If I could turn back time
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
And you'd stay
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
And you'd stay
I don't know why I did the things I did
I don't know why I said the things I said
Prides like a knife, it can cut deep inside
Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes
I didn't really mean to hurt you
I didn't wanna see you go
I know I made you cry, but baby
I don't know why I said the things I said
Prides like a knife, it can cut deep inside
Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes
I didn't really mean to hurt you
I didn't wanna see you go
I know I made you cry, but baby
If I could turn back time
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
And you'd stay
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
And you'd love me, love me, like you used to do
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
And you'd stay
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
And you'd love me, love me, like you used to do
(If I could turn back time)
My world was shattered, I was torn apart
Like someone took a knife and drove it deep in my heart
When you walked out that door I swore that I didn't care
But I lost everything darlin', then and there
Too strong to tell you I was sorry
Too proud to tell you I was wrong
I know I was blind, and darlin'
My world was shattered, I was torn apart
Like someone took a knife and drove it deep in my heart
When you walked out that door I swore that I didn't care
But I lost everything darlin', then and there
Too strong to tell you I was sorry
Too proud to tell you I was wrong
I know I was blind, and darlin'
If I could turn back time
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
and you'd stay
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
and you'd love me, love me, like you used to do, oh!
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
and you'd stay
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
and you'd love me, love me, like you used to do, oh!
If I could turn back time (If I could turn back time)
If I could turn back time (If I could turn back time)
If I could turn back time
Oh baby
If I could turn back time (If I could turn back time)
If I could turn back time
Oh baby
I didn't really mean to hurt you
I didn't wanna see you go
I know I made you cry, but oh
I didn't wanna see you go
I know I made you cry, but oh
If I could turn back time
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
and you'd love me, love me, like you used to do
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
If I could reach the stars
I'd give them all to you
and you'd love me, love me, like you used to do
If I could turn back time (Turn back time)
If I could find a way (Find a way)
And maybe, maybe, maybe you'd stay
If I could reach the stars (Reach the stars)
I'd give them all to you
If I could find a way (Find a way)
And maybe, maybe, maybe you'd stay
If I could reach the stars (Reach the stars)
I'd give them all to you
song info:
Verified yes
Language
Rank−
Duration00:04:10
Charts
Copyright ©BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
WriterDiane Warren
Lyrics licensed byLyricFind
Added
Last updatedMay 10th, 2023
About"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her nineteenth studio album Heart Of Stone [1989] . It was released on July 1, 1989, by Geffen Records as the album's lead single. The song was written especially for Cher by Diane Warren, who produced it with Guy Roche. Cher initially disliked the track after listening to a demo tape sung by Warren, but subsequently changed her opinion after Warren convinced her to record it.
Highly successful around the globe, "If I Could Turn Back Time" was seen as a major comeback for Cher in the late 1980s. It charted at number one in Australia and Norway, as well as reaching number three in the United States and number six in the United Kingdom. It also became Cher's second consecutive solo number-one hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The track was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sales of 500,000 copies. In November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of "If I Could Turn Back Time" to be 394,000 in the US.
The song was written by Diane Warren, who produced the song along with Guy Roche. While the soft rock track was specifically written for Cher, the singer initially disliked the song upon hearing a demo and turned it down. Warren claimed in 1991: "I got on my knees and pleaded. I told her I wasn't going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did." In 2014, she further added: "She really hated [it], but I held her leg down during a session and said, 'You have to record it!'" According to Warren, Cher reportedly responded: "'F*** you, b****! You're hurting my leg! OK, I'll try it.' Once Cher sang it, she gave me this look like, 'You were right'."
The music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time", directed by American television director Marty Callner, takes place on board the battleship USS Missouri. It depicts Cher and her band performing a concert for the ship's crew. The video was filmed in Los Angeles on Friday night, June 30, 1989, while the ship was stationed at the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard at Pier D. In the video, the band plays on the foredeck, and the ship is rigged with spotlights, light racks and strobes. Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, 12 at the time, appears as one of the band's guitarists (he wears dark glasses and a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt).
The Department of the Navy had granted permission for the music video shoot because of its potential for boosting Navy recruitment: the Navy did not have a budget for TV ads in 1989. The Navy initially selected the battleship USS New Jersey for the video. However, New Jersey was out to sea when Callner needed to do an initial site survey, so he toured its sister ship, Missouri, instead. During Callner's visit, Missouri's public affairs officer, Lieutenant Mark Walker, convinced him to change the filming location to Missouri.
Cher's outfit for the original video, a fishnet body stocking under a black one-piece bathing suit that left most of her buttocks (and a tattoo of a butterfly) exposed, proved very controversial, and many television networks refused to show the video. MTV first banned the video, and later played it only after 9 PM. A second version of the video was made, including new scenes and less overtly sexual content than the original. The outfit and risque nature of the video were a complete surprise to the Navy, who expected Cher to wear a jumpsuit for the concert, as presented on storyboards during original discussions with producers. The sailors were already in place and the band had begun playing when Cher emerged in her outfit. Lieutenant Commander Steve Honda from the Navy's Hollywood Liaison office requested Callner briefly suspend shooting and convince Cher to change into more conservative attire, but Callner refused.
