Tina Turner | 3 to 5 BOPS

Reading Time: 8 min read

Tina Turner: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 59 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of the late, great, Tina Turner.

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less. 3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume. In the 59^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs performed by the one and only, late, great 🎙️ Tina Turner. Sadly, on May 24, 2023, the world lost an icon, and one of my very favorite musicians. In my mind, The 🏆 Grammy winner was definitely one of 🎵 “The Best”, just like her beloved hit song which appears on this brief playlist. Let’s dive right into these five gems from the iconic musician!

1. Ike & Tina Turner, “Proud Mary”

💿 Workin’ Together • 🏷 Capitol • 🗓 1970

Sometimes, a cover becomes the definitive version of a song, period. It has happened many times historically. Once 🎙 Ike & Tina Turner covered 🎵 “Proud Mary”, originally a 🎙 Creedence Clearwater Revival song, it became theirs. When you think of the late, great 🎙 Tina Turner prior to her transformation into the Queen or Rock, one of the songs that stands out is “Proud Mary.” “Proud Mary” was a massive hit (duh), peaking at No. 4 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. Fittingly, Ike & Tina totally transformed the record from the original, giving a masterclass on how to make someone else’s fabulous song into your own masterwork.

On “Proud Mary,” it all begins with the intro, which is distinct. The intro is slow and finds the electrifying Tina Turner delivering a memorable spoken word performance against guitar accompaniment and a hi-hat groove. Tina lays out how this joint is going to go:

“So, we’re going to take the beginning of this song

And do it easy

Then, we’re going to do the finish rough

This is the way we do ‘Proud Mary’

And we’re rolling, rolling, rolling on the river

Listen to the story now”

From there, we get that easygoing start with relatively poised vocals by Tina, and those rich bass vocals of Ike. The first verse, first chorus, second verse, and second chorus maintain the slow tempo. But – wait for it – after that second chorus, the tempo increases, the horns are lit (including baritone sax 🎷) , and the full-fledged rock-soul kicks in. Turner essentially prefaces her rock career with her confident, high-flying vocals and big-time personality. Notably, on the third verse (same as the first), she performs in this ‘rough’ style, solo, that she’s beloved for to this day. The crowning achievement is the chorus: “Big wheel keep on turning (turning) / Proud Mary keep on burning (Burning) / Rolling, rolling, yeah / Rolling on the river.” Can’t fail to shout out 🎙 The Ikettes, which provide superb support to Turner.

Appears in 🔻:

Ike & Tina Turner, Proud Mary: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 86 (2023)

2. Tina Turner, “What’s Love Got To Do With It”

💿 Private Dancer • 🏷 Parlophone • 📅 1984

“What’s love got to do, got to do with it? / What’s love but a secondhand emotion?” Those lyrics are simply ICONIC. Who better to sing iconic lyrics than an icon herself? What’s surprising is how old 🎙 Tina Turner was when 🎵 “What’s Love Got To Do With It” materialized – nearly 45 years old! This beloved no. 1 hit was a big part of her comeback on 💿 Private Dancer, an album that found the versatile, 🏆 Grammy-winning musician embracing pop/rock. Speaking of Grammys, for “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” Turner won two: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female and more prestigiously, Record of The Year. “What’s Love Got to Do With It” was certified gold by the RIAA, while the parent album, Private Dancer, has been certified quintuple platinum.

“What’s love got to do, got to do with it?

What’s love but a secondhand emotion?

What’s love got to do, got to do with it?

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?”

Besides the timeless chorus, what makes “What’s Love Got To Do With It” so epic? It all starts with Tina Turner, whose vocals are phenomenal. She sings smoothly in the verses, packing more of a punch on that anthemic refrain. Beyond her pipes, the production, with its smooth, 80s palette of sounds (guitars, keys/synths) is pretty sweet – the definition of what we call a vibe in the 2020s. It serves as the perfect soundtrack for this love-oriented track. Of course, “What’s Love Got To Do With,” which was penned by 🎼 ✍ Terry Britten (also produces) and Graham Lyle, is well-written. The lyrics stand out first and foremost (“You must understand though the touch of your hand / Makes my pulse react / That it’s only the thrill of boy meeting girl” or “It may seem to you that I’m acting confused / When you’re close to me / If I tend to look dazed I’ve read it someplace / I’ve got cause to be”) but even harmonically, it’s unique. Interestingly, 🎵 “What’s Love Got To Do With It” was offered to many others before it landed in the hands of Turner. Thank God it ultimately did land in Turner’s hands because it was made for her – PERIOD.

