Cher Scored Her Biggest No. 1 Hit 33 Years After Her First—But One Major Regret Left Her Paying the Price

Cher has never been one to hold back, especially when it comes to her own career decisions.

Decades after proving she could conquer the charts on her own terms, the pop legend scored the biggest hit of her entire life, surpassing her early success with ex-Sonny Bono. But behind the record-breaking monster track was a single, behind-the-scenes decision that still stings.

In July 1965, Sonny & Cher topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks with “I Got You, Babe.” The song was a huge hit and helped define a spectacular career that followed, making the duo one of the most successful married couples in entertainment history.

However, it wasn’t until March 1999 that Cher, as a solo artist, topped her early success with the dance track “Believe.” The song was a smash, claiming Billboard’s top spot for four weeks, surpassing her earlier success.

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Behind the studio doors of “Believe,” however, Cher made a choice that cost her far more than she anticipated. She discussed the error in a 2023 sit-down with The Guardian.

Cher liked the lyrics of “Believe” but wanted its lead character to be more confident. She revealed, “I thought, ‘A girl can be sad in one verse, but she can’t be sad in two verses.’”

The multi-hyphenate continued, “I just won’t have it. So, then I thought of the lines, ‘I’ve had time to think it through / and maybe I’m too good for you.’ I should have asked for a writing credit. I was so stupid!”

In a subsequent interview on BBC2’s Tracks of My Years, Cher added the following statement to her original remarks. “I was so stupid I didn’t ask. I could’ve gotten a lot of money.”

“Believe” has writing credits attributed to Brian Higgins, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, Timothy Powell, and Stuart McLennan. Cher is not listed as a songwriter on the track.

The Recording Academy reported the song “reached No. 1 in 21 different countries across the globe (including a four-week stint at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.), and sold 11 million copies.” However, in addition to beating her own chart-topping record, “Believe” was impactful in the music industry for many other reasons.

RELATED: The Cher Song That Shocked Everyone — and Topped the Charts

The song earned Cher her first Grammy Award. Although she was previously nominated with then-husband Sonny Bono for Best New Artist (1966) and Best Pop Duo (1972), plus a solo Best Female Pop Vocal nod in 1972 for “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” the win took 33 years to arrive.

The secret success behind “Believe” wasn’t just a great beat and Cher’s vocals; it was a studio trick nobody saw coming. According to the Recording Academy, Auto-Tune was typically used as a tool to correct recording session mistakes.

However, her producers leaned into the sound, giving Cher’s unmistakable voice a wild twist. She dug her heels in when her record label asked for Auto-Tune to be removed.

Cher’s instincts were spot on. She refused to back down, and “Believe” created a sound that was used in the music industry for years after.

Losing out on royalties for the biggest hit song of your life likely wasn’t easy to brush off, but Cher has never been one to feel sorry for herself. Three decades after “I Got You Babe,” she showed the entire music industry she could still own the charts on her own terms—even if she didn’t get the credit she deserved.

Related: Cher Defied Censors to Wear an Iconic, Forbidden TV Outfit in 1971