What’s Love Got To Do With It is a pop song and Tina’s first number one hit in America. It was released as the first single to promote the album Private Dancer, while she was on tour with Lionel Richie. The single was reviewed in Billboard magazine in it’s issue from May 12, 1984 and was nominated for an American Music Award in 1985. The song won two Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1993, it was used as the title for the biographical movie What’s Love Got To Do With It about Tina’s life story. The song was reissued in 1995 under the 'Back to Back Hit Series‘ on the Collectables label and in 2018, a special Symphonic Version was released digitally. The Norwegian DJ Kygo released a remix as a digital single in 2020, which topped the iTunes charts in many countries.
Writer: Terry Britten, Graham Lyle
Producer: Terry Britten
Photographer: Peter Ashworth, Brian Aris
Release: May '84 (USA) / June '84 (UK) / Juli '84 (Germany) / 1995 (Reissue) / 2010 (Digital)
Region: Worldwide
Label: Capitol / EMI
Format: 7“ Vinyl / 12“ Vinyl (Picture) / Cassette / Digital
Charts: USA: #1 / Australia: #1 / Canada: #1 / UK: #3 / Germany: #7 / Europe: #9, #2 (Airplay)
Certifications: USA: 1x Gold / UK: 1x Silver
Grammy: Best Pop Vocal Performance Female / Record of the Year (1985)
American Music Award: Favorite Soul/R&B Single / Favorite Pop/Rock Single (Nominated 1985)
Album: Private Dancer
- What’s Love Got To Do With It 3:48
- What’s Love Got To Do With It (Extended Version) 5:45
- What’s Love Got To Do With It (Karaoke Version) 3:51
- What’s Love Got To Do With It (2016 DJ Edit) 5:11
- What’s Love Got To Do With It (Ken@Work Jackin’ Mix) 5:03
- Don’t Rush The Good Things 3:45
- Rock’n Roll Widow 4:45
The first music video was filmed totally in black and white in the S&A studios in Los Angeles. It is very artistically with an absolutely gorgeous looking Tina, but it is also a little bit melancholic and was only rarely shown on TV.
The second video is totally different and much more positive, filmed live in New York City with Tina in a black mini skirt and a jeans jacket. In the first scene she looks at a ferry in the East River at Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn and meet then a guy along the pier, who was played from the choreographer Ed Love. Later she emerged from the Christopher Street subway station at Seventh Avenue South in the West Village, walking down the streets and interacting with different people. At the end, she stops at a chalk illustration of the Private Dancer cover photo from Brian Aris. This video features Pamela Springsteen, the sister of Bruce Springsteen as a street dancer. It won a MTV Video Music Award in the category 'Best Female Video' in 1985.
Director: Mark Robinson / Bud Schaetzle (b/w version)
Producer: John Caldwell
Time: 3:47 / 3:50 (b/w version)
Home Video: Private Dancer (Anniversary Edition)