1989 Hit Music Video Was Banned-Then Added to MTV After Hours
In 1989, Cher made major waves with her song "If I Could Turn Back Time." The song, which was the lead single from the album Heart of Stone, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Sept. 23, 1989. But it was the music video that really caused a buzz.
Under the direction of Marty Callner, the music icon filmed the video on the World War II battleship USS Missouri, with hundreds of sailors appearing as extras, with the hopes of boosting Navy recruitment. But Cher's racy wardrobe-a Bob Mackie fishnet number that bared her bottom-outraged Naval officials who were unaware of the outfit beforehand.
"The Navy worked closely with the producer to ensure the video would be in good taste," Lt. Cmdr. A. J. Dooley wrote in a statement to The Los Angeles Times following the debut of the music video. "However, changes during the final stages of production, including Cher's revealing costume, were unanticipated and led to overtones that we had sought to avoid during our pre-production planning."
Amid immense backlash from military veterans, MTV banned Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" video before ultimately agreeing to only air it after 9 p.m., according to Yahoo Entertainment.
Cher, who turned 80 on May 20, reflected on the song and video during a 2022 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The music icon noted that Diane Warren wrote the song specifically for her.
"She brought it to me, and I didn't wanna do it," Cher admitted. "I kept saying no. I kept saying, no, no, and no. And then, she said, ‘I'll pay for it if it doesn't turn out great.'… And the moment I started, the song just sung itself."
Of the music video, Cher recalled, "Well, I remember Bob saying, 'Don't tell anybody I made this [outfit].' And when I see it, I think, ‘You might have gone a little bit too far this time.'"
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Speaking with Clarkson, Cher revealed that she did "so many different things" during the video shoot, including riding in a speedboat and climbing up the side of the Missouri, but all that was used in the video was her prancing about in the skimpy outfit.
"Look, it's bold," she said of the video. "It might be past bold, it's crass, but I don't care…. It was, for me, it's never been a statement of how far I can push something. It's always been a statement of, ‘This is what I want to do.'"
Mackie told Yahoo that he did tell Cher that he was embarrassed by the outfit and all of the negative attention it received. "And, of course, it played forever, and we're still seeing it," he added of the video. "Nobody else could get away with it, let me tell you."
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 11:38 AM.