Tina Turner - "Let's Stay Together"

[A Thug Named Slickback]

Has anyone heard Tina Turner's cover of Al Green's classic soul record "Let's Stay Together"?  It was the lead single from her 1984 Private Dancer album and hit #6 in the UK, but only #26 on the Hot 100.  It made #3 US R&B.

I know this is blasphemy, but I think Tina's version is twice as good as Al Green's version.  Her delivery is much more believable and the instrumental backing is perfect. I could listen to the organ solo 1,000 times and not get tired of it. (Too bad it is cut short in the single and video)

This was her first bona fide solo hit.  It's my favorite single from Private Dancer by a longshot.  I don't really like the other singles that much, but the album has several incredible tracks -- my favorite is tune "Steel Claw."

(What a creepy cover! Those are the same two chicks from the video)

[620 Soul Train]

I agree with you 100%. This was a kick ass remake! Thanks for sharing, now I'm going to pull out her GH CD and play this joint. My dad has the cassette and her used to play this quite a bit especially on our road trips before he was stationed in Germany for a couple years. Anyway my favourite track besides the singles from her Private Dancer album is "1984", partly because 1984 was such a fascinating year and I started buying music. BTW I do not care for Al Green's version at all, really.

[imbondz]

it's a great cover, but come on, better than Al Green??? noooo!!!!

[strong4PMB!]

Very good remake.

[areyoureadytojump]

I love this version.

[Deleted]

I, too, prefer this over Al's version. Absolutely love it.

To clarify, both versions are fucking amazing.

[horchata]

Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware (from Heaven 17) really outdid themselves with production with this for her, I love it. I have to echo the minority who like this version more so than Al Green's.

[vantiboy3]

Yep! This one really makes you forget that there ever was an original.
Great song. Her vocals really made her who she is.

[Deleted]

Good song.

[Deleted]

I LOVE her version.

[Glove Slap]

This is actually my favorite version of this song. It's very well done.

[areyoureadytojump]

#26 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week in 1984:

charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/03-24-84.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3FpWFCYQKa4HPNtK5i7bn5G1l6jiZe6LK424OnnqTBBslePEHFBYGCXvU

I just heard this on AT40.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

Nice remake. I like it.

[Private Dancer]

Yall tripping if yall saying the original isn't a classic or that the remake is better. As a mega huge Tina Stan, the AL Green version will always be the best one. This is good as well, but fat from the original.

[Dreams]

I love this and I love what it did for Tina's solo career, being her first bonafide hit as a solo artist. Though it always surprised me as much as it impressed me how after years of floppage, following her dumping Ike, and being relegated to a variety show act pretty much, she came out with a cover (!) and out of nowhere finally had a decent sized US hit and an actual UK top 10. At forty something no less. And she kept having success after success after success from that point on.

Anyway, I, too, prefer this version to Al Green's original (even though that one is sensational in its own right). It's all about the production for me first and foremost and then that vocal performance Tina gave it. Love this song.

And yes, that cover albeit kinda creepy is majestic at the same time:

[disman00911]

Never knew this existed until I heard it on old AT40 w/Casey Kasem shows. More used to the Al Green original in addition to Tina's other hits like "What's love got to do with it".

[areyoureadytojump]

40 years ago this week, "Let's Stay Together" debuted at #72 on the January 21, 1984 Billboard Hot 100.

Live in 1983:



Live in 1985:



Solid Gold:



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Stay_Together_(Al_Green_song)

#1 Dance
#3 R&B
#6 UK
#31 R&R: web.archive.org/web/20230326082016/https://gghunt.utasites.cloud/charts/tturner.html