For today’s edition of Well-Meaning Pop Songs From the 70’s That Make You Cringe, I could have gone with Elvis doing “In the Ghetto,” but that would have been too easy. Instead, we’ve got Cher, with “Half Breed.” This particular performance comes from the Sonny & Cher show, and allow me to suggest that the sensitivity the song displays toward people of mixed racial heritage is undermined just a smidge by the fact that they’ve got her sitting atop a horse in some kind of Indian-themed bikini, with-you guessed it-a headdress atop her head. Toss in a totem pole (which they do), and she’s good to go:
Paul Waldman is a weekly columnist and senior writer for The American Prospect. He also writes for the Plum Line blog at The Washington Post and The Week and is the author of Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn From Conservative Success. Follow @paulwaldman1 More by Paul Waldman