Cher’s career is best understood as a series of reinventions: from the folk-pop breakthrough of Sonny & Cher to solo hits, television, an Oscar-winning film role, dance-pop and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. These ten moments are an editorial selection, not an objective ranking, arranged chronologically to show how she moved between musical and performance worlds.
What are Cher’s most iconic moments?
1. “I Got You Babe” establishes Sonny & Cher (1965)
“I Got You Babe” became the defining song of Sonny & Cher’s early success. The Recording Academy’s career retrospective notes that the duo’s 1965 album Look at Us reached No. 1 in the United States and delivered the signature hit. The song later entered the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2017. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame profile also identifies it with the duo’s rise.
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2. “Bang Bang” marks Cher’s solo storytelling (1966)
With “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” Cher showed that her voice and dramatic delivery could carry a song on their own. The Recording Academy describes it as her first big solo hit after “All I Really Want to Do.” The distinction matters: her solo career was developing alongside the duo’s success, not simply after it.
3. A run of solo No. 1 hits (early 1970s)
“Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves,” “Half Breed” and “Dark Lady” became solo No. 1 hits, according to amfAR’s Cher profile. The Recording Academy’s retrospective also highlights Cher performing “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” on television. These songs made her a distinctive solo pop presence in a period when the public also knew her as half of a duo.
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4. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour turns her into a television presence (1970s)
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour brought Cher into living rooms as a comedian, character performer and fashion presence. The Recording Academy’s retrospective says the show drew 30 million viewers weekly and describes Cher’s costumes, characters and disputes with network censors over her appearance. Television expanded her public identity beyond recording and made her style part of the spectacle.
5. Stage work leads to an Oscar-winning film career (1982–1987)
Cher’s acting breakthrough grew from stage work, including the Broadway production of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, into film roles. In 1987, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck, according to amfAR. The win established a major achievement in a career that had already crossed music and television.
Rank #2
6. “If I Could Turn Back Time” brings a new rock-era image (late 1980s)
“If I Could Turn Back Time” became one of the major hits of Cher’s late-1980s music comeback, as amfAR’s career profile recounts. The Recording Academy’s retrospective points to the song’s bodysuit image as an emblematic visual moment. The song’s performance and its striking visual presentation helped make this phase of her career memorable without reducing it to a chart statistic.
7. “Believe” makes dance-pop reinvention Grammy-winning (1998–2000)
On “Believe,” Cher embraced a processed vocal sound that became central to the recording’s identity. The Recording Academy’s retrospective says she insisted producers use the Auto-Tuned version. The song won Best Dance Recording at the 42nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, held in 2000, according to the Academy’s award record. “Believe” made a new generation of dance-pop audiences part of Cher’s story.
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8. The Farewell Tour becomes a major live-career chapter (2003–2005)
Cher’s Farewell Tour gave her live performance a defining chapter. amfAR calls it the most successful tour by any female artist. That superlative is amfAR’s characterization; the profile does not provide a comparison method or supporting tour-gross figures.
9. “Woman’s World” tops Billboard’s Club Play chart (2013)
“Woman’s World” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Club Play chart, according to amfAR. That is a specific dance-club chart achievement, not a claim that the single topped the Billboard Hot 100. It marked another return to recording after decades of career shifts.
Rank #4
- Oh No Not My Baby
- Whenever You're Near
- Many Rivers To Cross (Live From The Mirage)
- Love And Understanding
- Save Up All Your Tears
10. Cher enters the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2024)
In 2024, Cher was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. The Hall’s profile emphasizes her movement across genres and describes her in Spanish as “Reinventándose con audacia a lo largo de las décadas, sigue inspirando” (“Reinventing herself boldly across the decades, she continues to inspire”). The induction recognizes a career that has never belonged to just one musical lane.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is Cher best known for?
Cher’s best-known work spans more than one medium or era: the Sonny & Cher signature song “I Got You Babe,” solo hits including “Bang Bang” and “Believe,” the television presence of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, and her Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck. The through-line is reinvention: she repeatedly moved between duo and solo recording, television, film, touring and new musical styles.
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