Songoftheday 11/3/15 - Don't you know so many things they come and go?

"I Found Someone" - Cher
from the album Cher (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's Song of the day is by the veteran entertainer Cher, who grew from truly humble beginnings to be one of the most recognized stars in the world. After dropping out of school to persue her dreams in California, Cher was hired by and eventually began a romantic relationship with former Phil Spector apprentice Sonny Bono in the early 60s. After a few stiffed singles as a duo or Cher solo under different monikers, Cher's solo cover of Bob Dylan's "All I Really Want To Do" finally gave her her breakthrough, climbing to #15 on the pop chart in America in 1965. Later that same year, a duet between Sonny and Cher, "I Got You Babe", did even better, landing at #1 for three weeks. In 1966, Cher's solo release "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" went to #2 on the Hot 100, She continued to have success for a while as both a solo act and with Sonny, but by the turbulent end of the decade, they both found themselves dumped by their labels.

After a touring stint that eventually spotlighted their comedic skills led to them scoring a "summer replacement" variety show that went on to become iconic in its genre, Cher's "star" started to rise again. Earning her first solo #1 with the non-Sonny track "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves", then two more with "Half Breed" and "Dark Lady". However, even though Sonny and Cher's TV show was making bank and even as a duo they started having success again, like with the #1 adult contemporary hit "All I Ever Need Is You", their own marriage was falling apart. They ended up divorcing in 1975, with Cher finally truly venturing on her own. With a new solo show and a new record deal, it seemed like she was back on track, as her Cher show was pop culture gold, but it didn't last and Cher's music didn't sell much during the mid-70s, until she decided to hitch a ride on the disco wagon with the club classic "Take Me Home" in 1979.

With "Take Me Home" ending up a one-off hit with no follow-up success, Cher concentrated on her acting, starring in such high-profile movies as Silkwood and Mask. With her profile at an all-time high, she resigned with former ally David Geffen, and released her self-titled rock-tinged album in 1987. It was released a month before her Oscar-winning performance in Moonstruck. The first single from the record was "I Found Someone", co-written by Michael Bolton (who just scored his first pop hit with "That's What Love Is All About") and originally released by Laura Branigan in 1986. It only climbed to #90 on the American Hot 100, though it did manage to peak at #25 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary list. Cher's version a year later did much better and became the best-known version of the song. Her then-boyfriend Rob Camilletti appears as "eye candy" in the video...

"I Found Someone" brought Cher back into the American pop top-10 in March of 1985.  The single also made it to #33 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Internationally, the song peaked at #5 in the UK, #4 in Ireland, and #8 in Australia.

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Here's Laura Branigan's originally charting version of "I Found Someone"...

..and here's Cher performing the song on Saturday Night Live...

...and a version from the song's co-writer, Michael Bolton, which appeared on his Greatest Hits album in 1995...

...and back to Cher for her Believe tour in 1999...

Up tomorrow: another actor has a breezy top-10 hit