Cher, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night (October 19), made sure to set expectations early. Then I rewrote it tonight, and I’m dyslexic,” she declared.
It wasn’t a huge flop — throughout her presentation at the annual awards ceremony, Cher wowed the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse crowd with performances of “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Believe” (the latter with a special (featuring guest Dua Lipa). Zendaya proudly introduced her idol. “Where do I start?” she said, wearing an outfit inspired by Cher’s many Bob Mackie looks. “There’s not a single person in this room, in this country, and almost all over the world who doesn’t know the name of the artist I’m honoring here tonight. She’s so iconic that all we need is one name. Only one.”
In the tribute video, stars including Cyndi Lauper, Shania Twain and Punk paid tribute to Cher, with the latter making it abundantly clear that Cher was the “King Rockstar”.
However, as Cher entered her speech, she made it clear that her Hall of Fame induction was by no means guaranteed. “It was easier to divorce two men than it was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” she declared. “I would like to thank my guardian, David Geffen. He wrote a letter and sent it to the directors, and now, haha, here I am!”
Although the singer never forgot to poke fun at herself from time to time (“I’m a good singer, but not a great singer,” she said), she never failed to acknowledge her influences throughout her decades-long career. I didn’t hesitate. In one special highlight, the star reflected on how his biggest song almost never happened.
“‘Believe’ changed the sound of music forever, and it was a coincidence. The producer and I were fighting and he was like, ‘Cher, you need to try harder,'” she recalled. . “I said, ‘Hey, if you want to make it better, just get another singer.’ Later he called me and said, ‘Cher, I was messing around with the pitch machine and I grabbed something. “I think so,” he said. I went back and listened, and when it was over, we both jumped up and high-fived. Then the head of the record company said, “You can’t do that because no one will know it’s you.” And I said, “Yes, that’s the deal!” That’s the great part! ”
Cher also recalled the advice she received from her mother from an early age that led her career to where it is today. “She said to me, ‘You may not be the most beautiful, you may not be the smartest, you may not be the most talented, but you are special,'” she said. said. “She kept instilling in me that if you get down and walk out, you get back up again.”
Cher smiled at the audience and made sure the women in the audience heard her. “One thing I’ve never done is never give up. So I’m talking to the women, you know, you’re on your own,” she said. He said with a grin. “We’ve been down and down, but we keep trying, we keep moving forward, and we are something. As my mother would say, we are special.”
Cher was just one of the icons honored at Saturday night’s event, other inductees included Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, and Dave. Included were the Matthews Band, Foreigner, and Peter Frampton.
