Music Friday: Cher Is Wearing Sonny's Ring in 1965's #1 Hit, 'I Got You Babe'

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we flash back to the summer of 1965 — a time of hippies, bell bottoms, flower power and a chart-topping duo named Sonny & Cher singing “I Got You Babe.”

In this love song about a young couple willing to challenge societal norms, Cher famously assures Sonny, “So let them say your hair’s too long / ‘Cause I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong.” In the jewelry reference, Sonny serenades, “I got flowers in the spring. I got you to wear my ring.”

Written by Sonny Bono, “I Got You Babe” was the duo’s biggest single and signature song. It ascended to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charted in 18 countries, including Singapore, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.

Sonny revealed in a 1966 interview that the song was inspired by first-hand experiences.

“I know what it is like to be kicked around because you dress differently,” Sonny told Musical Express. “I know what it is like to see the girl you love hurt because a hotel refuses you admission because of your dress. I know what it is like to have that one person stand by you. There are a lot of other people who have experienced these things and I’m trying to put our feelings into words for everyone.”

Despite being named one of the greatest duets of all times by both Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines, “I Got You Babe” was nearly thrown on the scrap heap.

Apparently, Ahmet Ertegun, the head of Atco Records, didn’t really care for the song, and was planning to relegate it to the “B” side of Sonny & Cher’s single, “It’s Gonna Rain.”

Even Cher admitted that she was hardly enthusiastic when she sang it for the first time. Sonny agreed to change the key in the bridge to suit Cher’s range and then she loved it.

Sonny was sure they had a hit, but Ertegun was still not convinced. Sonny pitched the song to the program director of Los Angeles radio station KHJ. He made a deal that allowed the station to have the song exclusively if they played it once an hour.

The station’s listeners couldn’t get enough of “I Got You Babe” and Ertegun finally agreed to publish it as the “A” side.

“I Got You Babe” had a key role in the 1993 movie, Groundhog Day, as Bill Murray, playing an arrogant TV weatherman, finds himself reliving February 2 in a perpetual time loop. Every morning at exactly six o’clock Murray wakes to the clock-radio playing the Sonny & Cher ditty.

Check out the video of Sonny & Cher performing “I Got You Babe.” The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

“I Got You Babe”
Written by Sonny Bono. Performed by Sonny & Cher.

Cher: They say we’re young and we don’t know
We won’t find out until we grow
Sonny: Well I don’t know if all that’s true
‘Cause you got me, and baby I got you

Sonny: Babe
BOTH: I got you babe, I got you babe

Cher: They say our love won’t pay the rent
Before it’s earned, our money’s all been spent
Sonny: I guess that’s so, we don’t have a pot
But at least I’m sure of all the things we got

Sonny: Babe
BOTH: I got you babe, I got you babe

Sonny: I got flowers in the spring, I got you to wear my ring
Cher: And when I’m sad, you’re a clown
And if I get scared, you’re always around
Cher: So let them say your hair’s too long
‘Cause I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong
Sonny: Then put your little hand in mine
There ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb

Sonny: Babe
BOTH: I got you babe I got you babe

Sonny: I got you to hold my hand
Cher: I got you to understand
Sonny: I got you to walk with me
Cher: I got you to talk with me
Sonny: I got you to kiss goodnight
Cher: I got you to hold me tight
Sonny: I got you, I won’t let go
Cher: I got you to love me so

BOTH: I got you babe
I got you babe
I got you babe
I got you babe
I got you babe

Credit: Image by CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

'Good Trouble' Star Cierra Ramirez Is Rockin' a Rectangular Cushion-Cut Diamond

Good Trouble star Cierra Ramirez's 2.9 million Instagram followers got an unexpected thrill Sunday when the self-described "luckiest girl in the world" shared pics of her surprise engagement to musician OTHRSYDE. The 28-year-old showed off her new rectangular cushion-cut diamond engagement ring in two of the six carousel shots.

OTHRSYDE, whose actual name is Jonathan Zallez, proposed on bended knee in a lush backyard decorated with white candles and bouquets of white roses. A string ensemble played in the background as Ramirez covered her mouth in surprise. More than 30 of their closest friends and family were on hand to share in the special moment.

Ramirez's cushion-cut diamond appears to be prong-set on a dainty diamond-accented yellow gold band.

In the couple's joint Instagram post, the actress wrote, "Spoiler alert: I said YES! I prayed for a love like yours @othrsyde. I also couldn’t have dreamt up a better proposal if I tried… in my hometown with everyone I love! You are the most thoughtful person & I can’t wait to annoy you for the rest of my life hehehe I’m the luckiest girl in the world."

