"But You're Mine" is a 1965 pop song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by the duet Sonny & Cher. The lyrics tell about a hippie couple who do not fit into the society, but who are still happy because they have each other. The song reached the top 20 in the US and the United Kingdom.[1]
| "But You're Mine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Swedish picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Sonny & Cher | ||||
| from the album The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér | ||||
| B-side | "Hello" | |||
| Released | Late 1965 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Atco | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sonny Bono | |||
| Sonny & Cher singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition and recording
editIn mid-August 1965, while returning to America from a two-week promotional tour of Britain, Bono noticed Cher repeatedly singing the Fortunes' "You've Got Your Troubles" to herself.[2][3] He composed "But You're Mine" and quickly committed a demo recording of the song to tape. Convinced it would be a hit, he presented the tape to Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, who was instead unimpressed.[4]
The American folk rock band the Lovin' Spoonful performed as studio musicians on the final recording.[5] Atco Records issued it a single in late 1965.[6]
Billboard described the song as an "exciting rhythm ballad with offbeat message lyric."[7]
Charts
edit| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[8] | 8 |
| Canadian Quebec Singles (ADISQ)[9] | 12 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 15 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[12] | 23 |
Cover versions
edit- Benny Quick and Petra Prinz released a German cover "Wir gehen unsern Weg allein" in 1965.[13]
- In 1966, Frank Alamo released a French cover "Ça ne fait rien car je t'aime" which reached no. 36 in the francophone part of Belgium.[14]
- The song was covered by Patty Pravo as "Ragazzo triste" ("Sad Boy") with Italian text written by Gianni Boncompagni.[15] It was released as her first single in 1966 and reached no. 13 in the Italian charts the following year.[16] The song later appeared on Pravo's debut self-titled LP.
References
edit- ^ Bego 2001, p. 43.
- ^ Taraborrelli 1986, p. 79.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 62: Saturday [July] 31st [1965]: ... Sonny & Cher ... arrive in Britain to start a two-week promotional tour.
- ^ Taraborrelli 1986, pp. 79–80.
- ^ Edmonds 2002.
- ^ "Breakout Singles". Billboard. October 9, 1965. p. 42 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. October 2, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "R.P.M. Play Sheet". RPM. Vol. 4, no. 11. November 8, 1965. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Palmarès reconstitués de la chanson au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019. (Select "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" in section "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec".)
- ^ "SONNY & CHER | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ "Sonny & Cher - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- ^ "Cash Box 100 Singles chart". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ "BENNY & PETRA | WIR GEHEN UNSERN WEG ALLEIN" (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "Frank Alamo - Ça ne fait rien car je t'aime" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "Patty Pravo - Ragazzo triste". italiancharts.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "M&D: Classifiche" (in Italian). musicaedischi.it. Retrieved June 25, 2023. (Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, enter "Patty Pravo" in the "Artista" field, and click "cerca".)
Sources
edit- Bego, Mark (2001). Cher: If You Believe. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publications. ISBN 978-0-8154-1153-6 – via Google Books.
- Edmonds, Ben (2002). Do You Believe in Magic (Liner notes). The Lovin' Spoonful. Buddha Records, Kama Sutra Records. 74465 99730 2.
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings, and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
- Taraborrelli, J. Randy (1986). Cher: A Biography. New York City: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-13170-8 – via the Internet Archive.