Few pop stars from the last century have a voice as distinct and recognizable as Cher does. Somehow, though, some artists have managed to sound quite a bit like her, which is a feat in itself. Let’s look at a few excellent songs that sound like Cher tracks but actually don’t involve this legendary diva at all.
Videos by American Songwriter
“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes
This song is always controversial when I write about it, but I know there’s no way I’m alone here. For most of my childhood, I thought that Cher was the singer behind the 1994 alternative pop-rock jam, “What’s Up?” Something about the way Linda Perry sings on this track just sounds so Cher-like, and I know I can’t be totally wrong in thinking she at least kind of sounds like her. Either way, this song was a bop back in the day. It was also 4 Non Blondes’ only major hit, peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“No More ‘I Love You’s’” by Annie Lennox
“No More ‘I Love You’s’” was originally released in 1986 by the band The Lover Speaks. However, the version that I think sounds like Cher comes straight from Eurythmics legend, Annie Lennox. Specifically, I’m talking about her live performances of the song embedded above. This song came on with YouTube autoplay enabled while I wasn’t looking, and my first thought was, “Is that Cher?” Nope! It’s the legendary Annie Lennox. Her studio version of this new wave classic dropped back in 1995 and was quite a commercial success, making it to No. 2 on the UK Singles chart that year.
“I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” by Meatloaf
I am NOT saying Meatloaf sounds like Cher in this song. Rather, historically, some listeners have claimed that it sounds like Cher is providing the female side of the duet on the full (12-minute) version of “I’d Do Anything For Love”. Lorraine Crosby is the voice behind that track, and I can certainly see why people thought Cher was singing it. In fact, Cher was considered for the part, as were Bonnie Tyler and Melissa Etheridge. Sadly, Crosby got very little acknowledgement and no royalties from her part of the song.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images












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