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Half-Breed (song)

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"Half-Breed"
Single by Cher
from the album Half-Breed
B-side
ReleasedJuly 23, 1973
RecordedLarrabee Sound Studios, 1973
Genre
Length2:46
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Snuff Garrett
Cher singles chronology
"Am I Blue?"
(1973) 		"Half-Breed"
(1973) 		"Carousel Man"
(1973)
Alternative covers
Spanish single
Spanish single
Alternative cover
Japanese single
Japanese single

"Half-Breed" is a popular song recorded by Cher in 1973.

Cher's version, recorded with instrumental backing by L.A. sessions musicians from the Wrecking Crew,[1] was recorded on May 21, 1973 at Larrabee Sound in Los Angeles. Lyrically, the song describes the life of a girl who faces societal rejection due to having a White father and Cherokee mother. It contains themes of racism and double standards. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cher's second solo number 1 hit in the US.[2] The single was certified Gold in the US in 1974 for the sales of over 1 million copies.[3]

Song information and story

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The 1973 version was the first international release from Cher's album Half-Breed, recorded and intended for the American market. Written and performed by non-Natives, it is a classic "Tragic mulatto" narrative, from a non-Native perspective, of a young woman with a White father and an alleged Cherokee mother. The song offers a scenario in which the singer relates that oppressive Whites call her "Indian squaw", and claims that Native Americans do not accept her as one of their own because, "The Indians said I was White by law."[4] The lyrics are in error, as the Cherokee (like most Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands) are a matrilineal culture, meaning that a child born to a Cherokee mother is accepted as Cherokee, no matter the nationality or ethnicity of the father, and thus the parental ethnicities would have to be reversed—a White mother and native father—for such a situation to arise.[5]

The song is written in the key of A minor, with a moderato tempo of 116 beats per minute in common time. Cher's vocals span the notes of F3-A4.[6]

Reception

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In 1973, "Half-Breed" topped the United States Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming Cher's second solo and third overall Number 1 hit, and second Gold certified solo single for the sales of over 1,000,000 copies. It was a Number 1 hit in Canada and New Zealand, and a Top 10 hit in Australia and Quebec, respectively.

Peter Fawthrop wrote that this song has a jingling rhythm and that it is one of the lighter-hearted songs on the album.[7] Rolling Stone recommended it and described Cher's vocals as frantic and the production as supremely commercial.[8]

Live performances

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In 1999, after almost 25 years of not performing the song live, Cher performed the song in her Do You Believe? Tour. In 2002, she performed the song 326 times in her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. In 2018, she performed the song during her Here We Go Again Tour. She performed it in Oceania but it was dropped after the first leg.

Cher performed the song on the following concert tours:

Music video

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The video for "Half-Breed", a 1973 performance on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, features stereotypical "Hollywood Indian" imagery. Cher appears on horseback in a Bob Mackie-designed outfit combining elements unrelated to Cherokee culture, including a Plains-style warbonnet, a halter top inspired by a hair pipe breastplate, and a glittery loincloth.[4] The set includes Pacific Northwestern totem poles and flames, also unconnected to Cherokee traditions.[4]

Cher has faced criticism from Native American activists for cultural appropriation, continuing to use similar costumes in performances until 2017.[9][10][11] In a 2017 Twitter exchange, she stated she would no longer perform the song or wear the costume.[10][12][13] Rolling Stone noted the omission of "Half-Breed" from Cher's 2024 compilation Forever, attributing it to a broader trend of artists reassessing their catalogs in light of changing cultural sensibilities.[14]

Remix version

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In 2002, a special remix medley was created by Dan-O-Rama for a video montage that was used in Cher's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. The medley contains the videos of "All I Really Want to Do", "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady".[citation needed]

Personnel

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According to the AFM contract sheet, excluding Cher’s vocals, the following musicians played on the track.[15]

  • W.T. Babb - contractor
  • Al Capps - session leader
  • Hal Blaine
  • Al Casey
  • Gene Cipriano
  • James Getzoff
  • Thomas R. Hensley
  • Donald Peake
  • Emil Richards
  • Samuel Boghossian
  • John Durrill
  • Jesse Ehrlich
  • Raymond Kelley
  • Lou Klass
  • Jacob Krachmalnick
  • William Kurasch
  • Carl LaMagna
  • Gayle Levant
  • Leonard Malarsky
  • Gordon Marron
  • Gareth Nuttycombe
  • Reinhold Prass Jr.
  • Nathan Ross

Charts and certifications

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Covers

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  • German singer Joy Fleming recorded a German-language version titled "Halbblut" ("Half-blood") as a single in 1973. It peaked in the West German charts at no. 38 in February 1974.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
  2. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  3. ^ "Cash Box" (PDF). Cash Box Magazine. March 9, 1974. p. 24. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Penny Cousineau-Levine (Spring 2017). "Cher's "Half-Breed" and the Hybrid Masquerades of Kent Monkman's Miss Chief Testickle". AMERICANA e-Journal of American Studies in Hungary. XIII (1). Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Perdue, Theda (1999). Cherokee women: gender and culture change, 1700–1835. University of Nebraska Press. pp. 44, 57–8.
  6. ^ "Half-Breed". Musicnotes. 18 August 2014.
  7. ^ Review by P. Fawthrop of Allmusic Retrieved 14 October 2013
  8. ^ Review by Paul Gambaccini of Rolling Stone Retrieved October 14, 2013
  9. ^ Ferguson, Dean (March 25, 2023). "'Half-Breed': Cher and the Problem of Cultural Appropriation". Cher Fan Club. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Cher Refuses To Apologize For 'Half-Breed' After Twitter War Fuelled By Trump's Diversity Coalition Appointee". ETCanada.com. Entertainment Tonight Canada. December 31, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  11. ^ "Half Breed (Official Music Video)". CherTV.com. February 23, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Cher [@cher] (Dec 22, 2017). "Cher tweets about Half-Breed" (Tweet). Retrieved June 28, 2023 – via Twitter. I Did Song 50 yrs ago,& it wasn't meant 2🐝offensive. However,That's kinda Bull Shit excuse.Need to retire beautiful Costume,& stop singing it,it's WAY past time.
  13. ^ Cher [@cher] (Dec 29, 2017). "Cher tweets about Half-Breed some more" (Tweet). Retrieved June 28, 2023 – via Twitter. Already said I'd stop doing it.
  14. ^ Browne, David (September 1, 2024). "'Half-Breed' and 'Brown Sugar' Vanished: Why Classic Artists Are Censoring Themselves". Rolling Stone.
  15. ^ "Half-Breed AFM Contract" (PDF). The Wrecking Crew. American Federation of Musicians. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 61. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
  18. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  20. ^ "Cash Box Top Singles - 1973". Archived from the original on 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  21. ^ Australian-charts.com
  22. ^ RPM chart archives at Collections Canada for the Cher single Half-Breed.
  23. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1973". Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  24. ^ "Billboard Year-End Charts 1973" (PDF).
  25. ^ "American single certifications – Cher – Half-Breed". Recording Industry Association of America.
  26. ^ "Joy Fleming: Halbblut (single)". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
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