Ask and ye shall receive a man after midnight…or, better yet, new Cher.
After teasing the track on Wednesday (August 8), the 72-year-old Burlesque icon – who has consistently brought the bops since 1965 (MARINATE ON IT FOR A MOMENT) – has blessed our homosexual eyes and ears yet again with the announcement of Dancing Queen, her ABBA covers album out on September 28, plus the lead single from the collection.
“I’ve always liked ABBA and saw the original Mamma Mia musical on Broadway three times. After filming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, I was reminded again of what great and timeless songs they wrote and started thinking ‘why not do an album of their music?’ The songs were harder to sing than I imagined but I’m so happy with how the music came out. I’m really excited for people to hear it. It’s a perfect time,” says Cher.
The album was recorded with Cher’s longtime collaborator Mark Taylor, who also did “Believe” among many other classics – including Britney‘s “And Then We Kiss,” my God.
First of all: the fact that she’s giving us a tribute to the ABBA ladies Agnetha and Anni-Frid with this perfect album cover?
As the teaser suggested, Cher’s take on “Gimme!” is pure camp overload; a stomping explosion of pulsating beats and popper whiffs – and, of course, Cher. Her over-the-top, drag show-ready delivery is unmistakable, and she’s having a total blast serving D-R-A-M-A on the dance floor.
And the production! Much like the first time Madonna‘s “Hung Up” permanently recoded my DNA in 2005, that legendary Swede-pop synth riff still sends a surge through my spine and puts a huge smile on my face, every time.
Mark also does some fun things throughout – the Cher vocoder is alive and well, of course – especially as the song stutters and glitches its way into its soaring, string-filled breakdown. (Now please, Brazil, get to making that Cherdonna mash-up immediately.)
Finally, some fun! Some gay, gay disco fun! And really, who else but Cher could help chase away the shadows away and take us through the darkness to the break of the day?
“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” was released on August 9. (iTunes)
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Photo credit: Warner Bros. Records
