Saturday 9

Saturday 9: If I Could Turn Back Time (1989)

 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The official video for this song was filmed on board the battleship USS Missouri. When is the last time you were on a boat or ship? Golly, I don't remember. Probably when I was in Tampa five years ago. My cousin Rose and I took a dolphin cruise.

2) This song was written by Diane Warren. Ms. Warren has written love songs recorded by Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, LeAnn Rimes and more, yet she's never married and has really only had one serious romantic relationship. She acknowledges this makes her an unusual spokeswoman for the glory and pain of love. When you have a relationship problem, who do you go to for advice? HA! I'm like Diane Warren. I've never had a successful romantic relationship, yet somehow people ask ME for advice.

3) In this song, Cher wishes she could turn back time and have a different conversation with a former lover, changing what she said to him. Here at Saturday 9, we're not so ambitious with our time travel. We're only going back to yesterday. Is there anything you'd do differently? I wouldn't have polished off that bag of Cheetohs.

4) In 1966, Cher and her then-husband Sonny sang at a private birthday party for Jacqueline Kennedy. At first, Cher didn't want to do it, thinking that performing to a small gathering would be awkward. But it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for her. That night, she met Diana Vreeland, the editor of Vogue. Vreeland liked Cher's look so much she set up a photo shoot. Cher, who always loved experimenting with hair and makeup, enjoyed the shoot immensely. Tell us about a social gathering where you had an unexpectedly good time. My friend Joanna's New Year's Open House. I went mostly to support her, but found I enjoyed welcoming 2019 with new people.

Here's 20-year-old Cher from that 1966 Vogue shoot

5) At that same party, Cher said she was surprised by how big Jackie's hands were. Do you like your hands? Suddenly they have spouted age spots. I kinda like them. My hands remind me of my favorite grandmother's hands.

6) One night, before a performance in Detroit, Cher saw a little furry something under one of her tour buses. It was a kitten that that she named Mr. Big, hoping he would grow into the name. He did, and the tomcat was her constant companion for four years until he died of a congenital heart ailment. She has said that she will "never not miss him." Is there a furry companion who has a special place in your memories? My beloved Joey. My gentle giant. He's been gone for a while now, but I still miss him. He was a sweetheart with a sweet heart.

7) Cher recently appeared in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. It's the second movie based on the music of ABBA. What's your favorite ABBA song? I'm not really an ABBA fan. But now I have "Mamma Mia" running through my mind, so I'll say that one.

8) In 1989 -- the year this song was popular -- Mattel released a series of special "Scarlett O'Hara" Barbie doll to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gone with the Wind. Did you enjoy the classic movie? Have you read the book? Read the book almost as many times as I've seen the movie, which is like a gazillion times. Looking forward to seeing it again, on IMAX, at this month's TCM Film Festival!


9) Random question -- Check your spam folder and tell us one of the subject lines. "Toe Fungus Destroyed My Life, Until I Found This."