Strong Enough (Cher song)

"Strong Enough" is a song by American recording artist Cher from her twenty-second studio album Believe (1998). The song was released as the second single from the album. It was released on February 22, 1999, by Warner Bros, and WEA. The song's composition and musical style is strongly reminiscent of 1970s disco music. The song received positive reviews from music critics, many calling it a highlight to Believe. The song had less success in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number fifty-seven, but did top the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play charts. It also went to number one in Hungary and into the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

"Strong Enough"
Single by Cher
from the album Believe
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1999 (1999-02-22)
Recorded1998
GenreDisco
Length
  • 3:44 (album version)
  • 3:33 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mark Taylor
Cher singles chronology
"Believe"
(1998)		 "Strong Enough"
(1999)		 "All or Nothing"
(1999)
Music video
"Strong Enough" on YouTube

Background and reception

"Strong Enough" was released as the second international single from Cher's twenty-second studio album Believe, which was released in 1998. However it was not successful in the US until it received more airplay following the release of promotional remixes. The song, along with "Believe", has become one of her most successful songs to date.

"Strong Enough" received favorable reviews from music critics. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet stated that the song "will be as great for the distressed" as Gloria Gaynors' "I Will Survive".[1] AllMusic wrote that "Cher herself merely moves through the beat factory with one drab vocal range, blending butt-shaker."[2] Randy Cordova from The Arizona Republic described the song as a "thumping retro-disco tune".[3] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that it "picks up right where "Believe" left off." He noted that the "retro-disco" song is "irresistibly catchy, jubilant as a prayer revival, and an ideal partner as kids prepare to buddy up with radio as school finishes up. Everything about this anthemic track is obvious from the rust listen: Cher is again in peak form, set in front of a string-laden, thump-happy beat that will have folks tapping toes and snapping fingers from Maine to Minnesota." He also added that "no doubt, this is the biggest no-brainer hit we've heard this year."[4] Matt Stopera and Brian Galindo from BuzzFeed commented, "Always overshadowed by "Believe", "Strong Enough" was also a great '90s dance song!"[5] The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith said that "this is the most comfortable and relaxed she has ever sounded musically."[6] Irish Independent picked it as one of the "highlights" from the Believe album, noting it as "rousing".[7] Deborah Wilker from Knight Ridder said "Strong Enough" is the best song of the album, calling it a "catchy feminist chant" and "her very own "I Will Survive"".[8]

Chart performance

"Strong Enough" had peaked at number fifty-seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, staying in the charts for twelve weeks. The song did not receive much attention in the United States, but when the promo remixes were released, the song had peaked at number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play. It also peaked at number thirty-one on the U.S. Pop Songs, number twenty-nine on the U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and number forty on the U.S. Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks.[9]

Elsewhere, the song was successful, mostly getting in the top ten in most countries. The song had peaked at number six in New Zealand, and also peaked at number eleven in Australia.[10] The song was also very well received in Europe. The song peaked at number one in Hungary, and had also peaked at number seven in Finland, until falling out the third week and number three in France, staying in the charts for twenty-four weeks.[11] The song had also peaked at number twenty-one in Sweden, five in Switzerland, four in Austria, eleven in The Netherlands and sixteen in Norway. The song also debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart, until descending the rest of the way, finally finishing at number fifty-six.[12]

Music video
Cher performing "Strong Enough" at her 2014 Dressed to Kill Tour during a gladiator-themed segment of the show.

The music video for Strong Enough was directed by Nigel Dick and was released worldwide in early 1999. A promo VHS tape and CD-R were also released in the U.S., but are very rare. The video promo also includes the remixed version of the video.

In this video, Cher is a computer virus and her role is an advisor who tells a bad boyfriend the reasons why his girlfriend (played by Shannyn Sossamon) will leave him. Teens in a party, two women, two robbers and many gothic instrument players also appear in the video.

