Turner began her career with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1957. Under the name Little Ann, she appeared on her first record, "Boxtop", in 1958. In 1960, she debuted as Tina Turner with the hit duet single "A Fool in Love". The duo Ike & Tina Turner became "one of the most formidable live acts in history". They released hits such as "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "River Deep – Mountain High", "Proud Mary", and "Nutbush City Limits" before disbanding in 1976.
In the 1980s, Turner launched "one of the greatest comebacks in music history". Her 1984 multi-platinum album Private Dancer contained the hit song "What's Love Got to Do with It", which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became her first and only number one song on the Billboard Hot 100. At age 44, she was the oldest female solo artist to top the Hot 100. Her chart success continued with "Better Be Good to Me", "Private Dancer", "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)", "Typical Male", "The Best", "I Don't Wanna Fight", and "GoldenEye". During her Break Every Rule World Tour in 1988, she set a then-Guinness World Record for the largest paying audience (180,000) for a solo performer.
Turner also acted in the films Tommy (1975), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and Last Action Hero (1993). In 1993, What's Love Got to Do with It, a biographical film adapted from her autobiography I, Tina: My Life Story, was released. In 2009, Turner retired after completing her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, which is the 15th highest-grossing tour of the 2000s. In 2018, she became the subject of the jukebox musical Tina.
Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Turner became one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. She received 12 Grammy Awards, which include eight competitive awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She was the first black artist, and first woman, to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone ranked her among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Turner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. She was a 2005 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and Women of the Year award.
In 2020, she came out of retirement to collaborate with Norwegian producer Kygo on a remix of "What's Love Got to Do with It". With this release, she became the first artist to have a top 40 hit in seven consecutive decades in the UK.
Studio albums
Tina Turns the Country On! (1974)
Acid Queen (1975)
Rough (1978)
Love Explosion (1979)
Private Dancer (1984)
Break Every Rule (1986)
Foreign Affair (1989)
Wildest Dreams (1996)
Twenty Four Seven (1999)
Complicated Disaster
Tina Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard about your secret life
She thinks that you're a family man
You got two babies and a wife
I never thought you'd sink this love
Two many lovers in this wrong
I'm suffocating
And now you're standing in front of me
Begging me not to leave
Complicated disaster
And as I struggle to understand
What became of the man who
Promised me ever after
I turn away but I can't run
You're all that I remember
It's been three hours
Since she shared her story in this room
She seems like such a gentle girl
You came and left her much too soon
She said it lasted just six months
The fear of being completely wrong
Has taken over
And now you're standing in front of me
Begging me not to leave
Complicated disaster
And as I struggle to understand
What became of the man who
Promised me ever after
I turn away but I can't run
You're all that I remember
All the plans we were making
Just got washed away with the tears
I'm drowning
But you can't save me
This time
Complicated disaster
And now you're standing in front of me
Begging me not to leave
Complicated disaster
And as I struggle to understand
What became of the man who
Promised me ever after
The lyrics to Tina Turner's song "Complicated Disaster" tell a story of a love triangle, with the singer being caught in the middle of a complicated situation between two lovers. She has found out about her partner's secret life, and the fact that he is a family man with a wife and two babies. The singer is struggling with the situation and feels suffocated. She never expected her love to sink this low and is trying to make sense of the mess that has been created.
Line by Line Meaning
She knows about me
The singer acknowledges that another woman is aware of their romantic involvement.
I heard about your secret life
The singer learned about the romantic partner's deceitful actions and behaviors outside of their relationship.
She thinks that you're a family man
The woman the romantic partner is cheating with believes that he is dedicated to his family and is unaware of his infidelity.
You got two babies and a wife
The romantic partner is married and has two children with his spouse.
I never thought you'd sink this love
The artist did not predict that their relationship would become so problematic and complicated due to the romantic partner's infidelity.
Two many lovers in this wrong
The romantic partner is cheating on both their spouse and the singer, leading to a morally wrong situation with too many wrong actions involved.
I'm suffocating
The singer feels trapped and unable to escape the situation, leading to feelings of suffocation and desperation.
And now you're standing in front of me
The romantic partner is physically present with the artist in the moment.
Begging me not to leave
The romantic partner is imploring the artist to remain in the relationship and not leave them.
Complicated disaster
The current situation in the relationship is complex and catastrophic.
And as I struggle to understand
The singer is attempting to make sense of the events and emotions of the situation.
What became of the man who
The artist is questioning the romantic partner's character and the person they used to know.
Promised me ever after
The romantic partner made promises of commitment and a lifetime together to the singer.
I turn away but I can't run
Physically leaving the situation is difficult and the singer feels conflicted about what they should do next.
You're all that I remember
Despite the complexities and problems in the relationship, the singer still has strong emotional attachment to the romantic partner.
It's been three hours
A period of time has passed since another woman shared her story and revealed the romantic partner's infidelity.
Since she shared her story in this room
The conversation about the romantic partner's infidelity took place in a specific physical location.
She seems like such a gentle girl
The other woman involved appears to be innocent and naive.
You came and left her much too soon
The romantic partner engaged in a brief affair with the other woman involved in their infidelity.
She said it lasted just six months
The other woman stated that the affair between her and the romantic partner lasted for a period of six months.
The fear of being completely wrong
The artist is afraid of making a mistake or misinterpreting the situation, leading to potential harm or negativity.
Has taken over
The artist's fear and anxiety have become dominant emotions in the situation.
All the plans we were making
The singer and romantic partner had future plans and aspirations for their relationship.
Just got washed away with the tears
The emotional distress and complications have resulted in the destruction of those future plans and hopes for the relationship.
I'm drowning
The singer feels overwhelmed and consumed by the emotional turmoil and negative events in the relationship.
But you can't save me
The singer acknowledges that the romantic partner cannot fix the problems and emotional distress present in the relationship.
This time
The singer implies that the romantic partner has hurt and failed them in previous situations.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHELLE ESCOFFERY, STEVE ROBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind