1984 was an incredible year for Tina Turner. For a long time, she was known as the lead singer of Ike & Tina Turner. But in July 1976, she made a bold decision—she filed for divorce from Ike. After that, she worked hard to rebuild her career as a solo artist. It wasn’t easy, but she had the support of some big names in the music world. One of them was the Rolling Stones, who invited her to open for their US tour in 1981. In 1982, she also made a special appearance on a Chuck Berry television special. Then, in November 1983, she released a cover of Al Green’s song Let’s Stay Together. No one expected it to be such a huge hit, but it took the world by storm!
Because of the success of Let’s Stay Together, Capitol Records finally gave the green light for Tina to record a full album. She worked fast—Private Dancer was recorded in just two weeks and released in May 1984. The album became a massive success, reaching #2 in the UK and #3 on the Billboard 200 chart. One song in particular, What’s Love Got to Do with It, became her biggest hit ever. It reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100—her only song to do so. Other hit singles from the album included Better Be Good to Me and Private Dancer.
In November 1984, Tina teamed up with David Bowie to release a cover of Tonight, a song originally by Iggy Pop. However, the single didn’t perform as well as expected, only reaching #53 on both the UK charts and the Billboard Hot 100. But their live performances together became legendary.
One of the best versions of Tonight comes from Tina Live in Europe, a CD/DVD released in 1988. The performances on the album were recorded between 1985 and 1987. In 1989, Tina won a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for this album. Fans still love these recordings today. One YouTube commenter, Kay Hinton, wrote: “She made a lot of good music, but this is one of my firm favourites with the iconic David Bowie. Pure magic!”
Another fan, Vintage Paint, shared their unforgettable experience: “I was privileged to be at this concert. David Bowie stepping from the shadows was a complete surprise. The audience went wild, and the atmosphere was electric. Two legends together, two great lights have been extinguished.” Vintage Paint was referring to the passing of Tina Turner on May 24, 2023, and David Bowie, who died on January 10, 2016. Tina was 83 years old, and Bowie was 69.
One of their most exciting live moments was when they performed a mashup of Let’s Dance—a song originally recorded by Chris Montez in 1962 and later made famous by Bowie. Both of their performances, featured in the videos mentioned, were recorded on the same night in 1985 at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, during Tina’s Private Dancer tour.
Tina Turner will always be remembered as an unstoppable force in music. As Wikipedia puts it, “She was noted for her swagger, sensuality, powerful gravelly vocals, and unstoppable energy,” along with her famous legs and her well-known past with ex-husband Ike Turner.
Rest in peace, Tina Turner and David Bowie—two legends who changed music forever.
