Cher is willing to be brutally honest with her friends.
The 79-year-old music icon gave her longtime collaborator, Diane Warren, a dose of brutal honesty, Warren revealed in a new Instagram post on Friday. Warren, 69, shared a snap of the pair arm in arm with the caption, “‘You’re annoying but U write great songs’ haha thnx @Cher.” The comment comes after three decades of collabs between the music icon and the 17-time Oscar nominee.
Warren co-wrote and produced Cher’s 1989 track “If I Could Turn Back Time,” their most notable work together, as well as “Just Like Jesse James,” and the much later “Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” Warren’s legendary career also includes songs she’s written for Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin, Céline Dion, and more. But according to Cher, as great as her work is, that doesn’t mean her friend isn’t “annoying” at times.
In fact, Warren told The Hollywood Reporter that Cher initially hated their smash hit, “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Warren recalled, “I held her leg down during a session and said, ‘You have to record it!’” She said that Cher replied, “F--- you, b----! You’re hurting my leg! OK, I’ll try it.”
The song became a major international hit, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Its music video became one of Cher’s biggest cultural moments. Warren’s ability to make a hit continued, though it has yet to gain her one of the most sought-after trophies.
The Songwriters Hall of Famer broke the record for most Oscar nominations without a win this year, when her song, “Dear Me,” as performed by Kesha in the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless, lost the Best Original Song Oscar to South Korean sensation “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. Warren wrote in a post to Facebook after the ceremony, “Well at least I’m consistent! And I set a new record tonite!! But U know me, I will be back if you’ll have me!!!”
