The Queen of Rock & Roll!
Tina Turner lived a life that would be difficult to invent. From gospel and R&B, through the explosive Ike & Tina Turner years, to one of the greatest comeback stories in popular music, she became one of the most recognisable performers of all time.
She was also a master of something that every working musician should pay attention to: making a song her own.
A surprising number of Tina Turner’s best-known songs were written by other people.
- Proud Mary came from Creedence Clearwater Revival.
- River Deep – Mountain High was written and produced by Phil Spector.
- I Can’t Stand the Rain came from Ann Peebles.
- Let’s Stay Together was written and recorded by Al Green.
- The Best was originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler.
But listen to Tina’s versions and you don’t think about the original artist. That’s the magic.
Ike & Tina Turner
Tina’s career began long before her enormous solo success. She became famous performing with Ike Turner, whom she married in 1962.
Together they developed a ferocious live sound that combined R&B, Soul, Rock and increasingly Psychedelic and Funk influences.
One of their biggest strengths was their ability to transform songs. Take Proud Mary.
The original by Creedence Clearwater Revival was already a major hit when Ike and Tina recorded their version. But rather than simply copy John Fogerty’s arrangement, they turned it into something completely different.
It starts slowly. Tina sings with restraint. Then the band begins to build. And eventually the whole thing explodes into the fast section that everybody remembers.
As Tina famously introduced it on stage, they didn’t “do nothing nice and easy.” They did it nice and rough.
For a working guitarist, this is a brilliant lesson in arrangement. You don’t always need a complicated chord progression to create excitement. Sometimes the trick is simply to change the energy.
Start small. Build anticipation. Then let the band go.
That’s why Tina’s Proud Mary became such a reliable show-closer for working bands. It’s practically designed to get an audience involved.
Nutbush City Limits
There was one important difference between Proud Mary and another of Tina’s signature songs. Nutbush City Limits was written by Tina herself.
Released by Ike & Tina Turner in 1973, the song was inspired by Nutbush, Tennessee, where Tina was born. It became an international hit and remains one of the clearest examples of Tina’s own songwriting voice.
I particularly like Nutbush as a working-band tune because it’s a great alternative to Proud Mary when you need another Tina number for the end of the night.
If you’re playing in a Motown, Soul or even a Party band, you don’t necessarily want five versions of the same kind of song. Nutbush gives you something different.
It’s instantly recognisable, rhythmically strong and, most importantly, people know what to do when they hear it – dance or at least jump up and down!
River Deep – Mountain High
One of the most ambitious recordings from the Ike & Tina years was River Deep – Mountain High.
Written and produced by Phil Spector, the tune was recorded using his famous Wall of Sound approach.
Instead of thinking about a recording as one guitar, one bass, one piano and so on, Spector would often build enormous layers of musicians playing the same part on the same instrument at the same time, creating a dense and powerful sound.
The result was very different from the stripped-down blues and R&B performances for which Ike & Tina were known.
And although the record wasn’t initially the commercial success Spector had hoped for, its reputation grew enormously over time.
For guitarists, it’s an interesting production lesson. Listen to how the instruments become part of one huge texture rather than each trying to stand out individually.
Again, it’s about the arrangement. Sometimes your job is to be heard. Sometimes your job is to become part of the wall.
Tina Becomes a Solo Artist
Tina and Ike divorced in 1978. She slowly began rebuilding her career as a solo artist. It wasn’t an instant transformation.
She released albums and toured, but the huge breakthrough still hadn’t arrived. Then, in 1984, everything changed.
The album Private Dancer turned Tina Turner into an international superstar all over again. It was an extraordinary comeback.
The woman who had already been a major star in the 1960s and ’70s was suddenly one of the biggest artists in the world in the 1980s.
The album included What’s Love Got to Do with It, as well as her versions of The Beatles‘ Help!, Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together and Ann Peebles’ I Can’t Stand the Rain.
This is where Tina’s talent for interpretation becomes especially interesting. She could take songs from completely different musical worlds and make them sound like Tina Turner songs.
I Can’t Stand the Rain
I Can’t Stand the Rain is a particularly good example. The song was originally written and recorded by Ann Peebles in 1973, but it has since been covered by artists ranging from Humble Pie and Ronnie Wood to Lowell George, Seal, even Missy Elliott later borrowed the song’s famous chorus for The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)..
Tina recorded her version for Private Dancer in 1984 and released it as a single the following year.
Same song. Different artist. Different decade. Different production.
That’s a useful thing to study as a guitarist. Don’t just learn the chords. Listen to what each artist changes.
What’s Love Got to Do with It
Then came the song that changed everything: What’s Love Got to Do with It.
Released in 1984, it became a huge international hit and reached number one in several major markets, including the United States.
Written by Graham Lyle and Terry Britten, it was actually offered to other artists before Tina recorded it. Tina’s version, of course, became the definitive recording.
And it is another excellent example of the difference between a song and a performance. The songwriting is relatively restrained. Tina isn’t. Her voice gives the song an emotional authority that completely changes how you hear the lyrics.
The success of the song helped make Private Dancer a phenomenon and established Tina as one of the biggest solo stars of the decade.
We Don’t Need Another Hero
Before her next full album, Tina recorded We Don’t Need Another Hero for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
It became another major hit. There’s also an amusing songwriting connection here.
We Don’t Need Another Hero was written by the same duo behind What’s Love Got to Do with It: Graham Lyle and Terry Britten, allegedly at the same time!
Released only a year apart, the songs have a surprisingly similar dramatic quality. When you find a winning formula, I suppose there is an argument for sticking with it!
The Best
Tina’s next major chapter included The Best. Originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler in 1988, the song was written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman.
Tina recorded her version the following year for Foreign Affair. And once again, she didn’t simply sing somebody else’s song and leave it alone. She requested changes including a new bridge, a saxophone solo and a key change towards the end.
That’s a great lesson for anyone who writes, arranges or performs music. A song isn’t necessarily finished when the songwriter hands you the chords. If you’re the artist performing it, you can still shape it.
Tina’s version became the one most people know today and eventually turned The Best into one of her signature songs.
For a working band, it’s also one of those songs that simply works. Big chorus. Clear message. Easy for an audience to join in with. And plenty of room for a band to make it sound enormous.
GoldenEye and the Later Years
Tina continued to have major moments throughout the late ’80s and ’90s. Foreign Affair included The Best and Steamy Windows, while the compilation Simply the Best became a huge seller and introduced a whole new generation to her catalogue.
Her 1995 recording of GoldenEye, written by Bono and The Edge of U2 for the James Bond film, gave her another memorable late-career hit.
She released her final studio album, Twenty Four Seven, in 1999. By then, however, Tina Turner had already achieved something remarkably few artists manage. She had reinvented herself. Twice.
Tina Turner and the Working Guitarist
This is why I think Tina’s catalogue is particularly useful if you’re learning guitar for a working band: There are so many different types of songs.
You have the rock-and-soul energy of Proud Mary. The groove of Nutbush City Limits. The atmosphere of River Deep – Mountain High. The pop songwriting of What’s Love Got to Do with It. The huge singalong of The Best. And the soul of Let’s Stay Together.
Then there are songs such as Private Dancer, We Don’t Need Another Hero and I Can’t Stand the Rain. It’s a surprisingly broad repertoire.
And Tina gives you another important lesson: the artist’s interpretation can become more famous than the original song.
As guitarists, we sometimes get too focused on learning the “correct” chords.
But when you’re playing in a band, the audience doesn’t care whether you know the original arrangement. They care whether the song works. Tina understood that instinctively.
The Tina Turner Musical
Tina’s extraordinary life eventually became a stage musical. Tina: The Tina Turner Musical premiered in London in 2018 and tells the story of her life and career through her music.
A friend of mine, Sharon, actually auditioned for the lead role and came second. She was offered the understudy part. But in true Tina style, she walked away. I think Tina would have appreciated that.
The Legacy
Tina Turner died in 2023, aged 83, after a career that had lasted more than six decades. Her influence can be heard everywhere—from rock, soul, and pop singers who learned that you don’t need to be the person who wrote the song to make it yours.
That’s probably the biggest lesson I take from Tina. She was an extraordinary singer, but she was also an extraordinary interpreter.
She knew how to take a song and find the version that suited her. For guitarists, that’s worth remembering.
Learn Proud Mary, but learn Tina’s Proud Mary. Learn The Best, but listen to what Tina changed.
Learn I Can’t Stand the Rain, then compare it with the other versions.
And if you’re building a working-band repertoire, don’t overlook Nutbush City Limits—it’s a fantastic encore and a great way to finish a set.
Because with Tina Turner, the lesson isn’t just about learning the songs. It’s about learning how to make them your own.
Tina Turner Tunes | Related Pages
The Best | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play The Best by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| F5 | F5 | F F6 | Fmaj7 F |
I call you when I need you, my heart’s on fire…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: The Best (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Come Together | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Come Together by The Beatles using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| Dm | Dm |
Here come old flat top, he come grooving up slowly…
Honky Tonk Women | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| G | G | C F/A | C |
I met a gin-soaked, bar-room queen in Memphis…
I Can’t Stand The Rain | Chords + TAB
You can learn to play I Can’t Stand The Rain by Ann Peebles using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, video guitar lessons, TAB, and Backing Tracks.
| A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
I can’t stand the rain, against my window, bringing back sweet memories…
Start learning with the full lesson series: I Can’t Stand The Rain – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
It Takes Two | Chords + TAB
You can learn It Takes Two by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| Eb | Eb E | F | F N.C |
It takes two, baby, it takes two, baby…
Let’s Stay Together | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn Let’s Stay Together by Al Green using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| F (Fsus4) | F | Dm9 | Dm9 |
I, I’m so in love with you…
Nutbush City Limits | Chords + TAB
You can learn Nutbush City Limits by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
||: A A6 A A6 A | A7 A6 A A6 A :||
A church house, gin house. A schoolhouse, outhouse…
Proud Mary | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Proud Mary by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| D | D | D | D |
Left a good job (down) in the city, working for my man every night and day…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Proud Mary (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
River Deep – Mountain High | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play River Deep – Mountain High by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bb N.C | N.C | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll, only doll I’ve ever owned…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: River Deep – Mountain High (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Shake A Tail Feather | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Shake A Tail Feather by the Blues Brothers + Ray Charles using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| D5 (D6) | G (G6) |
Well, I heard about the fellow you’ve been dancin’ with…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Shake A Tail Feather (Ray Charles) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
We Don’t Need Another Hero | Chords + TAB
Learn We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| B | F# (F#sus2) | B | F# (F#sus2) |
Out of the ruins, out from the wreckage…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: We Don’t Need Another Hero (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
What’s Love Got to Do with It | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, TAB, and backing tracks.
| G#m11 | G#m11 | F#/G# | F#/G# |
You must understand, though the touch of your hand makes my pulse react…
Tina Turner on the web
