But You're Mine
single
CoverBut You're Mine by Sonny & Cher.jpg
ArtistSonny & Cher
AlbumThe Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér
B-sideHello
ReleasedLate 1965
GenrePop
Length3:00
LabelAtco
WriterSonny Bono
Prev year1965
Next year1966

"But You're Mine" is a 1965 pop song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by the duet Sonny & Cher. The lyrics tell about a hippie couple who do not fit into the society, but who are still happy because they have each other. The song reached the top 20 in the US and the United Kingdom.[1]

Composition and recording

In mid-August 1965, while returning to America from a two-week promotional tour of Britain, Bono noticed Cher repeatedly singing the Fortunes' "You've Got Your Troubles" to herself.[2][3] He composed "But You're Mine" and quickly committed a demo recording of the song to tape. Convinced it would be a hit, he presented the tape to Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, who was instead unimpressed.[4]

The American folk rock band the Lovin' Spoonful performed as studio musicians on the final recording.[5] Atco Records issued it a single in late 1965.[6]

Billboard described the song as an "exciting rhythm ballad with offbeat message lyric."[7]

Charts

Chart (1965)Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles[8]8
Canadian Quebec Singles (ADISQ)[9]12
UK Singles (OCC)[10]17
US Billboard Hot 100[11]15
US Cash Box Top 100[12]23

Cover versions

  • Benny Quick and Petra Prinz released a German cover "Wir gehen unsern Weg allein" in 1965.[13]
  • In 1966, Frank Alamo released a French cover "Ça ne fait rien car je t'aime" which reached no. 36 in the francophone part of Belgium.[14]
  • The song was covered by Patty Pravo as "Ragazzo triste" ("Sad Boy") with Italian text written by Gianni Boncompagni.[15] It was released as her first single in 1966 and reached no. 13 in the Italian charts the following year.[16] The song later appeared on Pravo's debut self-titled LP.

References

  1. ^ Bego 2001, p. 43.
  2. ^ Taraborrelli 1986, p. 79.
  3. ^ Hinman 2004, p. 62: Saturday [July] 31st [1965]: ... Sonny & Cher ... arrive in Britain to start a two-week promotional tour.
  4. ^ Taraborrelli 1986, pp. 79–80.
  5. ^ Edmonds 2002.
  6. ^ "Breakout Singles". Billboard. October 9, 1965. p. 42. – via Google Books
  7. ^ "Spotlight Singles". Billboard. October 2, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  8. ^ "R.P.M. Play Sheet". RPM. Vol. 4, no. 11. 1965-11-08. Retrieved 2023-06-25. – via Library and Archives Canada
  9. ^ "Palmarès reconstitués de la chanson au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2019-09-11. (Select "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" in section "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec".)
  10. ^ "SONNY & CHER | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  11. ^ "Sonny & Cher - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  12. ^ "Cash Box 100 Singles chart". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  13. ^ "BENNY & PETRA | WIR GEHEN UNSERN WEG ALLEIN" (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  14. ^ "Frank Alamo - Ça ne fait rien car je t'aime" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  15. ^ "Patty Pravo - Ragazzo triste". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  16. ^ "M&D: Classifiche" (in Italian). musicaedischi.it. Retrieved 2023-06-25. (Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, enter "Patty Pravo" in the "Artista" field, and click "cerca".)

Sources