The title track of 1973’s Nutbush City Limits was the first hit song Tina Turner wrote, and signaled a shift in her career from creative reliance on her abusive husband Ike. A year later she would record her first solo album.
‘Nutbush City Limits’ is a tribute to Tina’s Tennessee hometown. I can’t imagine tourism to the rural town increasing after these lyrics hit the airwaves, but it must be cool for any community to have a signature song.
Nine years and a dozen albums after their debut, Ike & Tina Turner released their top-selling album, 1970’s Workin’ Together. The tracklist featured five Ike Turner originals and a half dozen covers, including two Beatles songs.
The standout track — one that would become the duo’s biggest hit and signature song — was a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Proud Mary.’
People throw around the words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ a lot these days, but there’s no denying that a couple of weeks ago we lost a truly legendary and iconic artist when Tina Turner passed away after a long illness.
I’ve always wanted to do a Tina Turner deep dive, but the lack of availability of many of her early albums has made it difficult. However, in lieu of a proper immersion in her catalog, I do want to spend this week honoring her memory by highlighting five of her best-loved recordings.
Throwing back to the week of June 2, 1973, we find Paul McCartney and Wings at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their song ‘My Love.’ The track would spend four weeks at #1 and 18 weeks in total on the chart. This was the first of six #1 tracks McCartney recorded with Wings.
This song sounds like it took McCartney about ten minutes to write, and not in the “genius strikes” sort of way. It’s a simple love ballad with an uninspired melody and pedestrian lyrics.
Today we throw back to the week of June 1, 1963, when Lesley Gore topped Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘It’s My Party,’ the lead single from her debut album I’ll Cry if I Want To. The song spent two weeks at #1 and 13 total weeks on chart. Gore’s next three singles reached the top five, but this track was her last to reach #1.
‘It’s My Party’ was first recorded by British singer Helen Shapiro, but it wasn’t released until her album came out in October, months after Gore’s success with the song. Her version is a little slower and her voice is a little deeper, giving the illusion that you’re listening to the more popular version at a reduced speed.
Meet Me In Montauk 