{"id":4853,"date":"2023-05-26T13:37:33","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T18:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.streamapse.com\/?p=4853"},"modified":"2026-04-13T16:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T21:58:22","slug":"tina-turner-empowerment-individual-strength-and-the-many-facets-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/?p=4853","title":{"rendered":"Tina Turner \u2014 Empowerment, Individual Strength And The Many Facets Of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love: why I fell for Tina Turner.<\/p>\n

For singers \u2013 amateur and professional alike \u2013 the name Tina Turner evokes instant reverence: Turner is a singer\u2019s singer and perhaps the performer\u2019s performer.<\/p>\n

A highly successful songwriter, the consummate dancer and fittingly ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time<\/a> by Rolling Stone magazine, Turner was the ultimate entertainer.<\/p>\n

Upon hearing of her death, I was deeply saddened. I immediately recalled the intoxicating power and timbre of her voice, her mesmerizing energy and her commanding performances.<\/p>\n

I started singing sections of songs such as Proud Mary<\/a>, River Deep Mountain High<\/a> and of course iconic original songs, such as Nutbush City Limits<\/a>. This was an intimate, sentimental, nostalgic and danceable song celebrating Turner\u2019s roots growing up in the small town of Nutbush, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

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Fierce hard work<\/h2>\n

My first encounter with Turner\u2019s brilliance and might was hearing her hits of the mid-1980s, with songs like Graham Lyle\u2019s What\u2019s Love Got To Do With It<\/a>, Al Green\u2019s Let\u2019s Stay Together<\/a> and \u2013 love it or hate it \u2013 the powerful rock ballad We Don\u2019t Need Another Hero<\/a>, the theme song to Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.<\/p>\n

Once introduced, I immersed myself in her extensive back catalogue, soaking in her early 1960s soul, funk and emerging rock tracks.<\/p>\n

Today, I flashed back to memories of the physical energy and technical focus and practice it took just attempting to sing any Turner songs in my 20s.<\/p>\n

The degree of difficulty required to perform as Turner did cannot be understated.<\/p>\n

To sing with such consistency in such high registers, belting out song after song live with impeccable pitch, breath control, fitness, articulation and rhythmic precision is one thing. To do all of this while dancing with intense pace to highly choreographed routines throughout each show is on a whole other level.<\/p>\n

Her performance practice exemplified fierce hard work \u2013 with an immense energy and vitality in live performance.<\/p>\n

Try singing any of her songs at a Karaoke bar. Very quickly you gain some insight into the technical demands her songs require.<\/p>\n

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Making songs her own<\/h2>\n

For every singer, selecting a repertoire to cover is an ongoing quest.<\/p>\n

In a sea of the world\u2019s great songs, Turner selected songs she could make her own. She remodelled every song she sang – realigning them so much that we now think of them as hers first.<\/p>\n

There are so many examples. My favorites are Turner\u2019s formidable versions of I Can\u2019t Stand the Rain<\/a> (originally by Ann Peebles), The Best<\/a> (Bonnie Tyler) and Private Dancer<\/a> (Mark Knopfler).<\/p>\n

A great deal of the songs Turner was known for through the 1960s were covers. Turner\u2019s forceful and expressive vocal delivery gave new life to these songs, realigning them with her uniquely identifiable sound and choice of vocal register, her phrasing choices and her punctuated rhythmic delivery.<\/p>\n

Turner is perhaps less known as a songwriter, but her diverse songwriting demonstrated her skill and thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics. On her 1972 album Feel Good, nine of the ten songs were written by Turner. From 1973 to 1977, Turner composed all the songs on each album.<\/p>\n

One of my favorites of her original songs is the power ballad Be Tender With Me Baby<\/a>. It speaks of a request for understanding, of her loneliness and vulnerability, sung with Turner\u2019s intensity.<\/p>\n

Across her original songs and covers, Turner\u2019s repertoire spoke of empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love. Beyond performing, Turner represented inner strength, spiritual depth and resilience against adversity.<\/p>\n

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In 1996, when Turner was 57, she recorded her ninth studio album, Wildest Dreams.<\/p>\n

One track, Something Beautiful Remains, may not be as familiar as many of her other hits, but it is the song I have kept returning to today. In the chorus, Turner\u2019s lyrics are sadly perfectly fitting:<\/p>\n

For every life that fades
\nSomething beautiful remains.\"The<\/p><\/blockquote>\n