Recorded - June 9, 1971
Released - August 3, 1971
#1 for weeks of November 6 and 13, 1971.
It's been six years since they managed to reach #1 with "I Got You Babe", but now we return to the music career of Sonny and Cher. By 1971, the duo had fallen out of the popular conscious. With the arrival of the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and Cher's "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", a comeback was imminent. Couple this with her first of Cher's many image changes and the wheels were set in motion for the glamour-centric singer most know Cher by today.
Of course, "Gypsys..." wasn't written by Cher, or even Sonny Bono for that matter. The tune was composed by Bob Stone, who isn't exactly a well-known songwriter. True to the song's title, the music has a rather haunting and minor-keyed gypsy and eastern-European sound. It certainly makes the tune stand out a bit compared to other pop songs being released during the year.
Even though Cher isn't singing from experience, her husky alto voice combined with her flashy image are a perfect match for the song's lyrical content. Say what you will about the campiness of Sonny & Cher but she could certainly carry a tune back in the day. We're still miles away from the robotized auto-tuned vocals of "Believe".
Still, I imagine the reason this record managed to top the charts had more to do with image, rather than the song itself. Cher was known throughout the 1960's for dressing like a hippie as far back as 1965. Now, take a look at her live performance of "Gypsies..." from the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. She has a big hairstyle, heavy makeup, and a loud outfit. It's all quite a contrast from the carefree hippie days.
Final Verdict - Whether "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" topped the charts because of image, or because of music, I'd still rank it as an interesting and entertaining song. It's a departure from what I'd normally listen to, but I find the instrumentation as well as Cher's vocal performance to be well-suited together. Even if the mere mention of Sonny & Cher gives you the shudders, I'd still recommend giving the song an unbiased listen.
Coming Up Next - "Theme From Shaft" by Isaac Hayes.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and I'm a nomad, wanderer & swindler -
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