Cher recently shared some candid words about her friend and collaborator Diane Warren, though not all of them seemed to resonate with the iconic songwriter.
In the new documentary Diane Warren: Relentless, Cher described Warren with a mix of affectionate and cheeky terms: “Nuts, cheap, unrelenting, optimistic, sweet. She’s just crazy — oh my God. But she writes great songs.”
However, Warren took issue with one particular descriptor. “I don’t know why she calls me [cheap],” Warren told. “It’s not really cheap — I was never cheap. I paid for If I Could Turn Back Time.”
The backstory of the 1989 smash hit revealed Warren’s persistence in convincing Cher to record the track. Warren recounted how she had to go to great lengths, even personally covering the cost of the song, to get Cher on board.
Cher initially resisted the song with notable determination. “I kept saying, ‘No, I do not want to record this song. I don’t want to do it. I hate it,’” she recalled in the documentary. Despite her reluctance, she eventually agreed to record it, a decision that proved monumental.
Reflecting on the experience, Cher said with a laugh, “I thought she’s the cheapest chick I know. But from the moment I started to sing it, it was perfect.” According to Cher, the recording process was swift, taking her only “like 15 minutes.”
The song went on to become one of Cher’s most iconic hits, cementing its place in music history.
Warren even humorously celebrated the song’s anniversary on Instagram, playfully referencing Cher’s initial distaste: “Happy 35th Anniversary to the song U hated @Cher and I wrote when I was 4!”