"Better Be Good to Me" by Tina Turner

Top 10 Alert!

Grammy Alert!
Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  2051
Date:  09/15/1984
Debut:  63
Peak:  5
Weeks:  21
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  As Turner's unexpected hit "What's Love Got to Do With It" was spending its third and last week atop the Pop chart, this follow-up single debuted. It would be another solid success for her getting into the Pop Top 5. It also reached #6 at R&B, #16 Dance, and #32 Rock. It was aided by a popular MTV video that featured guest appearances by Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram from The Fixx. Both Fixx members performed on the track with Curnin providing background vocals and West-Oram playing guitar. The song would earn Turner a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

ReduxReview:  This song was just brilliant. From it's quiet, intense verse to the explosion of chorus, it was a winner from beginning to end and everything about it fit Turner like a glove. Hines' production was spot on and the song sounded bigger than life when cranked to 11. My favorite part is the build-up to the final chorus. This was also a case where the remake was so much better than the original (see below). The two are not all that different, but Turner's version was just a standout due to its production/arrangement and Turner's performance. It all worked to take the song to a brand new level and it became an 80s classic.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Curnin and West-Oram's appearance on the song and video came courtesy of producer Rupert Hine. Hine was in the middle of producing The Fixx's next album when the opportunity came along to work with Turner. He produced this song for her and then co-wrote (with West-Oram and Jeanette Obstoj) and produced the album-opening track "I Might Have Been Queen," which was the only track on Turner's Private Dancer LP that was written specifically for her. Since he was working with The Fixx, he brought along two of its members to help out. On this song, Hine played all the instruments except for guitar, which was done by West-Oram. Then Curnin provided vocals.  2) This is a remake of a song originally done by the band Spider. A member of that band, Holly Knight, co-wrote the tune with Mike Chapman. It appeared on their 1981 album Between the Lines. It was issued as a single, but if failed to chart.

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