In 1984, Tina Turner released the song “What’s Love Got to Do with It” which became an instant success. For nearly two decades Tina and Ike Turner had been well-known names in the music industry.
But their relationship went sour as a result of domestic abuse, and the duo eventually separated in 1978. Armed with a newfound passion for life, Tina Turner’s rendition of the song quickly worked its way up the charts.
Not necessarily her most well known song, this sultry power ballad is definitely one that she is still very well known for. Tina Turner was a music powerhouse during the 80s, and it’s because of songs like this that made her a music icon.
What’s Love Got to Do with It
While Tina Turner was the most well-known singer to take on “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, it was not originally written by her, or for her. Rather, Graham Lyle and Terry Britten had written the song several years earlier. They had offered it to several other musicians like Cliff Richard, and Donna Summer, but they all rejected the song.
At the same time, while Phyllis Hyman wanted to record the song, the head of Arista Records said no. Eventually, the song was offered to Tina Turner who recorded it and sought to include it in her next album.
The Story Behind “What’s Love Got to Do with It”
Tina Turner rose to stardom during the 1960s as a duo act with her husband Ike Turner. Although they appeared to have a really positive relationship, their marriage was anything but normal. What the world saw was not the real marriage between the couple. In fact, the relationship had been marred by consistent domestic abuse over the course of nearly two decades.
Eventually, that relationship ended in 1978. When Tina Turner first read the lyrics for the song “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, she felt as if she could relate to it on a personal level. It was the number one driving factor in her decision to record the song.
Ike Turner
In the early 1980s, shortly after their separation, Tina Turner kept pushing to advance her career in the music industry. Ike Turner’s career on the other hand slowed down to a crawl. With the revitalization of her career through the 1984 release of “Private Dancer” Tina Turner was well on her way to having a very successful solo career.
In fact, her success continued until she eventually retired after the new millennium. Ike on the other hand began to fall apart due to his drug addiction and legal battles. Eventually, he retreated from public altogether and passed away in 2007 as a result of a drug overdose.
How the Music Video Was Made
The original music video which received virtually unlimited playtime on MTV throughout the mid-1980s, featured Tina Turner walking down a street wearing a miniskirt. She would regularly engage with others on the street, in between cut scenes where she would sing directly into the camera.
The video itself was taken in New York City during the springtime. Even Bruce Springsteen’s sister would make a cameo appearance as a dancer in the video. Mark Robinson was responsible for directing the original full-color music video.
However, a black-and-white video had also been created several years later by Bud Schaetzle which features Tina Turner singing in a bar as a couple argues with one another. To date, the original video has more than 163 million views, while the black-and-white video has just under 800,000 views on YouTube.