The Navy received criticism for allowing the video shoot, especially from World War II veterans who saw it as a desecration of a national historic site that should be treated with reverence: USS Missouri was the site of the Empire of Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945, thus ending World War II.
No Navy officials were disciplined for their role in supporting the video, although reportedly the Secretary of the Navy briefly considered firing the captain of USS Missouri.
In 2003, Cher released her Living Proof: Farewell Tour concert on DVD which included an official "If I Could Turn Back Time" remix video.
Personnel
Cher: Main Vocal
Desmond Child, Maria Vidal, Michael Anthony, Robin Beck, Jimmy Demers, Jean McClain: Vocal Backing
Steve Lukather, Glenn Sciurba, Gene Black: Guitars
Guy Roche, Alan Pasqua: Keyboards
John Pierce: Bass
Mark T. Williams: Drums, Tambourine
Production
Arranged and Produced by Diane Warren and Guy Roche
Recorded by Frank Wolf, with assistance by Guy Roche
Mixed by Frank Wolf
Published by Realsongs
Highly successful around the globe, "If I Could Turn Back Time" was seen as a major comeback for Cher in the late 1980s. It charted at number one in Australia and Norway, as well as reaching number three in the United States and number six in the United Kingdom. It also became Cher's second consecutive solo number-one hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The track was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sales of 500,000 copies. In November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of "If I Could Turn Back Time" to be 394,000 in the US.
The song was written by Diane Warren, who produced the song along with Guy Roche. While the soft rock track was specifically written for Cher, the singer initially disliked the song upon hearing a demo and turned it down. Warren claimed in 1991: "I got on my knees and pleaded. I told her I wasn't going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did." In 2014, she further added: "She really hated [it], but I held her leg down during a session and said, 'You have to record it!'" According to Warren, Cher reportedly responded: "'F*** you, b****! You're hurting my leg! OK, I'll try it.' Once Cher sang it, she gave me this look like, 'You were right'."
The music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time", directed by American television director Marty Callner, takes place on board the battleship USS Missouri. It depicts Cher and her band performing a concert for the ship's crew. The video was filmed in Los Angeles on Friday night, June 30, 1989, while the ship was stationed at the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard at Pier D. In the video, the band plays on the foredeck, and the ship is rigged with spotlights, light racks and strobes. Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, 12 at the time, appears as one of the band's guitarists (he wears dark glasses and a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt).
The Department of the Navy had granted permission for the music video shoot because of its potential for boosting Navy recruitment: the Navy did not have a budget for TV ads in 1989. The Navy initially selected the battleship USS New Jersey for the video. However, New Jersey was out to sea when Callner needed to do an initial site survey, so he toured its sister ship, Missouri, instead. During Callner's visit, Missouri's public affairs officer, Lieutenant Mark Walker, convinced him to change the filming location to Missouri.
Cher's outfit for the original video, a fishnet body stocking under a black one-piece bathing suit that left most of her buttocks (and a tattoo of a butterfly) exposed, proved very controversial, and many television networks refused to show the video. MTV first banned the video, and later played it only after 9 PM. A second version of the video was made, including new scenes and less overtly sexual content than the original. The outfit and risque nature of the video were a complete surprise to the Navy, who expected Cher to wear a jumpsuit for the concert, as presented on storyboards during original discussions with producers. The sailors were already in place and the band had begun playing when Cher emerged in her outfit. Lieutenant Commander Steve Honda from the Navy's Hollywood Liaison office requested Callner briefly suspend shooting and convince Cher to change into more conservative attire, but Callner refused.
The Navy received criticism for allowing the video shoot, especially from World War II veterans who saw it as a desecration of a national historic site that should be treated with reverence: USS Missouri was the site of the Empire of Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945, thus ending World War II.
No Navy officials were disciplined for their role in supporting the video, although reportedly the Secretary of the Navy briefly considered firing the captain of USS Missouri.
In 2003, Cher released her Living Proof: Farewell Tour concert on DVD which included an official "If I Could Turn Back Time" remix video.
Personnel
Cher: Main Vocal
Desmond Child, Maria Vidal, Michael Anthony, Robin Beck, Jimmy Demers, Jean McClain: Vocal Backing
Steve Lukather, Glenn Sciurba, Gene Black: Guitars
Guy Roche, Alan Pasqua: Keyboards
John Pierce: Bass
Mark T. Williams: Drums, Tambourine
Production
Arranged and Produced by Diane Warren and Guy Roche
Recorded by Frank Wolf, with assistance by Guy Roche
Mixed by Frank Wolf
Published by Realsongs
Album Details
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