"Half-Breed" is a song written by Al Capps and Mary Dean that was recorded by Cher in 1973.

Cher's version, recorded with instrumental backing by L.A. session 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 father and Cherokee mother. It contains themes of racism and double standards. The song reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cher's second solo Number 1 hit in the US. The single was certified Gold in the US in 1974 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, recorded and intended for the American market. Written and performed by non-Natives, it is a classic "Tragic mulatto" narrative, from a non-Native perspective, of a young woman with an Armenian father and an alleged Cherokee mother. The song offers a scenario to which the singer relates that oppressive Whites call her "Indian squaw", and claims that Native Americans do not accept her as one of their own because, "The Indians said I was White by law." The lyrics are in error, as the Cherokee (like most Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands) are a matrilineal culture, meaning that a child born to a Cherokee mother is accepted as Cherokee, no matter the nationality or ethnicity of the father, and thus the parental ethnicities would have to be reversed—a White mother and native father—for such a situation to arise.

The song is written in the key of A minor, with a moderato tempo of 116 beats per minute in common time. 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 and New Zealand, and a Top 10 hit in Australia and Quebec, 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 included it in her Do You Believe? Tour. In 2002, she did the song 326 times in her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. In 2018, she performed it during her Here We Go Again Tour. She sang it in Oceania but it was dropped after the first leg.

Cher performed the song on the following concert tours: Do You Believe? Tour (1999–2000) The Farewell Tour (2002–2005) Cher at the Colosseum (2008–2011) Dressed to Kill Tour (2014) Classic Cher (2017–2018) Here We Go Again Tour (2018)

Music video The video for "Half-Breed", a 1973 performance on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, features stereotypical "Hollywood Indian" imagery. Cher appears on horseback in a Bob Mackie-designed outfit combining elements unrelated to Cherokee culture, including a Plains-style warbonnet, a halter top inspired by a hair pipe breastplate, and a glittery loincloth. The set includes Pacific Northwestern totem poles and flames, also unconnected to Cherokee traditions.

Cher has faced criticism from Native American activists for cultural appropriation, continuing to use similar costumes in performances until 2017. In a 2017 Twitter exchange, she stated she would no longer perform the song or wear the costume. Rolling Stone noted the omission of "Half-Breed" from Cher's 2024 compilation Forever, attributing it to a broader trend of artists reassessing their catalogs in light of changing cultural sensibilities.

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", "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady".

Personnel According to the AFM contract sheet, excluding Cher’s vocals, the following musicians played on the track.

W.T. Babb - contractor Al Capps - session leader Hal Blaine Al Casey Gene Cipriano James Getzoff Thomas R. Hensley Donald Peake Emil Richards Samuel Boghossian John Durrill Jesse Ehrlich Raymond Kelley Lou Klass Jacob Krachmalnick William Kurasch Carl LaMagna Gayle Levant Leonard Malarsky Gordon Marron Gareth Nuttycombe Reinhold Prass Jr. Nathan Ross

Charts

Weekly charts + 1973 weekly chart performance for "Half-Breed"Chart (1973)PeakpositionAustralian Singles (Kent Music Report)4Canadian RPM Top Singles 1Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary1German Singles Chart29Israel (IBA) Search "Cher" for Israeli chart details.6New Zealand Singles Chart1Norwegian Singles Chart12Quebec (ADISQ)4Spain Top 40 Radio11Swedish Singles Chart6US Billboard Hot 1001US Billboard Easy Listening3US Cash Box Top100 1

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Half-Breed"Country (1973)RankAustralian Singles ChartAustralian-charts.com43Canadian RPM Top SinglesRPM chart archives at Collections Canada for the Cher single Half-Breed.13US Billboard Hot 10020US Billboard Top Easy Listening Singles 23US Cash Box Top 10016

Certifications and sales

Covers German singer Joy Fleming recorded a German-language version titled "Halbblut" ("Half-blood") as a single in 1973. It peaked in the West German charts at Number 38 in February 1974.

References