But You're Mine Explained

But You're Mine
Cover:	But You're Mine by Sonny & Cher.jpg
Caption:	Swedish picture sleeve
Type:	single
Artist:	Sonny & Cher
Album:	The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér
B-Side:	Hello
Released:	Late 1965
Genre:	Pop
Length:	3:00
Label:	Atco
Prev Title:	The Revolution Kind
Prev Year:	1965
Next Title:	What Now My Love
Next Year:	1966

"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.

Composition and recording

In mid-August1965, 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.^[1] 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.

The American folk rock band the Lovin' Spoonful performed as studio musicians on the final recording. Atco Records issued it a single in late1965.^[2]

Billboard described the song as an "exciting rhythm ballad with offbeat message lyric."^[3]

Charts

Chart (1965)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Top Singles^[4]	8
Canadian Quebec Singles (ADISQ)^[5]	12
UK Singles (OCC)^[6]	17
US Billboard Hot 100^[7]	15
US Cash Box Top 100^[8]	23

Cover versions

• Benny Quick and Petra Prinz released a German cover "Wir gehen unsern Weg allein" in 1965.^[9]
• 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.^[10]
• The song was covered by Patty Pravo as "Ragazzo triste" ("Sad Boy") with Italian text written by Gianni Boncompagni.^[11] It was released as her first single in 1966 and reached no. 13 in the Italian charts the following year.^[12] The song later appeared on Pravo's debut self-titled LP.

References

Sources

• Book: Bego . Mark . Mark Bego . Cher: If You Believe . 2001 . . Lanham, Maryland . 978-0-8154-1153-6 . en . Google Books.
• Edmonds . Ben . Do You Believe in Magic . Do You Believe in Magic (album) . . 2002 . Liner notes. . 74465 99730 2.
• Book: Hinman . Doug . The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings, and Broadcasts, 1961–1996 . 2004 . . San Francisco, California . 978-0-87930-765-3.
• Book: Taraborrelli . J. Randy . J. Randy Taraborrelli . Cher: A Biography . 1986 . . New York City . 978-0-312-13170-8 . registration . the Internet Archive.

Notes and References

1. Saturday [July] 31st [1965]: ...Sonny & Cher... arrive in Britain to start a two-week promotional tour.

2. Breakout Singles. October 9, 1965. Billboard. 42. Google Books.
3. News: Billboard. 2021-03-09. October 2, 1965. 16. Spotlight Singles.
4. R.P.M. Play Sheet . . 4 . 11 . 1965-11-08 . 2023-06-25 . Library and Archives Canada.
5. Web site: Palmarès reconstitués de la chanson au Québec. BAnQ. French. 2019-09-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190516133233/http://www.banq.qc.ca/collections/collections_patrimoniales/musique/collection_numerique/bd_specialisee/palmares/. 2019-05-16. (Select "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" in section "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec".)
6. Web site: SONNY & CHER full Official Chart History . 2012-11-30 . Official Charts Company.
7. Web site: Sonny & Cher - Awards. 2015-03-12. AllMusic. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120806041442/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sonny-cher-mn0000042993/awards. 2012-08-06.
8. Web site: Cash Box 100 Singles chart . cashboxmagazine.com . 2015-04-16 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130228191210/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19651106.html . 2013-02-28.
9. Web site: BENNY & PETRA WIR GEHEN UNSERN WEG ALLEIN . offiziellecharts.de . 2023-06-25 . de.
10. Web site: Frank Alamo - Ça ne fait rien car je t'aime . . 2023-06-25 . fr.
11. Web site: Patty Pravo - Ragazzo triste . italiancharts.com . 2023-06-25.
12. Web site: M&D: Classifiche . musicaedischi.it . 2023-06-25 . it. (Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, enter "Patty Pravo" in the "Artista" field, and click "cerca".)