Tina Turner in the ’80s— a Personal Look at a Few Songs

Tina Turner’s passing last week brought back a lot of memories of her and my life in the ’80s. So, I’m taking a moment to appreciate all her talents. Besides the quality and power of her voice, her music, and her ability to dance in spiked heels while singing songs that swept you up, she also helped others by honestly sharing her life story.

21 February 1985, “File:Tina turner 21021985 01 350.jpg” by Helge Øverås is licensed under CC BY 2.5.

“Private Dancer”

Her 1984 album Private Dancer was one of the few cassettes my mother had in her new red Toyota Corolla with flip-up headlights. Back when you had to physically go to a store to buy your albums, it took extra effort to own music. When my mother and I carpooled together for work and college, these were our songs. We sang along to slow songs, like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and anthems, like “Better Be Good to Me.”

I didn’t know about Tina’s abusive first marriage at the time, but now I wonder if my mother related to her through this. My mother had just recently been freed from a troubled marriage, so her red car, the new job, and the music of a powerful, female singer around her age, may have been part of her enthusiasm for Tina’s music.

Around this time, we started getting cable television and MTV. An exciting time in the mid-80s was being able to see what musicians that you heard on the radio looked like. I discovered that Tina Turner’s strength was not just in her powerful voice but in her presence and the way she moved.

“We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)”

While I didn’t see this Mad Max movie in the theatre in 1985, I saw a replay on television. Not really into doomsday stories as a teenager, I mostly remember the theme song that the radio stations played.

Tina not only sang “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome),” but she played Aunty Entity, a heartless ruler in a post-apocalyptic world. The visuals are striking in the music video. Tina Turner was in character wearing a chainmail gown and standing on a circle of white light and singing, while movie clips play behind her.

“The Best”

Her amped-up version of “The Best” came out in 1989 on her album Foreign Affair. Being swept up in Tina Turner’s vocal magnetism, you couldn’t help but sing along when it came on the radio. Bonnie Tyler, another singer I enjoy, had previously recorded this song in 1988, but it didn’t become the international hit that Tina’s version became.

While I didn’t follow Tina’s career much after the ‘80s, I am yanked back through the timeline when I hear her ‘80s songs. Somehow the music of my teens and twenties is ingrained in my psyche so that I even see mental video clips of my younger self and hear her music playing.  

This “Queen of Rock and Roll” brought a lot of joy to people and was an important part of my life in the ‘80s. I’ll always be thankful for her unique voice and her talent for interpreting and energizing songs, as well as her strength of character to share her life story with the world.  

“Tina Turner” by Les Zg is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Taken on 18 August 1990