"Half-Breed" is a popular song recorded by Cher in 1973. Cher's version, recorded with instrumental backing by L.A. sessions musicians from the Wrecking Crew, was recorded on May 21, 1973 at Larrabee Sound in Los Angeles. Lyrically, the song describes the life of a girl who faces societal rejection due to having a

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

father and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

mother. It contains themes of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

and

double standards A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...

. The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Cher's second solo number 1 hit in the US. The single was certified Gold in the US for the sales of over 1 million copies.

Song information and story

The 1973 version was the first international release from Cher's album ''

Half-Breed Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white. Use by governments United States I ...

'', recorded and intended for the American market. Written and performed by non-Natives, it is a classic " Tragic mulatto" narrative, from a white perspective, of a young woman with a

father and an alleged

mother. The song offers a scenario in which oppressive whites call her "Indian

squaw The English word ''squaw'' is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non-Natives, is considered derogatory, misogynist, and racist.King, C. Richard,De/Sc ...

", and claims that Native Americans did not accept her as one of their own because she was considered white according to "Native law". The lyrics were in error in that the Cherokee (like most prominent Native American tribes) are a matrilineal society, meaning a child born to a Cherokee mother is accepted as Cherokee, no matter the nationality or ethnicity of the father; a child would have to have been born in the opposite situation—to a white (or otherwise non-native) mother by a Cherokee father—to not be recognized as a tribal member. The song is written in the key of A minor, with a moderato

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 116 beats per minute in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

. Cher's vocals span the notes of F3-A4.

Reception

In 1973, "Half-Breed" topped the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming Cher's second solo and third overall Number 1 hit, and second Gold certified solo single for the sales of over 1,000,000 copies. It was a Number 1 hit in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and a Top 10 hit in Australia and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, respectively. Peter Fawthrop wrote that this song has a jingling rhythm and that it is one of the lighter-hearted songs on the album. ''Rolling Stone'' recommended it and described Cher's vocals as frantic and the production as supremely commercial.Review by Paul Gambaccini of ''Rolling Stone''
Retrieved October 14, 2013

Live performances

In 1999, after almost 25 years of not performing the song live, Cher performed the song in her

Do You Believe? Tour Do You Believe?, also known as the Believe Tour, Cher Live in Concert DVD was the fourth solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour, which took place in 1999 and 2000, promoted her album, '' Believe.'' History The tour began o ...

. In 2002, she performed the song 326 times in her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. In 2018, she performed the song during her

Here We Go Again Tour The Here We Go Again Tour was the seventh solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher in support of her twenty-sixth studio album '' Dancing Queen''. This was the first time the singer had embarked on a world tour since her Living Proof: ...

. She performed it in

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

but it was dropped after the first leg. Cher performed the song on the following concert tours: *

(1999–2000) * The Farewell Tour (2002–2005) *

Cher at the Colosseum Cher was the second concert residency by American singer-actress Cher at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the three-year engagement, Cher received $60 million. Performing at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the first show occurred on May ...

(2008–2011) * Dressed to Kill Tour (2014) * Classic Cher (2017–2018) *

(2018)

Music video

The video for "Half-Breed" is a recorded performance of the song on ''

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was ...

'' in 1973, with stereotypical, " Hollywood Indian" imagery. Cher is on a horse, wearing a

Bob Mackie Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marle ...

imitation of men's regalia:

Plains In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. In ...

-style warbonnet, a halter top modeled after a hair pipe breastplate, and a glittery

loincloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or ...

. None of these things have ever been part of

clothing. Symbols the showrunners believed represented Native Americans—flames surrounding Pacific Northwestern

totem poles Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually m ...

, also not part of Cherokee culture—are also used as props.

Remix version

In 2002, a special remix medley was created by Dan-O-Rama for a video montage that was used in Cher's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. The medley contains the videos of "

All I Really Want to Do "All I Really Want to Do" is a song written by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson- produced 1964 album, ''Another Side of Bob Dylan''. It is arguably one of the most popular songs that Dylan wrote in the period immediately after he abandon ...

", "

Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1971 seventh studio album '' Chér'' (eventually reissued under the title ''Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves''). Kapp Records, a division of MCA Records, released it as ...

", "Half-Breed", and " Dark Lady".

Personnel

* Cher - lead vocals *

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

- drums

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

In popular culture

*An

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

female impersonator performs the song onstage in the 1999 film '' Flawless''. *The song appeared in the 2005 film ''

Lords of Dogtown ''Lords of Dogtown'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. The film follows a group of young skateboarders in Santa Monica, California during the 70s. This is the first (and so ...

''. *In 2012, the character Shania Clemmons of the TV series '' The New Normal'' sang this song during a talent show while impersonating Cher.

Covers

*Swedish singers Björn Skifs & Blåblus (Blue Swede) made one of the first covers in 1973. It appeared on their album ''Pinewood Rally'' and a compilation entitled ''Björns Bästa'' (Bjorn's Best). *German singer

Joy Fleming Joy Fleming (born Erna Raad, 15 November 1944 – 27 September 2017) was a German singer. She is best known for her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975. She performed the song " Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein" and was placed seve ...

recorded a German-language version "Halbblut" as a single in 1973. It peaked in the West German charts at no. 38 in February 1974. * Orchestra leader Ray Conniff recorded it with his singers in November 1973. It remained unissued until 2009 when it appeared on ''Ray Conniff: The Singles Collection, Volume 3''. *In 1990 it was covered by

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

but it was not released until 2001 on her album '' The Complete Limelight Sessions''. *It was covered by

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band House of Large Sizes. *Electronica artist

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

covered it for youth radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

's " Like a Version" segment. * RuPaul covered "Half-Breed" on ''The RuPaul Show''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Half-Breed (Song) 1973 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Cherokee in popular culture Cher songs MCA Records singles Songs against racism and xenophobia Song recordings produced by Snuff Garrett Songs about Native Americans RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand