⭐"Dark Lady" (1973)
💡 Released in December 1973 as the follow-up to October's US No. 1 single "Half-Breed"
💡 In March 1974, it became Cher's second consecutive—and fourth overall—No. 1 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100, tying her with Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, and Connie Francis for the most US No. 1s by a female solo artist at the time
🥇 US Billboard: #1 (1w)
🥈 US Cash Box: #2
🥈 CAN: #2
🥉 US AC (BB): #3
🌟 CAN Quebec: #4
🌟 DNK: #9
🌟 NOR: #10
🚀 NZ: #12
🚀 NLD: #15
🚀 AUS: #17
🚀 BEL Flanders: #22
🚀 UK: #36
🪁 BEL Wallonia: #48
📀 US (RIAA): Gold
🏅 Robert Dimery's "10,001 Songs You Must Download Before You Die" (UK, 2013)
✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Jan 5, 1974): "There's a similar feel and quality to Cher's previous singles about people with some shading to their background. The question here is who is this dark lady that she sings about. A full orchestra lends a powerful backing to her fine reading."
✍🏻 CASH BOX review (Jan 5, 1974): "There's no denying that Cher has finally got her act together and is getting a good, long run out of it. This powerhouse follow up to her last 'Half-Breed' smash is highlighted by a story line reminiscent of her great 'Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves', with a string section that ties the pretty package together in making for another top 10 winner for the lady who is going to have difficulty missing. No dark horse here, this one is hit all the way."
✍🏻 RECORD WORLD review (Jan 5, 1974): "The 'Camp Vamp' returns with another ditty about a shady lady. Her 'Half Breed' was one of the top records of last year and she starts '74 with this winner. Interesting story line, top Snuff Garrett production."
📰 "Cher: Back to the Dance Floor!"—DANCE MUSIC AUTHORITY cover story by Johnny Danza and Dean Ferguson (Jan 1999): "We asked if there were any recordings that she regretted. She thought for a moment and then said, pointedly, 'No.' We pressed the issue, albeit gently, just a little bit further by asking if any of her older hits made her shudder when she heard them on the radio, but she remained cheerfully, unshakably steadfast. 'I try not to shudder when I hear any of them', and she clearly doesn't care about anyone else's opinions of them either. 'I remember playing "Dark Lady" for David Geffen, and Joni Mitchell was there, and a whole bunch of cool people. And David said, "Sweetheart, that song is horrible! Do they have to put it out?" and I said, "Yeah, Dave... they do!"'"
💬 "Cher Reflects on 50 Years on the BILLBOARD Charts"—BILLBOARD interview with Cher by Keith Caulfield (August 7, 2015): "[In the early '70s] I was into Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, and the Eagles, and those were the kinds of songs I wanted to do [but instead] I was doing these kind of poppy songs. I was not content, necessarily, to do them ... I never liked 'Dark Lady,' and it was a big hit. I was hanging around with Anjelica Huston, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty ... They're making fabulous art and I'm making 'Dark Lady.' But then they were huge hits, and so, you know, somebody says, 'You can't argue with huge hits, Cher' ... ['Dark Lady' is] very kitsch and seemed to go along well with people's idea of who I was at that point [but] I wanted to do harder rock. I got a chance to do it later."
✍🏻 ROLLING STONE retrospective review by Colin St. John (Sept 15, 2018): "If you've never heard 'Dark Lady' before—or even if it's been a while—we'd suggest you do it twice. First, as you watch this campy, fabulous [live performance] from THE SONNY & CHER COMEDY HOUR and, then, again as you bewilderingly gaze upon a cartoon that's a step-by-step exposition of the plot of the song. And what a song! No wonder Cher has a show coming to Broadway soon."
