What’s Love Got To Do With It

What’s Love Got To Do With It is the eighth studio album from Tina Turner and the soundtrack for the same named movie about her life story. It’s also the first album for her new record company Virgin in America. It features re-recorded Ike & Tina Turner songs and five new tracks, including the theme for the movie and hit single I Don't Wanna Fight, which became a top 10 hit in both the UK and US. It also includes Tina's version of The Trammps' Disco Inferno, a song she performed live in concert in the late seventies but never previously recorded in studio. The song „I Might Have Been Queen,“ originally from the album Private Dancer, is a remixed and little bit longer version and includes the additional and never before released vers „I Look Up To The Stars Till I Find My Destiny“. The American version of the album is missing two songs. Some of the pictures from the booklet were photographed at a beach in Malibu.

Producer: Chris Lord-Alge, Tina Turner, Roger Davies
Photographer: Herb Ritts / Peter Lindbergh
Makeup: Kevyn Aucoin
Design: Norman Moore
Release: June 15, 1993
Label: Parlophone (Europe) / Virgin (USA)
Format: Vinyl / CD (Picture) / MiniDisc / Cassette / Digital
Charts: UK: #1 / Europe: #4 / Germany: #8 / USA: #17 / Australia: #30
Certifications: UK: 1x Platinum / USA: 1x Platinum / Germany: 1x Gold

Tracks

Singles

The slow ballad I Don’t Wanna Fight was the first worldwide single and also the theme of the movie. Tina promoted it live at her What’s Love? Tour in 1993. Disco Inferno was originally a hit from The Trammps in 1976. Released as the second single in the UK, it charted four places higher than The Trammps version. The Bryan Adams written song Why Must We Wait Until Tonight? was the second single in America and Germany and the third one in England and the new recorded version of Proud Mary (with guest vocals by Timmy Cappello) was released in 1994 as the last single from the album, together with the home video release of the movie.

I Don’t Wanna Fight: April 1993 / UK: #7 / USA: #9 (Pop), #1 (A/C) / Germany: #35 / Europe: #11 / Canada: #1 / Australia: #39
Disco Inferno: July 1993 / UK: #12 / Europe: #38 / Australia: #56
Why Must We Wait Until Tonight?: September 1993 (USA) / October 1993 (Europe) / UK: #16 / Europe: #43, #12 (Airplay) / Germany: #55
Proud Mary: June 1994 / Scotland: #40 / UK: #62

What’s Love? Tour

The What’s Love? Tour was Tina’s first American tour since 1987 to promote the movie and soundtrack What's Love Got To Do With It about her life story. Originally intended as a North American tour only, Tina decided to add a few dates in Europe at open air festivals and some concerts in Australia and New Zealand. Shortly before the Australian leg, she performed also at the New South Wales Rugby League Grand Final in Sydney's football stadium, to support the Winfield Cup. In Adeleide, Ayrton Senna surprised her by showing up on stage during her concert, after he won the Australian Grand Prix on that day. Tina had already sung The Best, but decided to play it again as a tribute to him after he left the stage. The setlist was very similar to her previous Foreign Affair Tour, with some additional songs from the soundtrack album, including her new hit single I Don’t Wanna Fight. The concert at the Blockbuster Pavillion in San Bernardino, California on September 15 was released on home video and one show in Sydney, Australia was recorded as a special for local television.

Opening Night: June 06, 1993 / Reno (USA)
Closing Night: November 18, 1993 / Wellington (Australia)
Regions: North America (2 legs) / Europe / Australia, New Zealand
Concerts: 90+
Visitors: 1.5 Mio.
Home Video: What’s Love? Live (1994)
The Band: Jack Bruno: Drums / Karen Owens: Dancer, Vocals / Timmy Cappello: Percussion, Keyboard, Saxophon, Vocals / James Ralston: Guitar, Vocals / Bob Feit: Guitar / John Miles: Guitar, Vocals / Ollie Marland: Keyboard, Vocals / Sharon Owens: Dancer, Vocals / Kenny Moore: Piano, Vocals

Movie

What’s Love Got To Do With It is a biographical movie, based on the life of Tina Turner. The film stars Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike. The screenplay was adapted by Kate Lanier from the best seller I, Tina, written by Tina Turner and Kurt Loder in 1986. The story starts with an approximately six year old Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush Tennessee and ends with Tina’s first #1 hit single What’s Love Got To Do With It in 1984. Both main actors were nominated for an Oscar in the categroy „Best Actor/Actress“ and Angela Basset won a Golden Globe Award in 1994 and an Image Award in 1995.

For promotion, Touchstone Pictures in Germany released a sampler with interviews, selected spoken scenes and music from the movie. For the home video release in 1994, the documentary Tears to Triumph features interviews with Tina, Roger Davies and a look behind the scenes. Capitol Records released also a Tina hip-hop tribute from the D.J. Shero. Tina herself promoted the movie at a Press Conference and photo shooting in Monte Carlo, Monaco on May 11, 1993 as well as at the Venice film festival in September.

Anniversary Edition

In 2024, Rhino Records released a 30th Anniversary Edition with the original album fully remastered, a collection of edits, remixes and acapellas and a previously unheard version of the track Proud Mary. Additionally, it features the concert from the Blockbuster Pavillion in San Bernardino, California on CD and DVD with two bonus tracks and all music videos. Beside the 4CD/1DVD deluxe package with a poster and 24-page booklet, it’s also available as a 1LP black vinyl, an expanded 2CD version, digitally and bundled with a 'What’s Love?' T-Shirt.

The mix of some songs is different than on the original soundtrack album from 1993: The intro of I Don’t Wanna Fight is missing the strings, Disco Inferno features some additional vocal parts from Tina at the end of the song, Shake A Tail Feather is more like the version in the movie with some additional horns and also A Fool In Love features some additional horns.

Release: April 26, 2024
Label: Parlophone
Format: Vinyl / 2 CD / Digital / Box (4 CD, 1 DVD) / T-Shirt Bundle

Billboard

July 03, 1993

First effort for Virgin by veteran vocalist doubles as the soundtrack for current biopic on Turner's stormy life with ex-husband Ike. Majority of the material here is recut versions of such older Turner hits as „Proud Mary,“ „A Fool In Love,“ and „It’s Gonna Work Out Fine“ (title track is represented by hit '84 version); new (and commercially very promising) material includes slinky „Why Must We Wait Until Tonight,“ co-penned and produced by Bryan Adams. Strong critical reception for movie should spice sales.

June 12, 1993

Tina - The music behind the story what’s love got to do with it - Her sizzling new album with 14 new tracks, including the smash hit single I Don’t Wanna Fight - A new album on a new label. The soundtrack to her life story. And her first North American tour in six years.