Music / Private Dancer

I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
And any old music will do

You must understand though the touch of your hand
Makes my pulse react
That it's only the thrill of boy meeting girl
Opposites attract

It's physical
Only logical
You must try to ignore that it means more than that

— "What's Love Got to Do with It?"

Private Dancer is the fifth studio album recorded by American R&B singer Tina Turner. It was released through Capitol Records on May 29, 1984.

Despite four failed album releases in the 1970s following her divorce from Ike Turner, Tina was determined to succeed on her own. She earned some fame with a pair of residencies at a then-new rock club in New York City, The Ritz. In 1983, she was signed to Capitol by A&R John Carter, and decided to take her solo career in a new direction.

A cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", released as a non-album single in 1983, got big on the airwaves on both sides of the pond, hitting #6 on the UK Pop chart and #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart (even #26 on the Billboard Hot 100). This would lead Capitol to commission an album. And she had two weeks to record it.

Several producers were involved, with Carter himself producing the Title Track. Despite the number of cooks in the kitchen, Tina kept firm control of a chaotic production.

And the result was nothing short of spectacular.

The album was well-received, with its mix of rock ballads and her classic R&B sound. Robert Christgau, grading the album an A-, hailed her "seamless authority" over the production, and her ability to express the "middlebrow angst of contemporary professional songwriting" with honesty. Today, AllMusic gives the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tina made a considerable dent in the already dense Pop music market of The '80s. Private Dancer held its #3 peak on the Billboard 200 album chart for ten consecutive weeks, and was in the Top Ten for nine months. In the United Kingdom, it reached #2 on the Official Charts Company album chart. It would be high on the year-end charts in both countries in 1984, 1985, and 1986, peaking with the year-end Billboard 200 for 1985 at #5. It was certified quintuple-Platinum by the RIAA, and triple-Platinum by the BPI.

Five songs were released to support the album: "What's Love Got to Do with It", "Better Be Good To Me", the Title Track, "I Can't Stand the Rain", and "Show Some Respect". In addition, "Let's Stay Together" was included on the album. An international edition added a cover of "Help!" from The Beatles. She would score three Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with "What's Love Got to Do with It" reaching #1. She also got three more Top 40 hits on the UK Pop chart.

"What's Love Got to Do with It" would win Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 27th Grammy Awards; the album was nominated for Album of the Year, yielding Tina two of the jewels in the Grammy Triple Crown for 1984.

The album was remastered in 1997 by EMI. It includes four additional songs and three remixes. A 30th Anniversary edition was released by Parlophone Records in 2015. It has the original album, with a second disc including the additions of the 1997 remaster plus more unreleased songs and live tracks.

In 2019, Private Dancer was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Tracklist (US edition)

Side One

1. "I Might Have Been Queen" (4:10)
2. "What's Love Got to Do with It" (3:48)
3. "Show Some Respect" (3:18)
4. "I Can't Stand the Rain" (3:41)
5. "Better Be Good to Me" (5:11)

Side Two

6. "Let's Stay Together" (5:16)
7. "1984"^note originally by David Bowie (3:09)
8. "Steel Claw" (3:48)
9. "Private Dancer" (7:11)

Tracklist (International edition)

Side One

1. "I Might Have Been Queen" (4:10)
2. "What's Love Got to Do with It" (3:48)
3. "Show Some Respect" (3:18)
4. "I Can't Stand the Rain" (3:41)
5. "Private Dancer" (7:11)

Side Two

6. "Let's Stay Together" (5:16)
7. "Better Be Good to Me" (5:11)
8. "Steel Claw" (3:48)
9. "Help!"^note originally by The Beatles (4:30)
10. "1984"^note originally by David Bowie (3:09)

"A prisoner of your love, entangled in your tropes":

• Alternate Album Cover: The album had two different covers, one for each of the two editions of the album. The US edition depicts Turner reclining atop a box draped in cloth. The international edition, meanwhile, depicts Turner posing on a folding chair with a black cat at her feet. The international cover was also featured as the US edition's inner sleeve photo, while the international edition's own inner sleeve features a new photo depicting Turner curled on the floor and grinning at the camera against a blue backdrop.
• Ballad of a Sex Worker: The song "Private Dancer" is about a woman who "dances for money" with desperate men, rather than have sex with them.
• Cover Version:
  • Obviously, "Help!" by The Beatles in the International edition.
  • "Private Dancer" was originally written and recorded by Dire Straits during the sessions for Love Over Gold, and was at one point meant to be included on that album. However, frontman Mark Knopfler came to believe that the lyrics weren't really meant for a man to sing, and thus gave it to Tina Turner.
  • "1984" was originally written and recorded by David Bowie.
• Epic Rocking: The Title Track clocks in at just over seven minutes, a carryover from songwriter Mark Knopfler's trademark prog-blues style.
• Ethical Slut: "What's Love Got to Do with It"
• Formula-Breaking Episode: Thanks to it being a repurposed Dire Straits song penned during the sessions for Love Over Gold, the Title Track eschews the rest of the album's synth-driven sound and contemporary production values in favor of atmospheric roots rock.
• Leg Focus: The international cover prominently features Turner's legs in the center of the frame, while the back cover depicts only her legs.
• Re-Cut: The international edition of the album features a heavily revised tracklist that rearranged much of the running order and adds a Cover Version of The Beatles' "Help!" The two versions of the album ended up being distributed in all regions thanks to the album's success.
• Special Guest: Dire Straits, Jeff Beck, and King Crimson & Camel saxophonist Mel Collins all play on the Title Track. In the case of Dire Straits, their presence was due to the fact that the original recordings for the song were owned by Vertigo Records, who refused to license it out to Capitol Records, requiring them to re-record the instrumental backing from the ground up.
• Title Track: "Private Dancer"
• What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: In the last verse of "What's Love Got to Do with It", the singer admits they're catching feelings after spending the song to that point denying any connection between love and sex:
  I've been taking on a new direction
  But I have to say
  I've been thinking about my own protection
  It scares me to feel this way
• Whole-Plot Reference: "1984" is based on the George Orwell novel of the same name. David Bowie originally penned the song for a musical adaptation of the book, which fell through when Orwell's estate rejected his offer.

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