1966

The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér

Album Review

The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér Review by Richie Unterberger from AllMusic

Listening to Sonny & Cher's second album, The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér, it's difficult to conceive of how they could have been called rebellious, or even categorized as folk-rock. It's pleasant Spectorian mid-'60s pop-rock (heavy on the bells and glockenspiel especially), overburdened by the surfeit of cover versions that are the telltale sign of a rush job. At any rate, their taste in cover material was eclectic and for the most part good: the Exciters' "Tell Him," and the Zombies obscurity "Leave Me Be," the minor Kinks hit "Set Me Free," and "Bring It On Home to Me," along with more MOR items like "What Now My Love" and "Summertime." Sonny Bono's sole solo hit, the Dylanesque "Laugh At Me," is here, as are a couple of other throwaway originals. The CD reissue on Sundazed has three bonus cuts, including another ersatz solo Bono folk-rock number ("The Revolution Kind"), the single "Have I Stayed Too Long," and the previously unreleased cover of Buck Owens' "Crying Time."

Tracklist

Pick	#	Song	Writer(s)	Producer(s)
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Singles

"But You're Mine" (1965)

🎙️ As Sonny & Cher
💡 Previously unreleased B-sides: "Hello" (spoken word by Sonny & Cher) and "The Revolution Kind" (solo by Sonny)

🌟 CAN: #8
🚀 CAN Quebec: #12
🚀 US Billboard: #15
🚀 UK: #17
🚀 US Cash Box: #23
🚀 GER: #23
🪁 AUS: #89

🔎 THE CFC BREAKDOWN: By mid-1965, with "I Got You Babe" topping charts on both sides of the Atlantic, Sonny & Cher were under heavy pressure to follow it up. They now had two active contracts—Atco for the duo and Imperial for Cher's solo work—each demanding new singles and full albums, all while their former label Reprise flooded the market with reissues of their old Caesar & Cleo material. The move briefly boosted sales but splintered radio play and diluted the commercial momentum they had just built.

While in London, Cher became fixated on The Fortunes' "You've Got Your Troubles." Sonny borrowed its melodic contour to craft "But You're Mine," which the duo recorded in New York with members of The Lovin' Spoonful. Convinced they had another hit, Sonny presented the master to Atco's Ahmet Ertegun, whose lukewarm response—"So where's the hit?"—proved prescient.

Released in October 1965, "But You're Mine" rode the lingering wave of "I Got You Babe" and "All I Really Want to Do," performing respectably but falling short of their earlier triumphs. The song's winding structure and static chorus undercut its melodic strength, leaving it a moderate success rather than a smash.

In an attempt to revive interest, Ertegun commissioned a French adaptation. Sonny & Cher recorded French vocals, but Sonny's parts were later removed, creating the hybrid "Je m'en balance car je t'aime" for release in France and Canada. The full-French take, "Mais tu es à moi," would appear only in 1967 as the B-side of "Petit homme" in Canada.

✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Oct 2, 1965): "With four disks riding the Hot 100 chart, the hot duo keep up their winning streak with this exciting rhythm ballad, with offbeat message lyric from the pen of Sonny. Another No. 1 contender."

✍🏻 "Sonny & Cher: Another No. 1?"—NME review by Derek Johnson (UK, Oct 15, 1965): "The mood is established by a toe-tapping walking-pace beat, interlaced with chiming bells and tambourine, then in come the duo to interchange stanzas of this catchy number, again written by Sonny. It's a simple tune which registers very quickly, and it's enhanced by that volume of sound we've come to associate with their discs. But there are no harmony passages, and I'd have liked some. Forecast: Should reach No. 2, though the Stones' new one may prevent it from getting to the top. Flip: Nothing more than an off-the-cuff chat, mainly by Sonny, in which the duo introduce themselves, and thank the public for its support. Very odd!"

"Je m'en balance car je t'aime" (1965)

🎙️ As Sonny & Cher
📍 Released only in Canada, 1965 (Atco FR. 6381), backed with "Sing C'est la vie"
💡 Partly French, partly English version of "But You're Mine"
💡 The complete French version, "Mais tu es à moi," appeared in 1967 as the B-side of "Petit homme" (Atco LF 117X), another Canada-only single likely aimed at the Quebec market

🔎 THE CFC BREAKDOWN: "Mais tu es à moi," the full French version of "But You're Mine," was recorded in late 1965 for Francophone release but remained shelved until 1967. For reasons unknown, Atlantic Records withheld it, instead creating a hybrid that kept Cher's French parts while restoring Sonny's original English verses.

This hybrid, retitled "Je m'en balance car je t'aime," saw two limited releases in late 1965: as the B-side of the French edition of Sonny's solo single "The Revolution Kind," and as the A-side of a Canada-only single (Atco FR. 6381) backed with "Sing C'est la vie," likely targeting Quebec.

The "Franglais" cut later appeared on two French EPs in 1966 (ATCO-108 and ATCO-112) before the complete French version finally surfaced in late 1967 as the B-side of the Canada-only single "Petit homme."

"What Now My Love" (1966)

🎙️ As Sonny & Cher
🪄 English adaptation of Gilbert Bécaud's "Et maintenant" (lyrics by Carl Sigman)
💡 In Japan, the sides were reversed, with "I Look for You" as the A-side

🌟 CAN: #7
🌟 BEL Flanders: #10
🚀 UK: #13
🚀 US Billboard: #14
🚀 US Cash Box: #18
🚀 CAN Quebec: #31
🪁 AUS: #48

🏅 Robert Dimery's "10,001 Songs You Must Download Before You Die" (UK, 2013)

📰 "Jump the Gun on Sonny & Cher Disk"—BILLBOARD report (Jan 22, 1966): "A radio scramble was started last week by Atco's release of the new Sonny & Cher record, 'What Now My Love.' Before the record had been officially issued, tapes of the disk were being played on a number of radio stations in the west. When the disk was released, radio stations in the east started piping the disk to affiliates to enable them to air it on tape before actual receipt of the disk jockey samples."

✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Jan 22, 1966): "The much recorded semistandard gets its most unusual and commercial treatment. This is the one to put the duo back at the top again. Strong teen beat backing."