Cher Reworks an Old Hollywood Showtune for Joe Biden Campaign

Cher gave the finale performance on Sunday night’s I Will Vote livestream concert, reworking an old Hollywood showtune from the 1943 movie musical Cabin in the Sky to show her support for Joe Biden.

The song, aptly titled “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe,” was originally written by Harold Arlen and Yip Hapburn and sung by Ethel Waters in one of the earliest Hollywood musicals to feature an all-black cast.

For her performance of “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe,” Cher reworked the lyrics to fit the message of the presidential campaign. “Right now, our country’s gloomy/Fear is in the air/But when Joe is president, hope is everywhere/Troubles fly away, and life is easy go/Joe will keep us safe, that’s all we need to know,” she sang.

On Monday, Cher released a studio single for “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” to Spotify and other streaming services.

Other performers and presenters at the I Will Vote virtual fundraiser included Pink, John Legend, the Black Eyed Peas, Foo Fighters, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Amy Schumer, Helen Mirren, Maren Morris, Billy Porter, the cast of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Armie Hammer, and Jon Bon Jovi, all of whom turned out in support of the Biden and Kamala Harris ticket.