Asculta azi Tina

Tina Turner - Private Dancer (live, 2009) 

Private Dancer is the fifth solo album by Tina Turner, released on Capitol Records in 1984. The album was Turner's breakthrough after several challenging years of going solo after divorcing husband and performing partner, Ike Turner.

This song is about either a prostitute or stripper who prefers to consider herself a "Private Dancer." It describes how empty she feels inside. It was an unlikely title track to Turner's wildly successful comeback album, as the subject matter didn't relate to the singer's life or her return to fame.

Mark Knopfler wrote this song for his band Dire Straits, but realized that it didn't work with a guy singing it, so he pitched it to Turner, who was beginning her comeback.

In a 2004 interview with her fan club, Tina Turner described her reaction when Knopfler played her the song: "Mark said this song is not for a man, it's a girl's song. He recorded it but won't use it so when he put the demo on, he sung 'I'm a private dancer, dancer for money, do what you want me to do,' I told him, 'I think you're right, it's not a song for a guy. I liked it a lot. I wasn't sure whether the girl was a hooker or a very classical private dancer but I thought I'd take it."

Members of Dire Straits played on this track, including their bass player John Illsley and drummer Terry Williams. Jeff Beck played the guitar solo, as Mark Knopfler did not perform on it.

The album produced seven singles, including "What's Love Got to Do with It", "Better Be Good To Me, "Private Dancer", and "Let's Stay Together".

Positively received by critics on release for Turner's ability to give energy and raw emotion to slickly produced professional pop/rock songs; its long term legacy is that the softening of her raw Southern soul style produced a "landmark" in the "evolution of pop-soul music".

The lyrics are:

Well the men come in these places

And the men are all the same

You don't look at their faces

And you don't ask their names

You don't think of them as human

You don't think of them at all

You keep your mind on the money

Keeping your eyes on the wall

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

I'll do what you want me to do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

And any old music will do

I wanna make a million dollars

I wanna live out by the sea

Have a husband and some children

Yeah, I guess I want a family

All the men come in these places

And the men are all the same

You don't look at their faces

And you don't ask their names

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

I'll do what you want me to do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

And any old music will do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

I'll do what you want me to do

Yes your private dancer

A dancer for money

And any old music will do

Dutchmarks or dollars

American Express will do nicely, thank you

Let me loosen up your collar

Tell me, do you wanna see me do the shimmy again?

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

I'll do what you want me to do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

And any old music will do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

I'll do what you want me to do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

And any old music will do

I'm your private dancer, dancer for money

Just a private dancer, dancer for money