| "If I Could Turn Back Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Cher | ||||
| from the album Heart of Stone | ||||
| B-side | "Some Guys" | |||
| Released | June 20, 1989[1] | |||
| Studio | Criterion Studios (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:16 (album version) 4:02 (radio edit) | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Diane Warren | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Cher singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "If I Could Turn Back Time" on YouTube | ||||
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song performed by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album, Heart of Stone. It was released as the album's lead single in June 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically for Cher by Diane Warren, who produced it in collaboration with Guy Roche. Cher was unmoved by a demo of the song sung by Warren, but Roche insisted she record it. The lyrics talk about the feelings of remorse due to bad deeds and the willingness to reverse time to make things right.
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a pop rock and soft rock song that features instrumentation from guitars, piano and drums. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who applauded its overall production and Cher's vocal performance, with some considering it to be a highlight of the album. Commercially, the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Cher's first number-one hit in Australia. It also reached the top 10 of the record charts in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
The accompanying music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time", directed by Marty Callner, was shot on board of the battleship USS Missouri and portrays Cher performing for the ship's crew, wearing a leather thong that revealed her tattooed buttocks and straddling a cannon. Military personnel condemned the video, while some family groups protested against its broadcast, because they deemed it offensive for the Navy and controversial. Following these protests, MTV was forced to air the video after the 9pm watershed.
"If I Could Turn Back Time" has been performed on seven of Cher's concert tours, most recently on the Here We Go Again Tour in 2018–2020, and at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. The song has been covered by a number of artists and has also been featured on the soundtrack of Deadpool 2 (2018), among others.