She punctuated her post with an Engagement Ring emoji and two White Heart emojis.

She also acknowledged the friends who helped organize the celebration and those who flew to Houston to surprise her.

"…You made one of the best days of my life THAT much more memorable," she wrote.

She concluded the post with the phrase, "Wow. Pinch meeeee" followed by a Six Horizontal Line emoji (symbolizing love, warmth, caring and affection), and a final White Heart emoji.

Ramirez is best known for her breakout performance as Mariana Adams Foster in the Freeform television series The Fosters, and her spin-off series, Good Trouble. OTHRSYDE, 27, is a musician, Instagram model and influencer.

Priscilla Quintana, who has the recurring role of Isabella on Good Trouble, commented on Instagram, "That ring is EVERYTHING… Congrats you both."

Ramirez and OTHRSYDE have been a couple since August 2019, most recently celebrating their four-year anniversary together with a romantic trip to Spain and France.

Credits: Images via Instagram / cierraramirez.

98-Carat Bismarck Sapphire Was a Honeymoon Gift From Roaring Twenties Tycoon

In 1926, American tycoon Harrison Williams married Mona Bush, a divorcée 24 years his junior. Aboard his 250-foot yacht, the Warrior, the couple embarked on a year-long, around-the-world honeymoon, and during a stopover in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), the 53-year-old public utilities mogul picked up a beautiful cornflower blue sapphire for his new bride.

That 98.57-carat cushion-cut gem, which is now known as the Bismarck Sapphire, is one of the world’s finest examples of September’s official birthstone. Visitors to the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, will see the Bismarck Sapphire Necklace prominently displayed alongside two other famous sapphire pieces, the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace and the Logan Sapphire.

Originally set horizontally in a necklace designed by Cartier in 1927, the Bismarck Sapphire was rotated into a vertical position when Mona had the necklace updated in 1959. The necklace on display in Washington, D.C., is accented with eight square-cut blue sapphires and 312 baguette and round brilliant-cut diamonds.

Gem experts believe that the Bismarck Sapphire was originally much larger than 98.57 carats and that it was likely recut by Cartier to attain optimum clarity and brilliance after returning to the states from Sri Lanka. Traditionally, Sri Lankan cutters favored carat weight over ideal proportions.

When Williams set off on his year-long honeymoon he was considered one of the richest men in America. His fortune was estimated at $680 million (equivalent to about $11.2 billion today).

The stock market crash of 1929 took a heavy toll on their fortune, but still, the Williamses maintained their ritzy lifestyle and, by 1933, Mona had earned the distinction of becoming the first American voted the “Best Dressed Woman in the World.”

Harrison Williams died in 1953, and two years later Mona would marry the German Count Eduard von Bismarck. At this point, the American socialite became known as Countess Mona von Bismarck. In 1967, at the age of 70, the Countess donated her beloved necklace to the Smithsonian. Mona died in 1983 at the age of 86.

Historically, the finest and most vibrant gem-quality sapphires have come from Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma) and the Kashmir region of India. According to the Smithsonian, sapphires from Sri Lanka are typically light to medium blue and are commonly referred to as “Ceylon Sapphires.”

All sapphires are made of the mineral corundum (crystalline aluminum oxide). In its pure state, the corundum is colorless, but when trace elements are naturally introduced to the chemical composition, all the magic happens.

Blue sapphires occur, for instance, when aluminum atoms are displaced with those of titanium and iron in the gem’s crystal lattice structure. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, compared to a diamond, which has a hardness of 10.

Sapphires are seen in many colors, including pink, purple, green, orange and yellow. Ruby is the red variety of corundum.

Credit: Bismarck necklace photo by Chip Clark/Smithsonian, digitally enhanced by SquareMoose.

Music Friday: Locket Inscription Reflects Spirit of Amanda Marshall's 'Dark Horse'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you hit songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Canadian songstress Amanda Marshall throws caution to the wind while wearing a very special locket in her 1995 chart-topper, “Dark Horse.”

In the song she co-wrote with Dean McTaggart and David Tyson, Marshall tells the story of a 19-year-old girl who enters into a whirlwind relationship with the new guy in town. The locals criticize her for being a crazy, romantic fool, but Marshall’s heart tells her that this could be “the lucky one.” Despite the long odds, she’s willing to put her money on this “dark horse.”

She sings, “I wear your locket, our picture’s inside / Inscription says ‘The joy’s in the ride’ / And I believe / That something so sacred / Is something worth this kind of fight / Cause love knows no patience / You can’t please everyone all the time.”

“Dark Horse” was the fifth single released from Marshall’s successful self-titled debut album, which sold more than one million copies in Canada alone. The single peaked at #5 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart and #1 on RPM‘s Adult Contemporary chart.

