Private Dancer
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Private Dancer'' is the fifth solo studio album by singer
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
. It was released on May 29, 1984, by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
and was her first album released by the label. After a challenging start to her solo career after divorcing Ike Turner, ''Private Dancer'' propelled Turner into becoming a viable solo star, as well as one of the most marketable crossover singers in the recording industry. It became a worldwide commercial success, earning multi-platinum certifications, and remains her best-selling album in North America to date. In 2020, the album was selected by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


Background and production

A&R man John Carter of
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
is credited with relaunching Turner's career in the 1980s. In 1983, despite opposition from within Capitol, he signed her and managed her first album for the label, ''Private Dancer''. Recording sessions were overseen by four different production teams, including Rupert Hine, and Martyn Ware of Heaven 17, and took place at several studios in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. A radical departure from the
rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
sound Turner performed with Ike, the tracks in the album are a mixture of uptempos and
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
s, inspired by pop and rock genres; it also features elements of smooth jazz and
contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...
. Carter produced " Private Dancer", which was written by Mark Knopfler and has a guitar solo by
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
. " Let's Stay Together" was produced by Ware. Terry Britten produced the reggae-tinged " What's Love Got to Do with It". "
Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the sin ...
" was recorded with The Crusaders. Hine produced " Better Be Good to Me", which had been written by Holly Knight, Mike Chapman, and Nicky Chinn, and most of the other songs.


Release & promotion

In 1997, EMI, the parent label of
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, released a digitally remastered Centenary Edition of the ''Private Dancer'' album on CD. This version includes four additional demo tracks recorded in late 1983 and early 1984 with producer Carter, first released as B-sides to some of the ''Private Dancer'' singles; it also includes three extended 12" remixes. In 2015, the 30th Anniversary edition of this album was released by the Parlophone Records unit of
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...
which now controls this album. On March 21, 2025, Parlophone released a five disc and blu-ray deluxe edition. The edition was preceded by the release of "Hot for You Baby," a previously undiscovered song from the ''Private Dancer'' sessions written by George Young and Harry Vanda.


Promotion

A 177 date tour to promote the album took place from February 8, 1985, to December 28, 1985. Called the Private Dancer Tour, there were 60 shows in Europe, 105 in North America, 10 in Australia, and 2 in Japan. Opening acts in North America included Glenn Frey and Mr. Mister. As well as songs from the album, Turner performed hits from her time with Ike & Tina, such as " River Deep – Mountain High", " Nutbush City Limits", and " Proud Mary".


Critical reception

The album received a positive reception from critics. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote that Turner's voice "melts vinyl". Debby Miller, in a July 1984 ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' review, felt that the album was a powerful comeback, with Turner's voice "rasping but strong", and a range of songs that were all good in a "modern rock setting" that was "neither detached nor very fussy".
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' felt that she embraced the "middlebrow angst of contemporary professional songwriting". He said that "four different production teams" on the project was a "sign of desperation", despite the resulting "seamless authority" of the album.


Legacy

Alex Henderson, in a retrospective
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
review, says that the album was slicker than her R&B classics recorded with Ike & Tina, but she was still able to sing with a throaty passion to deliver her finest solo production.
Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
has written in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' that by using her English producers to soften her raw Southern soul style, discarding the "blaring horns, frenzied percussion and gospel calls and responses", the album became a "landmark" in the "evolution of pop-soul music". Michael Lydon, in Robert Dimery's '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'', says that the album's lyrical themes embodied her persona of a "tough, sexy woman schooled in a tough world", and that her vocal delivery overcomes the slick production, with her "indomitable soul" unifying the multiple producers. In 1989, the album was ranked number 46 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s. In 2001, VH1 named ''Private Dancer'' the 95th greatest album of all time. ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' listed the album at number 63 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s", saying, "Both a personal liberation and sonic redemption, ''Private Dancer'' established Turner not only as a genuine diva, but a bona fide force of nature".


Commercial performance

The album was released on May 29, 1984, and became an outstanding global commercial success. The album peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for ten consecutive weeks and remained in the top ten for 39 weeks from August 1984 to May 1985. In the United States it was certified 5× platinum. In Germany, the album went 5× gold becoming one of the best selling albums in history. It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, where it was certified 3× platinum, remaining on the charts for 150 total weeks. It was certified 7× platinum for the shipment of over 700,000 copies in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. The album has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. At the 1985
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s, ''Private Dancer'' won four of the six awards for which it was nominated.


Track listing


US edition


International edition


1997 ''Centenary Edition''


2015 ''30th Anniversary Edition''


2025 Deluxe edition


Personnel

*
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (1, 7, 8) * Gary Barnaclesaxophone (6) *
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
(8, 9) * Terry Britten – guitar (2, 3, 4), background vocals (2, 3), bass (2), drum programming (2) * Graham Broad
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
(4) *Alex Brown – background vocals (9) * John Carter – percussion (5) * Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums (9) * Alan Clarkkeyboards (5, 8),
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
(5) * Mel Collins – saxophone (5) *David Cullen – string arrangements (10) * Cy Curnin – background vocals (1, 7) *Jullian Diggle – percussion (5) * David Ervin
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
, programming (9) *Gwen Evans – background vocals (9) *Charles Fearing – guitar (9) * Wilton Felder
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
(9), saxophone (9) * Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards (2, 3, 4) * Glenn Gregory – background vocals (6, 10) * Rupert Hine – bass guitar (1, 7), keyboards (1, 7), percussion, programming (1, 7), background vocals (1, 7) *Graham Jarvis – Oberheim DX (2, 3) * John Illsley – bass guitar (5, 8) * Hal Lindes – guitar (5, 8) * Billy Livsey – Yamaha DX7 synthesizer (2), keyboards (3) * Trevor Morais – drums (1, 7) *Simon Morton – percussion (2) * Tessa Niles – background vocals (2, 3) * Frank Ricotti – percussion (6) * Ray Russell – guitar (6) * Joe Sample – synthesizer (9), piano (9) * David T. Walker – guitar (9) * Martyn Ware – programming, electronic drums (6, 10), arrangements (6, 10), background vocals (6, 10) *Greg Walsh – programming (6, 10), arrangements (6, 10) * Jamie West-Oram – guitar (1, 7) *Jessica Williams – background vocals (9) * Terry Williams – drums (5, 8) *Nick Plytas – piano, synthesizer (6, 10) *
Richie Zito Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...
– guitar (8) Production * Terry Britten – producer (2, 3, 4) * John Carter – producer (5, 8) * Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – producer (9) * Wilton Felder – producer (9) * Rupert Hine – producer (1, 7) * Joe Sample – producer (9) *Greg Walsh – producer & engineer (6, 10) * Martyn Ware – producer (6, 10) *F. Byron Clark – engineer (9) *John Hudson – engineer & mixing (2, 3, 4) *Walter Samuel – engineer (6, 10) *Stephen W. Tayler – engineer & mixing (1, 7) * Humberto Gatica
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
ing (5, 8) *Alan Yoshida – mastering *Akira Taguchi – compilation producer *Sam Gay – creative director *Roy Kohara – art direction *John O'Brien – design * Peter Ashworth – photography *Roger Davies – management *Chip Lightman – management


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Accolades


Grammy Awards


See also

* List of best-selling albums in Germany * List of best-selling albums by women


References


Bibliography

*


External links


''Private Dancer''
( Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 1984 albums Tina Turner albums Albums produced by Rupert Hine Capitol Records albums United States National Recording Registry albums