After All (Cher and Peter Cetera song)
Released February 21, 1989
Recorded 1988
Genre Pop • adult contemporary
Length 4:03
Label Geffen Records
Writer(s) Dean Pitchford & Tom Snow
Producer(s) Peter Asher
“After All” is a 1989 Billboard Hot 100 hit song performed as a duet by American singer and actress Cher and American singer and bass player Peter Cetera (former lead vocalist of Chicago), released on February 21, 1989 by Geffen Records. It was used as the love theme for the movie Chances Are and was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards 1989. The song was also the first North American single release from Cher’s nineteenth album Heart of Stone. The song appears on Peter Cetera’s 1997 album You’re The Inspiration – A Collection.
The single peaked at number six in the United States and Canada. However, it did manage to enter some European charts, including Ireland, where it peaked at 24, and the United Kingdom, where it reached 84.
“After All” also became Cher’s first solo number one hit on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States, her earlier number one was in 1971 when Sonny & Cher’s “All I Ever Need Is You” spent five weeks at the top. It was ranked #79 on US Billboard Year-end Hot 100 singles of 1989. The song found strong success stateside, but no video was ever made to further promote it. It was certified Gold by the RIAA for the sales of 500,000 copies. As of November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of “After All” to be 226,000 in the US.
Peter Cetera and Cher recorded this song separately. There is no footage of Cher and Cetera ever performing this song live together. At the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990, the song was performed by James Ingram and Melissa Manchester.
Cher performed a solo version of the song during her Heart of Stone and Love Hurts tours. She then performed it with her keyboardist/musical director, Paul Mirkovich, for her Believe and Farewell tours. She currently performs it in her latest concert Cher at the Colosseum. These particular performances would accompany a video montage of Cher in film, which would start before the song begins.
Since the early 2000s, Peter Cetera has been performing “After All” during his live performances as a duet with female backing vocalists including Kim Keyes Jamelle Fraley, and Tania Hancheroff.
Personnel
Lead vocals by Cher and Peter Cetera
Drums: Carlos Vega
Percussion: Michael Fisher
Bass: Lee Sklar
Guitars: Waddy Wachtel, Michael Landau
Keyboards: Robbie Buchanan, Jon Gilutin