Interestingly, while appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show in 1995, Elton John commented that he was listening to Marshall’s just-released album and that “Dark Horse” would be a “guaranteed hit.”

Born in Toronto in 1972, Amanda Meta Marshall immersed herself in music as a child. She studied intensively, and her talents yielded her a spot at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene in her teens, she met Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist Jeff Healey, who was impressed by her powerful voice. She eventually toured with Healey and then released her debut album a few years later. It was a monumental work that spawned six Top 40 hits.

A year later, in 1996, her song “This Could Take All Night” was included in the original soundtrack of the motion picture Tin Cup. One year later, Marshall’s “I’ll Be Okay” was featured on the original soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding. She was nominated as Best Songwriter at the 2000 Juno Awards.

Marshall took a long break from the recording business as she worked through a dispute with her record label. In June of 2023, the 51-year-old Marshall finally returned to the music scene with the release of a new album, Heavy Lifting, supported by a Canada-wide tour.

Please check out the official video for Marshall’s “Dark Horse.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

“Dark Horse”
Written by Dean McTaggart, David Tyson and Amanda Marshall. Performed by Amanda Marshall.

Indian summer
Abilene
You were new in town, I was 19
And sparks flew

They called us crazy behind our backs
“Romantic fools” we just let them laugh
Because we knew

It may be a long shot
We may get lonely down the line
But love knows no reason
And I won’t let ’em make up my mind

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is sayin' it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

The stars are brighter in the desert sky
No need to wonder or justify
Where this will lead

I wear your locket, our picture’s inside
Inscription says, "The joy’s in the ride"
And I believe
That something so sacred
Is something worth this kind of fight
Cause love knows no patience, no
You can’t please everyone all the time

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

So rare
So sweet
Together baby, I know
We can
Disappear
Be free

Ohh, my money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

Indian summer
Abilene
You were new in town, I was 19

Credit: Photo by Allen McGregor from Brampton, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Massive Diamond-Encrusted Gold Coin Is a Gleaming Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

An Indian luxury brand has pulled out all the stops in its gleaming tribute to Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the beloved British monarch who reigned for more than 70 years and died nearly a year ago on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. The East India Company unveiled on Monday a massive commemorative coin — really an objet d’art — that is wider than an NBA basketball, weighs 3.61kg (7.95 lbs) and glistens with 6,426 diamonds weighing 486 carats.

The creator has valued the "The Crown Coin" at a whopping $23 million. The current record for the most expensive coin ever auctioned is held by a 1933 American “Double Eagle,” which sold for $18.9 million at Sotheby’s New York in June 2021.

The Crown Coin is actually a coin of many coins.

The most ornate face includes a series of 10 .999 1oz gold coins orbiting a much larger 1kg (35.27oz) gold coin, similar in formation to the way the planets orbit the Sun. The smaller coins feature portraits of the late monarch as well as the personifications of the six virtues as featured on the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace. These are widely acknowledged as the guiding principles set down by Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and carried forward by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).

The outer ring of this face is inscribed with notable quotes from her coronation oath in 1953. On the upper rim, it says, "The things I have here before promised I will perform and keep so help me God." The lower rim has this quote: "Throughout all of my life and with all my heart I will strive to be worthy of your trust."

The diamond array on the multi-coin face is said to be inspired by Elizabeth II's tiaras. The diamond formation on the effigy side of the coin follows the lines of the British flag.

The commemorative coin is not considered legal tender, although the smaller coins included in the design are.

From concept to fabrication, The Crown Coin was truly an international collaboration. According to The East India Company website, the coin was conceived in Britain and designed in Sri Lanka and England. The outer ring of gold was made in India and engraved in Singapore. The coins were minted in Germany and The Netherlands. The diamonds were cut and polished In Australia, South Africa and Canada, and certified in the US by the Gemological Association of America. And finally, the coin was assembled in India. Exactly 83 artisans lent their skills to this project, which took more than one year to complete.

"Queen Elizabeth II was an inspiration for many generations, embodying the virtues which guided her through the past seven decades and which are celebrated in this rare and exceptional tribute," noted Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and CEO of The East India Company.

Back in May of 2022, The Royal Mint produced the largest coin in its 1,100-year history to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s historic 70-year reign. The one-of-a-kind "Platinum Jubilee" coin was made of .999 gold and weighed 15kg (33.1 lbs). Its diameter of 22cm was slightly smaller than The Crown Coin at 24.4cm (9.6 in). The coin carried a denomination of £15,000, but the value of the precious metal at the time of its release was £776,595 ($982,000).

Credits: Images courtesy of The East India Company.