The Best (1989)

The Best is a rock song, originally released by Bonnie Tyler in 1988, but only with minor success. One year later, Tina covered it for her album Foreign Affair and released it as the first and highly successful single. She promoted the song at several TV-Shows in Europe and performed it live at every concert tour. Live versions are available on the Do You Want Some Action! home video from 199o and the album TINA Live from 2009. The song became Tina Turner's anthem and has been repeatedly used at various ceremonies and sport events. It became also the theme tune for the New South Wales Rugby League in Australia in the early 90's, promoted from Tina several times with TV commercials and two exclusive Australian releases with the Winfield Cup Edition in 1990 and the Grand Final Edition in 1993. Tina re-recorded the song together with Jimmy Barnes in 1992 under the slightly different title Simply The Best, which was also available as a bonus on the Simply The Best album in Australia. On April 19, 2010, fans from the Scottish Rangers football club began a campaign to get „The Best“ to number one, coinciding with the team taking the Scottish Premier League title. It subsequently charted at #1 in Scotland and #9 in England. In 2020, all mixes have been released also digitally and in 2021, a previously unheard Demo was released on the Foreign Affair (Deluxe Edition).

Writer: Holly Knight, Mike Chapman
Producer: Dan Hartman, Tina Turner
Photographer: Peter Lindbergh
Release: August 1989 / 2010 (Karaoke) / July 2020 (Digital)
Label: Capitol / EMI
Format: 7“ Vinyl / 12“ Vinyl / 3“ CD / 5“ CD / Cassette / Digital
Charts: Europe: #3, #1 (Airplay) / Germany: #4 / Australia: #4 / UK: #5 (1989), #9 (2010) / USA: #15
Certifications: UK: 1x Silver
Album: Foreign Affair

The concept for the music video was Tina‘s idea. It shows her in a black dress, singing and dancing in the Mojave dessert and riding a horse during the saxophone part. The clip was originally released on the Foreign Affair EP on VHS and later on the Simply The Best video collection on DVD. It’s also available as a HD remastered version on Tina’s official YouTube channel and on the Foreign Affair (Deluxe Edition). Otherwise unreleased alternate scenes with Tina riding the horse were shown in the TV-Special Tina Turner Giving Her Best from VH1 in 1989.

Director: Lol Creme
Producer: Lexi Godfrey
Home Video: Foreign Affair EP / Simply The Best / Foreign Affair (Deluxe Edition)
Time: 4:11

Foreign Affair Promo Interview

I'm responsible for the arrangement on that one, because I changed it a lot… And it's the best! That song, I was in L.A. at the time, and everytime I was in my jeep driving I'd blast it because it was the best. It was… It makes you feel, even if you’re not in love with that song. You just feel that someone is there that's the best. You know when someone is really right, they’re the best. It doesn’t matter that they’re not as pretty or as great or as rich as someone else. You’re just the best. That song is so good for so many feelings and so many situations, and the best! I had to have it, I wanted it.

CashBox - September 30, 1989

… "I just wanted the horse, and that feeling of being at one with the wind. The idea came to me while I was driving along in my Jeep.” The video is a pretty stunning affair, based on the metaphor of Tina Turner and her racehorse-like legs. It goes trot, trot, Tina’s legs, trot, trot, horse’s legs, trot, trot. “In some of the rushes our skin color and muscles are so alike, I can’t tell which is mine and which is his.”