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Tina Turner: 15 Essential Songs

The rock and soul icon, who has died at age 83, leaves behind a catalogue full of unmatchable power and incredible vocals

Tina Turner dead

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THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY no one like Tina Turner. The rock and soul icon, who died on May 24 at age 83, lived at least three lifetimes. There was the vocal phenomenon who was always too powerful a force to be contained as one half of a duo with her abusive ex-husband in the Sixties; the solo powerhouse who took her rightful place in the pantheon of rock in the Seventies; and the pop and R&B hitmaker whose career soared to even greater heights in the Eighties. And that’s just scratching the surface of an artist whose life and music stand as unmatched symbols of resilience and damn good singing. Long live the queen of rock & roll. Here are 15 songs to remember her by.

From Rolling Stone US

5

“Better Be Good to Me” (1984)

Though this song was originally recorded by the New York band Spider, who released it in 1981, Turner made it feel like a signature statement, imbuing its demand for respect with rock-star swagger and her own story of struggle and resilience. “Better Be Good To Me” helped set the emotional tone for her glorious comeback LP Private Dancer, and won a Grammy for best female rock performance in 1985. —J.D.

4

“We Don’t Need Another Hero” (1985)

The 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is generally seen as the weakest chapter in the original Mad Max trilogy. But nobody disputes that Tina Turner was brilliant as the evil Aunt Entity. Even better was her contribution to the soundtrack, “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome).” The anthem played over the closing credits, and gave Turner a Top Five hit in America. Another piece of her ever-growing legacy, it remained a key part of her live show all the way until her final tour in 2009.—A.G.

3

“Typical Male” (1986)

After Private Dancer helped launch a global comeback for Turner, she kept the immense success going with 1986’s Break Every Rule. She kicked off the album cycle with “Typical Male,” a fizzy pop-rock bop that has her falling for a lawyer, then realizing he’s just like all the other guys who want her. Featuring Phil Collins on drums, the song is a perfectly kitschy Eighties pop hit with Turner’s playful, sexy charm burning down the house. The song was an instant success, becoming her second single to top the Hot 100.  —B.S.

2

“The Best” (1989)

Bonnie Tyler, the “Total Eclipse of the Heart” hitmaker, recorded “The Best” a year before Tina Turner. It’s a stunning recording — Tyler sold just how much she adored her lover, and it’s truly one of Tyler’s best songs — but it failed to chart. When Turner covered it for Foreign Affair, she poured her own unique passion into songwriters Mike Chapman and Holly Knight’s words; added a key change, a bridge, and an Edgar Winter sax solo; and turned the song into the megahit it was always meant to be. The way she drops her voice to sing “You’re better than anyone, anyone I ever met,” still gives chills. When Tina Turner gave a compliment, she meant it. —K.G.

1

“I Don’t Wanna Fight” (1993)

The 1993 Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It featured brilliant performances by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne as Tina and Ike, earning them both Academy Award nominations. For the soundtrack, the real-life Turner took a ballad originally penned by Sixties British pop star Lulu and turned it into her final Top Ten hit in America. Lulu didn’t write the lyrics with Turner in mind, but it summed up Turner’s spirit perfectly, transforming it into a sequel of sorts to 1984’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” “But me, I’m getting stronger,” Turner sings. “We must stop pretending/I can’t live this life.” —A.G.