“I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher

I don’t think that many people really consider this a ‘bad song’ (although Dave Barry does, according to his iconic volume Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs), but it does get some backlash simply because it was basically declared the official anthem of the Hippie generation, and while it does as good a job of living up to that as any song can be expected to do, a claim like that is never going to satisfy everyone. Granted, Sonny Bono is not overburdened with performing charisma (the guy had songwriting talent, but he never would have made it as a performer without Cher as his partner). Also granted, some of the lyrics might read a little trite on paper, but when set to the song’s soaring and stirring melody, they still sound every bit as profound that they were made out to be at the time. Granted, the actual vocal melody is one of those two-note wonders that people used to accommodate tone-deaf singers before autotune was invented, presumably so Sonny Bono can actually sing it. But the instrumental accompaniment, which manages to create the illusion that it is continually ascending into higher and higher keys with each repetition, provides all the melody the song could possibly need. This is still one of the best songs Cher ever released, and is further proof that the Soft Rock genre had genuine respectability before it was bastardized in the Eighties.

Verdict: Good.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *