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Album Review
Heart of Stone Review by Cher Fan Club
Heart of Stone, Cher's 19th studio album, released on July 10, 1989, is a testament to her versatile artistry, blending pop rock and hard rock elements. This album was a significant milestone in Cher's career, showcasing her ability to evolve and remain relevant in the changing music landscape. The album achieved notable success, reaching the top ten in the United States and topping the charts in Australia. It includes hits like "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Just Like Jesse James," and is known for its blend of robust vocal performances and emotionally resonant lyrics.
Tracklist
Pick | # | Song | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
❤️ | 1 | “If I Could Turn Back Time” | Diane Warren | Diane Warren, Guy Roche |
❤️ | 2 | “Just Like Jesse James” | Diane Warren, Desmond Child | Desmond Child |
3 | “You Wouldn’t Know Love” | Diane Warren, Michael Bolton | Michael Bolton | |
❤️ | 4 | “Heart of Stone” | Andy Hill, Peter Sinfield | Peter Asher |
5 | “Still in Love with You” | Michael Bolton, Bob Halligan Jr. | Michael Bolton | |
❤️ | 6 | “Love on a Rooftop” | Diane Warren, Desmond Child | Peter Asher |
7 | “Emotional Fire” | Diane Warren, Desmond Child, Michael Bolton | Desmond Child | |
8 | “All Because of You” | Jon Lind, Sue Schifrin | Jon Lind | |
9 | “Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?” | Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Diane Warren, Desmond Child | Desmond Child | |
10 | “Starting Over” | Michael Bolton, Jonathan Cain | Michael Bolton | |
❤️ | 11 | “Kiss to Kiss” | Jon Lind, Mary D'astugues, Phil Galdston | Jon Lind |
❤️ | 12 | “After All” (with Peter Cetera)* | Tom Snow, Dean Pitchford | Peter Asher |
*Love theme from CHANCES ARE
Singles
"After All" (1989)
🎙️ Duet with Peter Cetera
🎼 Love theme from the film CHANCES ARE
🥇 US AC (BB): #1 (4w)
🌟 US Radio Adds (BB): #4
🌟 CAN: #5
🌟 US Billboard: #6
🌟 US Cash Box: #7
🚀 IRE: #24
🪁 AUS: #50
🪁 UK: #84
📀 US (RIAA): Gold
🏅 Academy Award for Best Original Song (1989)—Nominated
🔎 THE CFC BREAKDOWN: "After All," Cher's duet with Peter Cetera, became her defining romantic ballad of the 1980s. She later recalled having to push hard for the song—producers originally wanted "everyone but her." Winning that battle turned what might have been a routine soundtrack commission into one of her most enduring hits. Its sweeping, cinematic sound fit perfectly with 1989's CHANCES ARE, earning her a major Adult Contemporary success and reaffirming her presence on mainstream radio.
The track revealed a new facet of Cher's late-'80s comeback—one that reintroduced her to younger listeners as a sophisticated balladeer rather than the theatrical storyteller or arena rocker of earlier years. Immersed in the glossy, saccharine world of late-'80s power ballads, "After All" remains one of Cher's most iconic duets and a staple at contemporary weddings.
📰 BILLBOARD report—"Hot 100 Singles Spotlight" by Michael Ellis (Mar 4, 1989): "'After All' by Cher & Peter Cetera is one of the 10-most-added records at radio but does not enter the Hot 100 because it is not commercially available as a single until March 7; look for a strong debut next week."
📰 BILLBOARD column by Paul Grein ("Chart Beat," Mar 11, 1989): "'After All' debuts at No. 59, marking the first time that Cher has had a duet on the Hot 100 since her final entry with Sonny, 'Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs,' struggled to No. 77 in 1973."
✍🏻 CASH BOX review (Mar 11, 1989): "The song's a tad sappy, but if Peter Cetera had sung solo, he and producer Peter Asher may have come up with at least a listenable record. However, Cher's got a vibrato wide enough to jump an elk through, and she doesn't gel with Cetera's clean style."
📰 BILLBOARD column by Paul Grein ("Chart Beat," May 6, 1989): "We get letters: Rob Durkee of Los Angeles notes that Cher is the only artist who has cracked the top 10 with both a solo hit and a duet in each of the past three decades."
📰 RECORD MIRROR report—"ChartFile" by Alan Jones (UK, May 6, 1989): "Nearly 24 years after 'I Got You Babe,' her introductory hit with Sonny, reached No. 1, Cher is back in the top 10 with a new partner, erstwhile Chicago crooner Peter Cetera on 'After All.' No other artist can top Cher's span as a successful duetist."
🎼 Love theme from the film CHANCES ARE
🥇 US AC (BB): #1 (4w)
🌟 US Radio Adds (BB): #4
🌟 CAN: #5
🌟 US Billboard: #6
🌟 US Cash Box: #7
🚀 IRE: #24
🪁 AUS: #50
🪁 UK: #84
📀 US (RIAA): Gold
🏅 Academy Award for Best Original Song (1989)—Nominated
🔎 THE CFC BREAKDOWN: "After All," Cher's duet with Peter Cetera, became her defining romantic ballad of the 1980s. She later recalled having to push hard for the song—producers originally wanted "everyone but her." Winning that battle turned what might have been a routine soundtrack commission into one of her most enduring hits. Its sweeping, cinematic sound fit perfectly with 1989's CHANCES ARE, earning her a major Adult Contemporary success and reaffirming her presence on mainstream radio.
The track revealed a new facet of Cher's late-'80s comeback—one that reintroduced her to younger listeners as a sophisticated balladeer rather than the theatrical storyteller or arena rocker of earlier years. Immersed in the glossy, saccharine world of late-'80s power ballads, "After All" remains one of Cher's most iconic duets and a staple at contemporary weddings.
📰 BILLBOARD report—"Hot 100 Singles Spotlight" by Michael Ellis (Mar 4, 1989): "'After All' by Cher & Peter Cetera is one of the 10-most-added records at radio but does not enter the Hot 100 because it is not commercially available as a single until March 7; look for a strong debut next week."
📰 BILLBOARD column by Paul Grein ("Chart Beat," Mar 11, 1989): "'After All' debuts at No. 59, marking the first time that Cher has had a duet on the Hot 100 since her final entry with Sonny, 'Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs,' struggled to No. 77 in 1973."
✍🏻 CASH BOX review (Mar 11, 1989): "The song's a tad sappy, but if Peter Cetera had sung solo, he and producer Peter Asher may have come up with at least a listenable record. However, Cher's got a vibrato wide enough to jump an elk through, and she doesn't gel with Cetera's clean style."
📰 BILLBOARD column by Paul Grein ("Chart Beat," May 6, 1989): "We get letters: Rob Durkee of Los Angeles notes that Cher is the only artist who has cracked the top 10 with both a solo hit and a duet in each of the past three decades."
📰 RECORD MIRROR report—"ChartFile" by Alan Jones (UK, May 6, 1989): "Nearly 24 years after 'I Got You Babe,' her introductory hit with Sonny, reached No. 1, Cher is back in the top 10 with a new partner, erstwhile Chicago crooner Peter Cetera on 'After All.' No other artist can top Cher's span as a successful duetist."
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (1989)
💡 Previously unreleased B-side: "Some Guys"
🥇 AUS: #1 (7w)
🥇 CAN AC: #1 (4w)
🥇 US AC (BB): #1 (1w)
🥈 CAN: #2
🥈 ITA Airplay: #2
🥈 US Radio Adds (BB): #2
🥉 NZ: #3
🥉 US Billboard: #3
🥉 US Cash Box: #3
🌟 NLD: #4
🌟 LUX: #5
🌟 UK: #6
🌟 BEL Flanders: #6
🌟 IRE: #6
🌟 NLD: #6
🌟 CAN Quebec: #8
🌟 EUR Airplay: #10
🚀 SWE: #11
🚀 AUT: #14
🚀 GER: #16
🚀 EUR: #16
🚀 ITA: #25
🚀 CAN Digital Sales (2021): #28
💿💿 AUS (ARIA): 2× Platinum
💿💿 NZ (RMNZ): 2× Platinum
💿 UK (BPI): Platinum
📀 US (RIAA): Gold
🏅 #49 on VH1's "100 Greatest Videos of All Time" (2001)
🏅 Robert Dimery's "10,001 Songs You Must Download Before You Die" (UK, 2013)
🏅 #440 on Max's "Top 1,000 Greatest Songs of All Time" (Australia, 2019)
🏅 #30 on ROLLING STONE's "30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time" (2021)
🏅 #386 on BILLBOARD's "500 Best Pop Songs" (2023)
🏅 #43 on BILLBOARD's "100 Greatest LGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time" (2025)
✍🏻 CASH BOX review by Oscar Wednesday (Jul 1, 1989): "This is la Cher at her very best, a fantasy come true for those of us who dreamed of the day when the former Mrs. Bono/Allman would collaborate with songwriter/philosopher Diane Warren. (Remember 'We Built This City on Rock & Roll'?) Warren also co-produced this anthemic power ballad, which explains the sheer arena energy Cher evokes with her frighteningly sincere vocals. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is easily Cher's most hard-hitting number since 'Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves.'"
✍🏻 MUSIC & MEDIA review (Europe, Sept 16, 1989): "A well-produced FM sing-along that is already a hit in the US."
📰 "Diane Warren Reveals Cher's Reaction to 'If I Could Turn Back Time': 'F*** You, Bitch!'"—THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER story by Merle Ginsberg (Jul 21, 2014): "Although it seemed like most audience members at Cher's July 7 Staples Center show on her Dressed to Kill Tour were singing along, one, Diane Warren, actually wrote many of the hits. Before 'Just Like Jesse James,' Warren heard Cher give her usual disclaimer of never really liking it. 'But she's got the wrong song!' says Warren. 'The song she really hated was "If I Could Turn Back Time," but I held her leg down during a session and said, "You have to record it!"' Cher's response, according to Warren? 'F*** you, bitch! You're hurting my leg! OK, I'll try it.' Once Cher sang it, 'She gave me this look like, "You were right."' Meanwhile, 'If you look at Cher's song history, she's not always the best judge of her own material. I mean, she hated "I Got You Babe."'
📰 PEOPLE interview with songwriter Diane Warren (Jul 22, 1991): "Of course, [Warren] is willing to fight for [her songs]. When Cher initially turned down 'If I Could Turn Back Time,' Warren responded in the tradition of all great songwriters. 'I got on my knees and pleaded,' she says. 'I told her I wasn't going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did.'"
✍🏻 "30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time"—ROLLING STONE (Maura Johnston, Jun 19, 2021): "The leave-little-to-the-imagination fishnet bodysuit Cher wore in her 1989 video for 'If I Could Turn Back Time' was definitely not military regulation, but that didn't stop the shape-shifting pop icon and her director Marty Callner from shooting the clip on the USS Missouri, where she was surrounded by thrilled crew members. The Navy, however, was officially less amused, and 'moral outrage' ensued once the clip saw air. 'The Navy worked closely with the producer to ensure the video would be in good taste,' Lieutenant Commander James Edward Dooley wrote in a statement that came out after the video's launch. 'However, changes during the final stages of production, including Cher's revealing costume, were unanticipated, and led to overtones that we had sought to avoid during our pre-production planning.'"
✍🏻 "The 500 Best Pop Songs"—BILLBOARD (Oct 19, 2023): "'If I Could Turn Back Time' was the peak of Cher's second (third?) career act, with her long-time rock aspirations largely realized via a Diane Warren-penned power ballad with as much firepower as the USS Missouri. The clip provided Cher's first major MTV moment, as she delighted a ship full of sailors with her performance and her infamous leather-thonged outfit. The Missouri's liaison to the shoot insisted Cher change her wardrobe, but director Marty Callner says that he called the guy's bluff: 'Finally I said, "You go tell her she can't wear it."' Plenty of '80s hits packed a key change for their final chorus, but only 'Turn Back Time' whipped one out in the middle of the chorus, a delightfully unexpected final round of fireworks."
🥇 AUS: #1 (7w)
🥇 CAN AC: #1 (4w)
🥇 US AC (BB): #1 (1w)
🥈 CAN: #2
🥈 ITA Airplay: #2
🥈 US Radio Adds (BB): #2
🥉 NZ: #3
🥉 US Billboard: #3
🥉 US Cash Box: #3
🌟 NLD: #4
🌟 LUX: #5
🌟 UK: #6
🌟 BEL Flanders: #6
🌟 IRE: #6
🌟 NLD: #6
🌟 CAN Quebec: #8
🌟 EUR Airplay: #10
🚀 SWE: #11
🚀 AUT: #14
🚀 GER: #16
🚀 EUR: #16
🚀 ITA: #25
🚀 CAN Digital Sales (2021): #28
💿💿 AUS (ARIA): 2× Platinum
💿💿 NZ (RMNZ): 2× Platinum
💿 UK (BPI): Platinum
📀 US (RIAA): Gold
🏅 #49 on VH1's "100 Greatest Videos of All Time" (2001)
🏅 Robert Dimery's "10,001 Songs You Must Download Before You Die" (UK, 2013)
🏅 #440 on Max's "Top 1,000 Greatest Songs of All Time" (Australia, 2019)
🏅 #30 on ROLLING STONE's "30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time" (2021)
🏅 #386 on BILLBOARD's "500 Best Pop Songs" (2023)
🏅 #43 on BILLBOARD's "100 Greatest LGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time" (2025)
✍🏻 CASH BOX review by Oscar Wednesday (Jul 1, 1989): "This is la Cher at her very best, a fantasy come true for those of us who dreamed of the day when the former Mrs. Bono/Allman would collaborate with songwriter/philosopher Diane Warren. (Remember 'We Built This City on Rock & Roll'?) Warren also co-produced this anthemic power ballad, which explains the sheer arena energy Cher evokes with her frighteningly sincere vocals. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is easily Cher's most hard-hitting number since 'Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves.'"
✍🏻 MUSIC & MEDIA review (Europe, Sept 16, 1989): "A well-produced FM sing-along that is already a hit in the US."
📰 "Diane Warren Reveals Cher's Reaction to 'If I Could Turn Back Time': 'F*** You, Bitch!'"—THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER story by Merle Ginsberg (Jul 21, 2014): "Although it seemed like most audience members at Cher's July 7 Staples Center show on her Dressed to Kill Tour were singing along, one, Diane Warren, actually wrote many of the hits. Before 'Just Like Jesse James,' Warren heard Cher give her usual disclaimer of never really liking it. 'But she's got the wrong song!' says Warren. 'The song she really hated was "If I Could Turn Back Time," but I held her leg down during a session and said, "You have to record it!"' Cher's response, according to Warren? 'F*** you, bitch! You're hurting my leg! OK, I'll try it.' Once Cher sang it, 'She gave me this look like, "You were right."' Meanwhile, 'If you look at Cher's song history, she's not always the best judge of her own material. I mean, she hated "I Got You Babe."'
📰 PEOPLE interview with songwriter Diane Warren (Jul 22, 1991): "Of course, [Warren] is willing to fight for [her songs]. When Cher initially turned down 'If I Could Turn Back Time,' Warren responded in the tradition of all great songwriters. 'I got on my knees and pleaded,' she says. 'I told her I wasn't going to leave the room until she said yes, and finally, just to get rid of me, she did.'"
✍🏻 "30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time"—ROLLING STONE (Maura Johnston, Jun 19, 2021): "The leave-little-to-the-imagination fishnet bodysuit Cher wore in her 1989 video for 'If I Could Turn Back Time' was definitely not military regulation, but that didn't stop the shape-shifting pop icon and her director Marty Callner from shooting the clip on the USS Missouri, where she was surrounded by thrilled crew members. The Navy, however, was officially less amused, and 'moral outrage' ensued once the clip saw air. 'The Navy worked closely with the producer to ensure the video would be in good taste,' Lieutenant Commander James Edward Dooley wrote in a statement that came out after the video's launch. 'However, changes during the final stages of production, including Cher's revealing costume, were unanticipated, and led to overtones that we had sought to avoid during our pre-production planning.'"
✍🏻 "The 500 Best Pop Songs"—BILLBOARD (Oct 19, 2023): "'If I Could Turn Back Time' was the peak of Cher's second (third?) career act, with her long-time rock aspirations largely realized via a Diane Warren-penned power ballad with as much firepower as the USS Missouri. The clip provided Cher's first major MTV moment, as she delighted a ship full of sailors with her performance and her infamous leather-thonged outfit. The Missouri's liaison to the shoot insisted Cher change her wardrobe, but director Marty Callner says that he called the guy's bluff: 'Finally I said, "You go tell her she can't wear it."' Plenty of '80s hits packed a key change for their final chorus, but only 'Turn Back Time' whipped one out in the middle of the chorus, a delightfully unexpected final round of fireworks."
"Just Like Jesse James" (1989)
🥈 US Radio Adds (BB): #2
🌟 US Cash Box: #4
🌟 LUX: #7
🌟 EUR Airplay: #7
🌟 US Billboard: #8
🌟 CAN: #8
🌟 US AC (BB): #9
🌟 IRE: #10
🚀 UK: #11
🚀 CAN Quebec: #11
🚀 AUS: #14
🚀 NZ: #16
🚀 EUR: #29
🚀 GER: #38
🚀 BEL Flanders: #38
📀 AUS (ARIA): Gold
📀 NZ (RMNZ): Gold
🪙 UK (BPI): Silver
✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Oct 14, 1989): "Ballad sweeps with a powerful performance by the singer and a production that builds to an emotive climax."
✍🏻 MUSIC WEEK review by David Giles (UK, Jan 6, 1990): "Second track to be lifted from the HEART OF STONE LP and a better song than 'If I Could Turn Back Time.' This is Cher in her 'no nonsense' frame of mind as she lambasts her man. Forceful and dramatic; another big hit."
🌟 US Cash Box: #4
🌟 LUX: #7
🌟 EUR Airplay: #7
🌟 US Billboard: #8
🌟 CAN: #8
🌟 US AC (BB): #9
🌟 IRE: #10
🚀 UK: #11
🚀 CAN Quebec: #11
🚀 AUS: #14
🚀 NZ: #16
🚀 EUR: #29
🚀 GER: #38
🚀 BEL Flanders: #38
📀 AUS (ARIA): Gold
📀 NZ (RMNZ): Gold
🪙 UK (BPI): Silver
✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Oct 14, 1989): "Ballad sweeps with a powerful performance by the singer and a production that builds to an emotive climax."
✍🏻 MUSIC WEEK review by David Giles (UK, Jan 6, 1990): "Second track to be lifted from the HEART OF STONE LP and a better song than 'If I Could Turn Back Time.' This is Cher in her 'no nonsense' frame of mind as she lambasts her man. Forceful and dramatic; another big hit."
"Heart of Stone" (1990)
🪄 Originally recorded by Bucks Fizz
🌟 US Radio Adds (BB): #4
🚀 US Cash Box: #19
🚀 US Billboard: #20
🚀 IRE: #24
🚀 CAN: #26
🚀 US AC (BB): #30
🪁 UK: #43
🪁 AUS: #70
✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Feb 3, 1990): "Fave track from diva's current platinum opus is an acoustic-powered rocker destined to follow the top 10 success of its predecessors."
✍🏻 NME review by Terry Staunton (Apr 7, 1990): "The first thing to strike you is the similarity between this sleeve and that which graces the excellent Madonna single ['Vogue'] (Cher and Cher alike?). The second is that AOR can be fun and exciting. Perhaps the person I want to interview more than anyone else in the world, Cher is living proof that a dual acting/singing career can work. Miles better than the dreary 'Just Like Jesse James,' Peter Asher's production bubbles and squeaks with the excitement he completely failed to achieve on the last 10,000 Maniacs LP."
🌟 US Radio Adds (BB): #4
🚀 US Cash Box: #19
🚀 US Billboard: #20
🚀 IRE: #24
🚀 CAN: #26
🚀 US AC (BB): #30
🪁 UK: #43
🪁 AUS: #70
✍🏻 BILLBOARD review (Feb 3, 1990): "Fave track from diva's current platinum opus is an acoustic-powered rocker destined to follow the top 10 success of its predecessors."
✍🏻 NME review by Terry Staunton (Apr 7, 1990): "The first thing to strike you is the similarity between this sleeve and that which graces the excellent Madonna single ['Vogue'] (Cher and Cher alike?). The second is that AOR can be fun and exciting. Perhaps the person I want to interview more than anyone else in the world, Cher is living proof that a dual acting/singing career can work. Miles better than the dreary 'Just Like Jesse James,' Peter Asher's production bubbles and squeaks with the excitement he completely failed to achieve on the last 10,000 Maniacs LP."
"You Wouldn't Know Love" (1990)
🪄 Originally recorded by Michael Bolton
📍 Released only in Europe and Australia
🚀 IRE: #29
🪁 UK: #55
🫧 AUS: #153
✍🏻 MUSIC WEEK review (UK, Aug 4, 1990): "Another track from the HEART OF STONE LP which is a lot more steadfastly MOR and what you'd expect considering that Michael Bolton co-wrote and produced it. Probably a substantial hit."
💬 Kevin Reagan, designer of the single cover, on Instagram (Dec 9, 2025): "This was the first thing I was given to design on my first day in the music business. Cher. It was like the third or fourth single off her album at the time, and evidently no one in the Geffen art department wanted to do it. I could not believe it. I had photos by the great Herb Ritts to work with and did all the lettering and illustration by hand. I remember thinking I had absolutely hit the jackpot, job-wise. It was exactly where and what I wanted to be doing. About a year later, Cher and I would meet and I would design her next record, LOVE HURTS."
📍 Released only in Europe and Australia
🚀 IRE: #29
🪁 UK: #55
🫧 AUS: #153
✍🏻 MUSIC WEEK review (UK, Aug 4, 1990): "Another track from the HEART OF STONE LP which is a lot more steadfastly MOR and what you'd expect considering that Michael Bolton co-wrote and produced it. Probably a substantial hit."
💬 Kevin Reagan, designer of the single cover, on Instagram (Dec 9, 2025): "This was the first thing I was given to design on my first day in the music business. Cher. It was like the third or fourth single off her album at the time, and evidently no one in the Geffen art department wanted to do it. I could not believe it. I had photos by the great Herb Ritts to work with and did all the lettering and illustration by hand. I remember thinking I had absolutely hit the jackpot, job-wise. It was exactly where and what I wanted to be doing. About a year later, Cher and I would meet and I would design her next record, LOVE HURTS."
Videos
"If I Could Turn Back Time"
"If I Could Turn Back Time (Alt. Censored Version)"
"Heart of Stone"
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (MTV Video Music Awards)
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (Video Rehearsal)
"After All" (Heart of Stone Tour)
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (Heart of Stone Tour)
"If I Could Turn Back Time" (Viva el Espectaculo)
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