“I just thought it was genuis”: Cher once shared her favourite prog song
Creating a mood, telling a story—it’s all a part of making us feel something. Musically, this is one of the most powerful things an artist can do, and, for some, that mood is what creates the magic, even if it’s unclear what the lyrics are trying to say or what the broader meaning of the song is. When it comes to preferences, Cher is no different: for her, it’s all about that inexplicable spark.
It’s almost a strange thing to discuss when it comes to music, but it’s a question most of us think about: how often do you notice lyrics before you know how a song makes you feel? Usually, it’s easy to feel connected to a track before you even know what it’s about or what it was inspired by, which comes from that distinctive allure that’s hard to put into words.
Scientifically, of course, there’s an easy way of looking at it: when songs start with a simplistic combination of major chords, it’s more likely to evoke feelings of hope and optimism. If it’s a more downbeat, minor progression, it’s probably going to incite a sense of foreboding or melancholy. Sound is a powerful tool when it comes to feeling, but what about words?
Some just have the knack for both. Florence and the Machine, for instance, knows exactly how to pair up the emotional overwhelm of the instrumentals with equally as enchanting lyrics (nothing comes close to ‘Never Let Me Go’). Cher is also capable of creating a similar magnetism, though few actually fail to see the kind of artist she actually is, separate from the ‘Believe’ and ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ persona that initially gave her mainstream popularity.
Interestingly, some of the best songs of Cher’s career can be found on her label-shunned Not Commercial, the songs deemed glaringly un-Cher like and, according to the singer, “so fucking dark”. However, despite the record being somewhat if you know, you know, many of these songs demonstrate her expansive artistic capability, like ‘Still’ and ‘Sisters of Mercy’, the song that gives us the solemn line: “Sisters of mercy / Daughters of hell / They always weave their web of lies / And wrap you in their wicked spell.”
But what’s great about these songs is that they’re also deeply emotional, which, like many greats, is often established from the opening notes alone, before the words themselves pull you in further. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is a trait Cher looks for in her musical influences, too. If they can conjure up a storm before the lyrics even become clearer, it has power. That’s why she initially became drawn to Procol Harum, specifically the song ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’.
Everything about this song was created based on the power of feeling. The band’s lyricist Keith Reid even confirmed as such, saying it was a “sort of a film, really, trying to conjure up mood and tell a story” about “a relationship”. He said: “You get the sound of the room and the feel of the room and the smell of the room. But certainly there’s a journey going on, it’s not a collection of lines just stuck together.”
This is something Cher also described when discussing her love for the song during Desert Island Disks: “The first time I heard it, I was like ‘What are they saying?’ But then I realised I didn’t care,” she said. Adding: “I just like the sound. Music can be anything. Music doesn’t need explanation. It doesn’t need anything. So it’s the feeling, music is the feeling. Sonny was more middle of the road, he wanted to hear the lyrics, but I just thought [the song] was genius.”
Sometimes, especially in prog rock, there can be a focus on complexity, but this was one that clearly ticked all the boxes for Cher, especially one with a simplicity that overshadowed any need to pander to any of the genre’s usual elements. And, as we know, when the emotional core of a song feels unforced, that’s when the magic happens.
