1998-1999

Cher's 23rd studio album, 1998's Grammy Award-winning Believe marked an extreme departure for Cher, as the record was a sparkling collection of up-tempo dance tracks. The album was a critical and commercial success, reached the top spot in Germany and the Top 10 in nearly every country where it was released, including the big markets US, UK, Australia and France. Believe has been certified 4x Platinum in the U.S. and has sold 20 million copies worldwide. The Grammy Award-winning first single and title track was a worldwide smash, easily becoming the biggest hit of Cher's entire career. The song reached #1 in 23 countries around the world including the US, the UK, Germany, France and Australia. Believe made Cher, the oldest woman (at age 52) to have a number one hit in the rock era. It also gave her the distinction of having the longest span of #1 hits (more than 33 years) and the largest gap between number ones (10 days short of 25 years). Cher is also the only female artist to have solo Top 10 hits in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. On the UK Singles Chart, Believe claimed the number one slot for seven consecutive weeks, and also became the biggest-selling single ever by a female artist in UK.[citation needed] It sold more than 1 million copies in both, the UK and Germany. Believe is the third most successful song released by a solo female musician worldwide, the biggest selling single ever for Warner Bros. Records and the biggest selling dance song ever, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide. From the album, three other singles were released, with Strong Enough becoming a perfect follow-up hit in Europe, peaking at #3 in Germany and France as well as the UK Top Five, but failing to gain equally huge success in North America. All or Nothing and Dov'? L'Amore were also solid hits in Europe, but didn't get much attention in her native U.S.


Cher in the music video for Believe.Cher published her first memoir in late 1998, titled The First Time. Rather than a tell-all, the book was an intriguing collection of Cher's most significant first-time memories from her childhood, life and Hollywood career. In January 1999, Cher performed The Star-Spangled Banner in front of the Super Bowl XXXIII television audience. Cher also performed on the highly rated television special VH1 Divas Live 2, performing alongside contemporaries Tina Turner, Elton John, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, LeeAnn Rimes, Brandy and Whitney Houston . Later in 1999, Cher co-starred in the well-received Franco Zeffirelli film Tea With Mussolini (1999) with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright and Lily Tomlin. Her successful worldwide Do You Believe? Tour travelled throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, with the Emmy-nominated television special Cher: Live at the MGM Grand In Las Vegas airing by year's end.

On November 30, 1999 she released a compilation album The Greatest Hits that continued to build upon her huge popularity in Europe. The album entered the German Charts at #1 (her second consecutive German No.1 album) and peaked at number 7 on the official UK Albums Chart. This compilation was released only outside of the United States, due to the release of the North American only compilation, If I Could Turn Back Time: Cher's Greatest Hits which was released that same year. In Germany she became again best selling female artist of the year and was receiving her second ECHO Award (She and Madonna are the only female artist to do so).