Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song "I Got You Babe" peaked at number one on the US and UK charts. Together they sold 40 million records worldwide. Her solo career was established during the same time, with the top-ten singles "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and "You Better Sit Down Kids". She became a television personality in the 1970s with her CBS shows; first The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and then the namesake Cher. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.
While working on television, Cher released the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady", becoming the female artist with the most number-one singles in United States history at the time. After her divorce from Sonny Bono in 1975, she released the disco album Take Me Home (1979) and earned $300,000 a week for her 1979–1982 concert residency in Las Vegas.
In 1982, Cher made her Broadway debut in the play Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and starred in its film adaptation. She subsequently garnered critical acclaim for her performances in films such as Silkwood (1983), Mask (1985), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), and Moonstruck (1987), the last of which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. She then revived her music career by recording the rock-inflected albums Cher (1987), Heart of Stone (1989), and Love Hurts (1991), all of which yielded successful singles such as "I Found Someone", "If I Could Turn Back Time", and "Love and Understanding". Cher contributed to the soundtrack for her next film, Mermaids (1990), which spawned the UK number-one single "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)". She made her directorial debut with a segment in the abortion-themed anthology If These Walls Could Talk (1996).
Cher reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the dance-pop album Believe, whose title track topped the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999 and became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK. It features pioneering use of Auto-Tune to distort her vocals, known as the "Cher effect". Her 2002–2005 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, earning $250 million. In 2008, she signed a $60 million deal to headline the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for three years. During the 2010s, she landed starring roles in the films Burlesque (2010) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) and released studio albums Closer to the Truth (2013) and Dancing Queen (2018), both of which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200.
Having sold 100 million records, Cher is one of the world's best-selling music artists. Her achievements include a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, the Billboard Icon Award, and awards from the Kennedy Center Honors and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. Aside from music and acting, she is noted for her political views, social media presence, philanthropic endeavors, and social activism, including LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Cher Official Website: https://www.cherfanclub.com
YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/cher
Dark Lady
Cher Lyrics
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Was brushing her cat in her black limousine
On the backseat were scratches from
The marks of men her fortune she had won
Couldn't see through the tinted glass
She said, "Home James" and he hit the gas
I followed her to some darkened room
She took my money, she said "I'll be with you soon"
Dark lady laughed and danced and lit the candles one by one
Danced to her gypsy music till her brew was done
Dark lady played back magic till the clock struck on the twelve
She told me more about me than I knew myself
She dealt two cards, a queen and a three
And mumbled some words that were so strange to me
Then she turned up a two-eyed jack
My eyes saw red but the card still stayed black
She said the man you love is secretly true
To someone else who is very close to you
My advice is that you leave this place
Never come back and forget you ever saw my face
Dark lady laughed and danced and lit the candles one by one
Danced to her gypsy music till her brew was done
Dark lady played back magic till the clock struck on the twelve
She told me more about me than I knew myself
So I ran home and crawled in my bed
I couldn't sleep because of all the things she said
Then I remembered her strange perfume
And how I smelled it was in my own room
So I sneaked back and caught her with my man
Laughing and kissing till they saw the gun in my hand
The next thing I knew they were dead on the floor
Dark lady would never turn a card up anymore
Dark lady laughed and danced and lit the candles one by one
Danced to her gypsy music till her brew was done
Dark lady played back magic till the clock struck on the twelve
"Dark Lady" is a song by American singer-actress Cher, released in 1974. The song tells the story of a woman who seeks the help of a fortune teller to learn about the true intentions of the man she loves. The fortune teller, known as the "Dark Lady," reveals that the man is in fact in love with someone else, and advises the woman to leave and forget what she learned. The woman, however, returns to the Dark Lady's room and discovers her lover with her, resulting in a deadly confrontation.
The lyrics of "Dark Lady" explore themes of jealousy, betrayal, and revenge. The Fortune Queen of New Orleans is a wealthy and powerful woman who has won her fortune through her dealings with men. The singer seeks her guidance to learn about her lover's true intentions, and the Dark Lady's mysterious readings reveal the truth about the man's infidelity. The song is filled with imagery of darkness, candles, and gypsy music, creating a haunting and mystical atmosphere.
One of the interesting facts about "Dark Lady" is that the song was inspired by actual events in Cher's life. After her husband, Sonny Bono, had an affair with their friend and employee, Cher decided to seek the advice of a fortune teller. The fortune teller's readings predicted that Cher would continue to have success in her music career, but warned her about the betrayal in her personal life.
Another interesting fact is that the song was originally titled "Sonny's Fortune Teller" and was meant to be a duet between Cher and Sonny. However, after their divorce, the lyrics were changed and the song became a solo performance by Cher.
The chords for "Dark Lady" are G, D, Am, D7, C, Bm, Em, and A.
Overall, "Dark Lady" is a haunting and captivating song that tells a story of betrayal and revenge. The powerful vocals and mystical imagery create a unique and unforgettable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The fortune queen of New Orleans
The prominent fortuneteller in New Orleans
Was brushing her cat in her black limousine
She was grooming her cat while sitting inside her black limousine
On the backseat were scratches from
The scratches on the limousine's backseat were from
The marks of men her fortune she had won
Men who had lost their fortunes to her left those scratch marks on the backseat of the limousine.
Couldn't see through the tinted glass
Outside viewers could not see through the limousine's dark, tinted windows
She said, "Home James" and he hit the gas
She instructed the driver to take her home, after which he immediately hit the gas pedal.
I followed her to some darkened room
The singer followed her to a room that was shrouded in darkness
She took my money, she said "I'll be with you soon"
The queen of fortune took the singer's money and falsely promised a future meeting.
Dark lady laughed and danced and lit the candles one by one
The Queen of Fortune laughed and danced as she lit candles, one by one.
Danced to her gypsy music till her brew was done
She danced to gypsy music until she finished brewing something.
Dark lady played back magic till the clock struck on the twelve
The Queen of Fortune performed mystical, dark magic until the clock struck 12.
She told me more about me than I knew myself
The Queen of Fortune shared deep secrets about the singer, which even the singer didn't know about himself.
She dealt two cards, a queen and a three
The Queen of Fortune dealt two cards, one queen, and one three.
And mumbled some words that were so strange to me
The words the Queen of Fortune mumbled didn't make any sense to the singer.
Then she turned up a two-eyed jack
Then she revealed a Two-Eyed Jack card.
My eyes saw red but the card still stayed black
Though rage filled the singer's eyes, the card remained black.
She said the man you love is secretly true
The Queen of Fortune revealed that the man the singer loves is actually secretly in love with someone else.
To someone else who is very close to you
The person the man is truly in love with is someone the singer is close to.
My advice is that you leave this place
The Queen of Fortune's advice to the singer was to leave the place immediately
Never come back and forget you ever saw my face
The Queen of Fortune warned her to not return and to forget about her face.
So I ran home and crawled in my bed
The singer fled to home, deserted and sought refuge in her bed.
I couldn't sleep because of all the things she said
The Queen of Fortune's words kept the singer up, making it impossible for her to sleep.
Then I remembered her strange perfume
Suddenly, the singer remembered the Queen of Fortune's peculiar fragrance.
And how I smelled it was in my room
The singer realized that the fragrance she smelled was lingering in her own room.
So I sneaked back and caught her with my man
The singer went back, only to find the Queen of Fortune with her man.
Laughing and kissing till they saw the gun in my hand
The Queen of Fortune and the singer's man were laughing and kissing until the singer unveiled a gun.
The next thing I knew they were dead on the floor
The following moment, the Queen of Fortune and the singer's man were both lying dead on the floor.
Dark lady would never turn a card up anymore
The Queen of Fortune would never reveal another card again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN ROBERT DURRILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind