Private Dancer
Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Love Explosion1979Break Every Rule1986studioPrivate DancerTina Turner Private Dancer US CD cover art 1984 original.jpgCover photography by Peter AshworthTina TurnerTemplate:Start date1983–1984Farmyard, Mayfair, Wessex, Good Earth, Abbey Road, CBS (London, United Kingdom)*Pop<ref name=dancer84>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- rock<ref name=dancer84/>
- R&B<ref name=dancer84/>Template:DurationCapitol*Terry Britten
- Carter
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler
- Wilton Felder
- Rupert Hine
- Joe Sample
- Greg Walsh
- Martyn Warex|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}
Private Dancer is the fifth solo studio album by singer Tina Turner. It was released on May 29, 1984, by Capitol Records 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 for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Background and productionEdit
A&R man John Carter of Capitol Records is credited with relaunching Turner's career in the 1980s.<ref>"Passings: Bill Summers, John S. Carter, Ruth C. Cole". Los Angeles Times May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2012.</ref> 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.<ref name=Holden/> A radical departure from the rhythm and blues sound Turner performed with Ike, the tracks in the album are a mixture of uptempos and ballads, inspired by pop and rock genres; it also features elements of smooth jazz and Contemporary R&B.
Carter produced "Private Dancer", which was written by Mark Knopfler and has a guitar solo by Jeff Beck. "Let's Stay Together" was produced by Ware. Terry Britten produced the reggae-tinged "What's Love Got to Do with It". "Help!" 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.<ref name="Miller"/>
Release & promotionEdit
In 1997, EMI, the parent label of Capitol Records, 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 which now controls this album.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On March 21, 2025, Parlophone released a five disc and blu-ray deluxe edition.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydd9352qxo</ref>
PromotionEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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 receptionEdit
Template:Album ratings The album received a positive reception from critics. The Los Angeles Times wrote that Turner's voice "melts vinyl".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Debby Miller, in a July 1984 Rolling Stone 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".<ref name="Miller"/> Robert Christgau of The Village Voice 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
LegacyEdit
Alex Henderson, in a retrospective AllMusic 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.<ref name="Henderson"/> Stephen Holden has written in The New York Times 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".<ref name=Holden>Template:Cite journal</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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 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".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Commercial performanceEdit
The album was released on May 29, 1984, and became an outstanding global commercial success.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart for ten consecutive weeks<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and remained in the top ten for 39 weeks from August 1984 to May 1985. In the United States it was certified 5× platinum.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Dancer1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Dancer2">Template:Cite news</ref> At the 1985 Grammy Awards, Private Dancer won four of the six awards for which it was nominated.
Track listingEdit
US editionEdit
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International editionEdit
1997 Centenary EditionEdit
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2015 30th Anniversary EditionEdit
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2025 Deluxe editionEdit
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PersonnelEdit
- Tina Turner – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (1, 7, 8)
- Gary Barnacle – saxophone (6)
- Jeff Beck – guitar (8, 9)
- Terry Britten – guitar (2,<ref name="SoundOnSound">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> 3, 4), background vocals (2,<ref name="SoundOnSound"/> 3), bass (2),<ref name="SoundOnSound"/> drum programming (2)<ref name="SoundOnSound"/>
- Graham Broad – drums (4)
- Alex Brown – background vocals (9)
- John Carter – percussion (5)
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums (9)
- Alan Clark – keyboards (5, 8), percussion (5)
- Mel Collins – saxophone (5)
- David Cullen – string arrangements (10)
- Cy Curnin – background vocals (1, 7)
- Jullian Diggle – percussion (5)
- David Ervin – synthesizer, programming (9)
- Gwen Evans – background vocals (9)
- Charles Fearing – guitar (9)
- Wilton Felder – bass guitar (9), saxophone (9)
- Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards (2,<ref name="SoundOnSound"/> 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),<ref name="SoundOnSound"/> keyboards (3)
- Trevor Morais – drums (1, 7)
- Simon Morton – percussion (2)<ref name="SoundOnSound"/>
- 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 – guitar (8)
Production Template:Div col
- Terry Britten – producer (2,<ref name="SoundOnSound"/> 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,<ref name="SoundOnSound"/> 3, 4)
- Walter Samuel – engineer (6, 10)
- Stephen W. Tayler – engineer & mixing (1, 7)
- Humberto Gatica – remixing (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
ChartsEdit
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Weekly chartsEdit
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (1984) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 7 | |
| Canadian Albums (The Record)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 1 | |
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 1 | |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | 5 | |
| US Cash Box Top Pop Albums <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
3 |
| Chart (2023-2025) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
53 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
60 |
Year-end chartsEdit
| Chart (1984) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> | 17 | |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 8 | |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
9 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
17 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
27 |
| Norwegian Fall Period Albums (VG-lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
6 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
6 |
| UK Albums (Gallup)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 18 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 39 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 11 |
| Chart (1985) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> | 26 | |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
1 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 28 | |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
25 |
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 | |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
2 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
15 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
1 |
| UK Albums (Gallup)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 16 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 5 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2 |
| Chart (1986) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (Gallup)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 78 |
Certifications and salesEdit
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AccoladesEdit
Grammy AwardsEdit
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Better Be Good to Me" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance |
| 1985 | "What's Love Got to Do with It" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
| 1985 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | Record of the Year |
| 1985 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | Song of the Year |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
External linksEdit
- Private Dancer (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)