On This Day in 1965 Sonny & Cher Scored Their First and Only No. 1 with a Song Inspired by Bob Dylan

On this day (August 14) in 1965, Sonny & Cher topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “I’ve Got You Babe.” It stayed in the top spot for three weeks before being dethroned by The Beatles’ “Help!” on September 4. The song was the duo’s first and only to go to the top of the all-genre chart, though “All I Ever Need Is You” went to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary survey in 1971.

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Cher and Sonny Bono were one of the most memorable duos of the 1960s and early 1970s. They had several hits, including “Laugh at Me,” “The Beat Goes On,” “All I Ever Need Is You,” and “A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done.” However, they only managed to climb to the top of the Hot 100 once. Decades later, “I Got You Babe” is arguably their most memorable song. The track also set the stage for Cher’s 1965 solo debut, All I Really Want to Do.

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“I’ve Got You Babe” had wide appeal. The love song was perfect for mainstream audiences who craved saccharine love songs. At the same time, it found popularity in the counterculture movement due to its lyrics that focused on love and defended men with long hair.

Sonny Bono and Cher Didn’t Initially Agree on “I Got You Babe”

When Sonny Bono wrote “I Got You Babe,” he and Cher were living together in their manager’s house. He wrote the song late one night while sitting at the piano in the garage. Bono wrote the lyrics on a scrap of cardboard and immediately took them to Cher.

“Sonny woke me up in the middle of the night to come in where the piano was, in the living room, and sing it,” she recalled. “I didn’t like it and just said, ‘Okay. I’ll sing it, and then I’m going back to bed.’ So, I was never a very good barometer.” Her opinion of the song shifted when Bono changed the key of its bridge to fit her voice.

According to Songfacts, Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” inspired Bono to write this song. The Dylan track was popular and used the word “babe” in the title. So, Bono wanted to use the word in a song. It worked out. Six decades later, people still love the song.

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