First review: Cher’s ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’

What did we do to deserve you, queen? That was the thought running through our heads when Cher dropped the bombshell last month that she was releasing an entire album of ABBA covers.

It came after her scene-stealing turn as Meryl Streep’s mum (all grannies should be this glamorous) in movie musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, for which she put her own inimitable spin on ‘Fernando’.

We were GAGGED at the initial announcement and now we’ve been left gagging for more after hearing the diva’s delectable rendition of ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’.

In fact, we are currently suffering from a severe case of finger cramp right now from hitting the repeat button a few too many times. But the pain is totally worth it (as we reach for the button once again).

There are no real surprises when listening to Cher’s re-do, and we mean that as a compliment: she hasn’t done a subtle, subdued version backed by piccolos, for example.

Instead, she has brought the original earworm – first released by the Swedish outfit in 1979 – bang into the 21st-century, opening with grinding guitars before diving into a throbbing dance bassline; there is not a soul out there, to quote the lyrics, who will be able to resist bopping along.

And, if there is, we don’t know want to know them.

🎂time pic.twitter.com/222E1D3m2B

— Cher (@cher) August 8, 2018

Good news, too, Cher has been reunited with an old friend, her vocoder, giving the song an added dollop of auto-tune awesomesauce. The tool hasn’t been over-used, though, and the 72-year-old (can you Believe?) still sounds mightily impressive.

A taste of the greatness to come, this f-ABBA-ulous (groan) first single – available now if you pre-order the album, due out this autumn – is everything fans could possibly want, cheesy, camp and as catchy as a cold sore (no need for Zovirax, either).

So forget turning back time, we want to fast forward so we can hear what magic Cher has sonically sprinkled on the rest of ABBA’s catalogue of hits.

Listen to ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ below:

Words: Tom Stichbury