Appears in 🔻:

3. Ike & Tina Turner, “Nutbush City Limits”

💿 Nutbush City Limits • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 1973

“They call it Nutbush / Oh, Nutbush / Call it Nutbush city limits.” Musically, 🎙 Ike Turner and 🎙 Tina Turner made a formidable team. The hits speak for themselves. Their marriage, on the other hand, wasn’t so good, something that’s been well documented. Among the best hits of the duo not named 🎵 “Proud Mary” is 🎵 “Nutbush City Limits,” which appears on their 1973 album, also titled 💿 Nutbush City Limits. One of the draws of the opening track is its small-town charm.

“A church house gin house

A school house, outhouse

On Highway number nineteen

The people keep the city clean.”

An electrifying Tina Turner does a marvelous job of painting the picture of the small Tennessee town (she wrote the song). Her descriptions are colorful and relatable to small town life (“Twenty-five was the speed limit / Motorcycle not allowed in it”), while the music is funky to the n^th degree, led by Ike’s guitar. Backing up Tina are glorious horns, which certainly ‘keep the same energy’ she delivers as the front woman. Notably, Ike serves as the producer. One of the best parts other than the chorus/refrain is the outro where Tina bursts with personality. “A one-horse town / You have to watch / What you’re puttin’ down.”

Appears in 🔻:

Ike & Tina Turner Bob Seger: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 7 (2022)

4. Tina Turner, “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (Thunderdome)”

💿 Simply the Best • 🏷 Parlophone • 🗓 1991 

“Out of the ruins / Out from the wreckage / Can’t make the same mistake this time.” For sure, 🎙 Tina Turner, for sure! By the time 🎵 “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” arrived, Turner had firmly secured her makeover as a pop/rock artist in her solo career.  💿 Private Dancer had arrived in 1984, a year ahead of the 💿 Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome soundtrack.  Notably, Turner was an actor in the movie (Aunty Entity) in addition to singing on the soundtrack. Of course, the song trumps everything else on the soundtrack, earning Turner another huge hit (it peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100).    

“We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” was written by 🎼 ✍ Graham Lyle and Terry Britten.  The backdrop is energetic, with ample rhythm, an impressive groove, and colorful instrumental cues (keys, guitars, bass, saxophone solo by 🎷 Tim Cappello). From start to finish, Tina Turner delivers her signature tone.  She is a bit more poised during portions of the verses, picking up steam on the gargantuan, anthemic chorus in all its glory.   

“We don’t need another hero 

We don’t need to know the way home 

All we want is life beyond 

Thunderdome.”  

Another memorable moment precedes the chorus, as Turner sings, in both verses, “And I wonder when we are ever gonna change / Living under the fear, until nothing else remains.” Also, shout out the totally turned up bridge – WOO! Adding to the distinct, memorable nature of “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” is when a truly spirited Turner invites the children to sing.  The timbre of children’s voices just adds something extra special to so many songs, with 🎵 “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” being no exception. 

Appears in 🔻:  

5. Tina Turner, “The Best”

💿 Foreign Affair • 🏷 Parlophone • 🗓 1989

“Give me a lifetime of promises and a world of dreams / Speak the language of love like you know what it means.” In my mind, 🎙 Tina Turner was definitely one of 🎵 “The Best”, just like her beloved hit song (a cover!). “The Best,” which appeared on her 1989 album, 💿 Foreign Affair, somehow missed the top 10 – what a travesty. It did ultimately peak at no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, what makes “The Best” simply the best? Well, it’s “Better than all the rest” first and foremost because of the epic, powerful vocals by Tina Turner. Turner was truly one of a kind. Who sounded like her? No one! The songwriting by 🎼 ✍ Mike Chapman and Holly Knight is superb. Turner executes the memorable lyrics and tuneful melody superbly. The chorus, of course, is the centerpiece:

“Oh, you’re simply the best

Better than all the rest

Better than anyone

Anyone I ever met

I’m stuck on your heart, baby

I hang on every word you say

Oh, tear us apart? No, no

Baby, I would rather be dead.”

The chorus ranks at or near the top of her catalog, as well as the 1980s. Besides the voice and solid songwriting, the sound and production are superb as well. The energetic sound exemplifies the quintessential 80s sound with the groove being EVERYTHING. Also, the key change is idiomatic of the times. As Turner did so well in her comeback/rebrand in the 80s, 🎵 “The Best” blends pop and rock with ample soul within her pipes. “The Best” is, simply, one of the best songs ever. Rest in Peace Queen!

Appears in 🔻:

Tina Turner, “The Best”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 80 (2023)

Tina Turner | 3 to 5 BOPS

Published by the musical hype on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023