A couple of months after the release of the original music video for Strong Enough, Dan-O-Rama (best known for his work remixing videos) created the "Vocal Club Edit" video for this song. He used the Strong Enough (Pumpin' Dolls Vocal Epic Club) remix and Club 69 Future Edit* promo only for DJs in 2000. The original music video is also featured on 'The Very Best Of Cher: The Video Hits Collection'

Live performances

Cher performed the song on the following concert tours:

Legacy

In 2020, the Chicago Tribune listed "Strong Enough" as one of the "25 Pride anthems of all time", and stated that "one could easily interpret the lyrics to be about a repressive society that she is no longer willing to tolerate."[13]

Charts and certifications

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom February 22, 1999 (1999-02-22)
  • CD
  • cassette
 Warner Bros. [69]
United States May 11, 1999 (1999-05-11)
WEA [70]

Cover versions

References
  1. Aftonbladet. July 1, 1999.
  2. Review by Allmusic Retrieved October 25, 2013
  3. "Cher: Ageless diva survives and thrives". The Arizona Republic. June 16, 1999. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  4. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. May 22, 1999. p. 25. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  5. Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  6. "Cher - Believe". The Daily Vault. September 6, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. "CHRISTY MOORE. THE POGUES AND MARY". Irish Independent. December 9, 1998. page 49. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  8. "Cher throws more curves with latest album, 'Believe'". Knight Ridder. November 10, 1998. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  9. "Believe - Cher". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  10. Steffen Hung. "Cher - Strong Enough". charts.nz. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  11. Steffen Hung. "Cher - Strong Enough". lescharts.com. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  12. "Cher - Strong Enough". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  13. "Here are the top 25 Pride anthems of all time".
  14. "Cher – Strong Enough". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  15. "Cher – Strong Enough" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  16. "Cher – Strong Enough" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  17. "Cher – Strong Enough" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  18. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  19. "Cher Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  20. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8124." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  21. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8469." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  22. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8153." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  23. "danskehitlister". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  24. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 18. May 1, 1999. p. 47. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  25. "Cher: Strong Enough" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  26. "Cher – Strong Enough" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  27. "Cher – Strong Enough" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  28. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 19. May 8, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  29. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 17. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  30. "Íslenski Listinn NR. 318 Vikuna 9.4. – 16.4. 1999". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). April 9, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  31. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Strong Enough". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  32. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  33. "Cher – Strong Enough" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  34. "Cher – Strong Enough". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  35. "Cher – Strong Enough". VG-lista. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  36. "Major Market Airplay – Week 18/1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 18. May 1, 1999. p. 23. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  37. "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  38. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  39. "Hits of the World: Spain" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. April 3, 1999. p. 59. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  40. "Cher – Strong Enough". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  41. "Cher – Strong Enough". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  42. "Cher: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  43. "Cher Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  44. "Cher Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  45. "Cher Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  46. "Cher Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  47. "Cher Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  48. "Cher Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  49. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". ARIA. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  50. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1999" (in German). Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  51. "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  52. "Rapports annuels 1999" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  53. "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. December 13, 1999. Retrieved October 31, 2015 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  54. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. January 1, 2000. p. 11. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  55. "1999 European Radio Top 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. January 1, 2000. p. 13. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  56. "Classement Singles - année 1999" (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  57. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1999" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  58. "Single Top 100 Van 1999" (PDF) (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  59. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  60. "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1999" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on January 22, 2005.
  61. "Swiss Year-end Charts 1999". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  62. "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100" (PDF). Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 27. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  63. "The Year in Music: 1999" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  64. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  65. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1999". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  66. "French single certifications – Cher – Strong Enough" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  67. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Cher; 'Strong Enough')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  68. "British single certifications – Cher – Strong Enough". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  69. "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 February, 1999" (PDF). Music Week. February 20, 1999. p. 31. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  70. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1298. May 7, 1999. pp. 77, 83.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.