20 years since Cher topped the pop chart with 'Believe'

It's been 20 years since Cher's song "Believe" topped the Billboard pop chart.

According to one estimate in the New York Times, at least ten songwriters — credited and uncredited — worked on the lyrics and melody for "Believe," but Cher wasn't happy with the result. Then, producer Mark Taylor tried running Cher's vocals through a new voice-tuning software program, which digitally distorted her voice.

That version of "Believe" became Cher's first number one hit in a quarter century. It also popularized the use of Auto-Tune as something more than just a quick fix for a singer's pitch.

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