If I Could Turn Back Time went on to reach number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became Cher’s first number one hit in Australia, while also breaking into the top ten charts across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Despite this success, the song nearly did not happen at all. Cher strongly disliked Warren’s demo and tried to walk out of the session, only to be persuaded back when Warren and producer Guy Roche refused to let the song go unheard. Once Cher put her voice on the track, she realised it worked.
The recording was entirely analogue and took place across several Los Angeles studios, with a large portion of the key tracking handled at Bill Schnee’s studio. Schnee’s custom built transistor console, partnered with a room known for its clarity and punch, became central to the sound of the single. Drums by Mark T. Williams and bass by John Pierce were tracked together through this desk, and engineer Frank Wolf captured the kit with an unusually luxurious set of microphones.
Schnee owned several Telefunken 251s that were too beaten up for vocal work, and they were used on the toms, while the overheads were either additional 251s or Neumann U67s. A pair of M50s captured the room. The combination produced an exceptionally crisp snare and a deep, controlled ambience that became one of the strongest elements in the final mix. Wolf went to great lengths during setup, using all tube microphones on the kit and spending a considerable amount of time perfecting the imaging before committing anything to tape.
Guy Roche had programmed the original demos and continued building the arrangements in the studio, adding layers of acoustic piano, Rhodes and guitars alongside Cher’s parts. Steve Lukather played the dominant guitar work on the track, including the opening figure and the main recurring strum pattern, and he was repeatedly called back to add more lines as Cher requested heavier guitar presence throughout the song. Additional percussion was supplied by Victor Feldman, while the congas that appear throughout were played by Lenny Castro.
Background vocals were cut at Schnee’s studio using multiple configurations of Desmond Child, Maria Vidal, Jean McClain, Michael Anthony, Robin Beck and Jimmy Demers. Some passes were recorded close up for definition, while others were taken from more than six metres away to capture the natural room reflections. The U47 tube microphone was chosen for Cher’s lead vocal, and the takes were later comped by Roche over two nights. A small amount of Publison processing was added during the vocal work.
Frank Wolf mixed the single at the Complex, working on George Massenburg’s custom console and juggling as many as five analogue machines at once. These reels held the various overdubs, harmonies, guitar textures and effects returns, which meant long rewind and lock times while the machines were synchronised. The sessions were made even more memorable when Roche’s pet parrot managed to chew through the ribbon cable that linked the console to the automation computer, temporarily shutting down the system. Even during mixdown, Cher continued requesting additional guitar parts, sending Lukather in for yet more overdubs. The final production combined all these elements into a dense but controlled arrangement that supported her voice without overwhelming it.
The single’s music video amplified its impact and controversy. Directed by Marty Callner, it placed Cher aboard the battleship USS Missouri, performing in front of the ship’s crew in a fishnet bodystocking and a revealing costume designed by Bob Mackie. The Navy had approved the shoot in hopes of boosting recruitment, but the final visuals caused significant backlash from military groups and family organisations. MTV responded by restricting the video to post 9pm broadcasts. Despite the outcry, the visual helped cement the song’s cultural presence and remains one of the most recognisable videos of the late 1980s.
Over the years, If I Could Turn Back Time has appeared on numerous tours and continues to be one of Cher’s essential live numbers. Critics praised its production, describing it as a polished and powerful soft rock anthem with a strong FM radio character. It has since been recognised in lists such as Rolling Stone’s “Sexiest Music Videos of All Time” and Billboard’s “Greatest LGBTQ+ Anthems”. What began as a song Cher refused to sing ended up becoming one of the most successful and culturally enduring singles of her entire career, built through meticulous studio work, a distinctive set of analogue recording tools and a memorable collaboration between Diane Warren, Guy Roche, Frank Wolf and Bill Schnee.