Tina Turner's Official Top 20 most-streamed songs in the UK revealed

27 March 2021 | By George Griffiths

 

Tina Turner is the subject of a new two-part HBO documentary that examines her life and stardom.

 

Broadcast tonight (March 27), Tina takes viewers through her transformation from Anna Mae Bullock into Tina Turner, her abusive marriage to former husband Ike Turner and her metamorphosis into a solo superstar in the 1980s, buoyed by a collection of undeniable, timeless rock hits.

 

To commemorate the new doc, we're taking a look at Tina's Top 20 biggest streaming hits in the UK, both as a solo artist and as a part of Ike & Tina Turner. It may surprise fans to know that although Tina has scored 11 UK Top 10 singles in her lifetime, she never had a Number 1, and is unlikely to now - given that she has been widely retired from recording and performing since 2009, with tonight's documentary being called a "farewell" to fans.

 

But first, here's a closer look at the Top 5:

 

5. River Deep, Mountain High (as Ike & Tina Turner)

UK Singles Chart peak: Number 3

Total UK streams: 18 million

One of her biggest hits with former husband Ike, River Deep, Mountain High remains the duo's biggest hit on these shores, reaching a peak of Number 3 in 1966. A rock standard to this day, even today listening to the impassioned vocal performance by Tina and the blues-inspired production, you can see why it helped make her a star.

 

4. What's Love Got To Do With It (with Kygo)

UK Singles Chart peak: Number 31

Total UK streams: 21.9 million

A very recent hit for the Queen of rock 'n' roll, her classic mid-tempo banger What's Love Got To Do With It got a very snazzy, modern production update from DJ Kygo. The result reached a peak of Number 31 last year, Tina's first UK Top 40 appearance since 2010. Not bad going, right?

 

3. Proud Mary

UK Singles Chart peak: 61

Total UK streams: 30.6 million

Yes, you know it. We all know it. Originally released by Ike & Tina Turner (the original has a placing of Number 10 on our list) that never charted at the time, this solo re-working credited just to Tina got a huge boost in 2010 thanks to a cover by Glee and peaked at Number 61. Still, it remains her third-biggest streaming hit in the UK, with streams in excess of 30 million.

 

2. What's Love Got To Do With It

UK Singles Chart peak: Number 3

Total UK streams: 45.8 million

What's Love Got To Do With It and its accompanying album - 1983's Private Dancer - would completely transform Tina's career in the early 80s. Proving she could function as a solo star in her own right, What's Love Got To Do With It was a blockbuster record that solidified her position as a rock 'n' roll superstar of the highest degree. Peaking at Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart, it's also her second most-streamed song with 45.8 million streams, although its (admittedly very dated) visual has the most video streams out of all of Tina's tracks.

 

1. The Best

UK Singles Chart peak: Number 5

Total UK streams: 54.5 million

No, not Simply The Best as your mother or Nanna might call it but just simply... The Best. Tina's biggest solo hit, The Best reached a peak of Number 5 on the Official Singles Chart, but is her biggest streaming hit by far, boasting 54.5 million streams.

 

A stone-cold classic, it was originally recorded and released by Bonnie Tyler, before being re-tooled by Tina for inclusion on 1989's Foreign Affair LP. The Best's very 80s production - all cascading synths and licks of an electric guitar - could very easily sound dated, but it's a resilient banger that hasn't aged a day to our ears.

 

Tina Turner's Official Top 20 most-streamed songs in the UK

POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR

1 THE BEST TINA TURNER 5 1989

2 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT TINA TURNER 3 1984

3 PROUD MARY TINA TURNER 61 1993

4 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT KYGO FEAT. TINA TURNER 31 2020

5 RIVER DEEP MOUNTAIN HIGH IKE & TINA TURNER 3 1966

6 WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HERO (THUNDERDOME) TINA TURNER 3 1985

7 NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS IKE & TINA TURNER 4 1973

8 PRIVATE DANCER TINA TURNER 26 1984

9 IT'S ONLY LOVE BRYAN ADAMS & TINA TURNER 29 1985

10 PROUD MARY IKE & TINA TURNER N/A 1971

11 LET'S STAY TOGETHER TINA TURNER 6 1983

12 I DON'T WANNA LOSE YOU TINA TURNER 8 1989

13 BETTER BE GOOD TO ME TINA TURNER 45 1984

14 IT TAKES TWO ROD STEWART & TINA TURNER 5 1990

15 GOLDENEYE TINA TURNER 10 1995

16 WHEN THE HEARTACHE IS OVER TINA TURNER 10 1999

17 I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN TINA TURNER 57 1985

18 STEAMY WINDOWS TINA TURNER 13 1990

19 I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TINA TURNER 7 1993

20 NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS (90S VERSION) TINA TURNER 23 1991

 

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Omg OCC really did this. They've got multiple versions of the same songs in there :lol: Could have fit three more songs by combining these (lbr WLGTDWI #2 is basically just a Kygo Remix).

 

2 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT TINA TURNER 3 1984

4 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT KYGO FEAT. TINA TURNER 31 2020

 

3 PROUD MARY TINA TURNER 61 1993

10 PROUD MARY IKE & TINA TURNER N/A 1971

 

7 NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS IKE & TINA TURNER 4 1973

20 NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS (90S VERSION) TINA TURNER 23 1991

 

 

It's pretty close between 'The Best' and 'What's Love Got to Do With It' for Tina's best seller. 'The Best' sold 247k in the 80s and 'What's Love Got to Do With It' sold 450k - in July 2020, the former was certified Platinum and, two weeks later, the latter was certified Gold. 'The Best' took 74 weeks to move from Gold to Platinum, which works out as 2.7k a week and would put its to date total at 944k if it continued selling at that rate. Not sure how much 'What's Love Got to Do With It' sells on a weekly basis, presumably less than 'The Best' usually but I imagine its sales increased a lot due to the Kygo remix.

Shame 'When The Heartache Is Over' isn't as well remembered these days, it's such a good song!

What’s Love Got To Do With It is her best for me. Not The Best.