio album With Love, Chér, released in November 1967 by Imperial Records. The song was written by her then-husband Sonny Bono. Sung from a father's perspective, the lyrics tell the story of a divorce as explained to the couple's children. The song is featured on the compilation albums Cher's Golden Greats (1968), Superpack Vol. 1 (1972) and Gold (2005).
"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1971 seventh studio album Chér. Kapp Records, a division of MCA Records, released it as the album's lead single on September 1, 1971. The song was written by Bob Stone, and produced by Snuff Garrett. Since Sonny Bono's first attempts at reviving Cher's recording career had been unsuccessful, the record company recruited Garrett as her producer and he chose Stone to write a song specifically for Cher, in order to cater to an adult audience.
↑ "Arhiva romanian top 100". SC Vento Consultanta. Archived from the original on May 14, 2005. Retrieved November 1, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
↑ Alive Again (Germany release liner notes). Cher. WEA. 2002. 0927 45220-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ When the Money's Gone/Love One Another (American release liner notes). Cher. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. 9 42496-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ "LIVING PROOF". Official Charts. 2001-12-01. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
↑ Living Proof (European release liner notes). Cher. WEA. 2001. 0927 42463 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
1 2 Living Proof (Japanese release liner notes). Cher. WEA. 2001. WPCR-10923.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Living Proof (American release liner notes). Cher. Warner Bros. Records. 2002. 9 47619-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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