Tina Turner will always be the undisputed queen of Rock n’ Roll.
The diva – with a fierce stage presence and killer legs, has inspired a generation of female performers and singers who have arrived to the scene in her wake. And even as generations passed on, she continued to enthrall international audiences with her on-stage charisma and gritty vocal performances, decade after decade.
Tina famously started off in the music scene with her then husband and musical partner Ike Turner, with whom she created some of her most iconic tunes, beginning with their 1961 debut album – The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner, released as a duo.
Through decades of music, and her departure from Ike and the abusive marriage that nearly consumed her, Tina bowed with her final studio album way back in 1999 – when she released Twenty Four Seven. Although there were a number of compilation and live albums released after that from her label.
Her decades-long career sprouted many unforgettable classics that rightfully earned her the title of the Queen of Rock and Roll.
Looking back at some of them, here are Tina’s 10 best songs:
10) Nutbush City Limits
Released as a single in 1973 under the musical partnership of Ike and Tina, this song was written by Tina herself and served as an ode to her hometown of Nutbush. Serving as one of her most iconic recordings, that has come to be recognized as one of her signature songs.
9) We Don’t Need Another Hero
The song was featured in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome starring Mel Gibson, in which Tina also played an important role. Written by Graham Lyle and Terry Britten, the song earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award nomination for Tina for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. One of her powerhouse bombastic recordings, that exemplified her more Pop-rock sound.
8) The Best
Another signature recording that reeks of that signature Tina sound. Although it was originally recorded by another iconic singer – Bonnie Tyler first and was featured on her 1988 album Hide Your Heart, it is popularly remembered as a classic-Tina tune, even as she recorded and released it just a year after the original came out.
7) Goldeneye
One of her most powerful studio vocal performances, reeking of a theatrical style – the song served as the theme song for the 1995 released James Bond film GoldenEye, starring Pierce Brosnan. When it comes to power-packed Bond-theme songs, this one sits right up there with Dame Shirley Bassey’s 1964-releaed ‘Goldfinger’, featured on the James Bond film of the same name.
6) Better Be Good To Me
Written by Mike Chapman, Holly Knight, and Nicky Chinn, and featured on Tina’s fifth solo studio album – Private Dancer (1984), the song takes a special place in the hearts of fans because of it’s generic message of being treated rightly in a relationship. And with Tina troubled abusive marriage in the backdrop of the minds of the listeners, and her impassioned vocal delivery that conveys the message with sheer conviction – this becomes an instant classic, that tells the Tina story and yet remains universally appealing.
5) Help!
It is not easy to top an original by none other than The Beatles, that has already garnered a reputation of being one of their best recordings – but Tina bared her soul on this cover more than ever, with an unabashed display of heartbreaking vulnerability, when she recorded it for her 1984 album Private Dancer.
4) Private Dancer
The titular song from her 1984 album, written by Mark Knopfler of British Rock band – Dire Straits. The song was originally meant to be recorded by the band in 1982, but the lyrics were found unsuitable for a male singer, so it eventually landed on Tina’s lap 2 years later – becoming a trademark classic for her.
The album, marking her comeback after her previous solo effort from 1979, signified her advent to a new level of international stardom and iconic status. With the success of the album, by the late 1980’s, Tina started shattering stadium records as a live performer across multiple countries. During her Tour in 1988, she set a then-Guinness World Record for the largest audience in a concert (180,000) for a solo performer.
3) What’s Love Got To Do With It
“Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?”
The song has everything that reeks of peak 1980’s Tina. And it was forever etched as an indelible part of the singer’s legacy after it was used as the name of her big-screen biopic released in the year 1993. A film that detailed her rise to fame, her abusive marriage to Ike Turner and how she finally redeemed herself from it.
2) River Deep – Mountain High
Featured on Ike and Tina’s 1966 studio album of the same name. The song was curated by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and the former infamously made Turner sing it countless times over and over in the studio until he was satisfied with the final outcome. The song became a staple in the duo’s live shows throughout the early 60’s and still remains a classic Rock/Soul recording.
1) Proud Mary
The song serves as the ultimate Tina Turner experience, especially when you see her do it live. The moves, the voice, the grit, the rock n roll and the legs. It’s the whole package. Easily one of her most iconic recordings that stands as a flawless masterpiece to date, and still packs the same volume of punch – even though it was a cover and was originally recorded by rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969 – 2 years before Ike and Tina touched it, and turned it into gold.
Honorable mentions:
Let’s Stay Together
On Silent Wings
I Don’t Wanna Lose You
A Fool in Love
Acid Queen
I Don’t Wanna Fight
What are your favorite Tina songs?