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)
I Want You Near Me
Tina Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're beginning to see
I go hot, I go cold
It's just the devil in me
You've got to understand I am in love with a beautiful man
So if you're feeling insecure you've really no cause to be
I want you near me, don't you run away
I want you near me, come on here and stay
Don't let me down
You're so good with your hands
To help me with a hook or a zip
Indispensable that's what you are
For the occasional kiss
I'm only playing games with you, I can't be nice without being cruel
I know it's not fair, but I make the rules
I want you near me, don't you run away
I just got used to having you around
I want you near me, come on here and stay
Don't let me down
All I want, I've decided
Is your attention undivided
I want you near, don't turn away
I want you near me, won't you stay
In Tina Turner's song "I Want You Near Me," the singer addresses someone they care about who seems to be considering leaving. They acknowledge that they have a tendency to be hot and cold, and attribute this behavior to the "devil in [them]." The singer clarifies that they are in love with someone else, but assures the person that their presence is important and that they have no reason to feel insecure. The singer also acknowledges that the person is helpful and occasionally received kisses, but warns that they are playing games and cannot be kind without also being cruel. The song ends with the singer expressing their desire for the person to stay close and dedicate their undivided attention to them.
One interesting fact about "I Want You Near Me" is that it was written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, who have collaborated on a number of songs for Adams' albums. Another is that Turner's cover of "I Want You Near Me" was the fourth single from her album "Foreign Affair," and reached #22 on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Additionally, the album was a commercial success and reached #1 in several European countries.
"I Want You Near Me" also features backup vocals from Turner's frequent collaborator, Timmy Cappello. Cappello is also known for his iconic saxophone solo in Turner's song "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)." Additionally, the song's music video features footage from Turner's historic concert in Barcelona, which attracted more than 125,000 fans.
The chords for "I Want You Near Me" are as follows:
Intro: D A D A
Verse: D F#m Bm G A
Chorus: D G A D G A
Overall, "I Want You Near Me" is a catchy and upbeat song that showcases Turner's impressive vocal range and the songwriting talents of Adams and Vallance. Despite its relatively straightforward lyrics, the song's underlying themes of love, insecurity, and power dynamics make it a thought-provoking and relatable piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Should you stay, should you go
You may be questioning whether you should remain in this situation or not.
You're beginning to see
You're starting to understand this situation better.
I go hot, I go cold
My mood can change dramatically from one moment to the next.
It's just the devil in me
It's an aspect of my personality that I can't control.
You've got to understand I am in love with a beautiful man
It's important that you realize I am in love with someone else.
So if you're feeling insecure you've really no cause to be
If you're worried about my feelings for you, there's no need to be.
I want you near me, don't you run away
I don't want you to leave me, please stay with me.
I just got used to having you around
I've grown accustomed to having you in my life.
Come on here and stay, don't let me down
Please come back to me and stay here with me, don't disappoint me.
You're so good with your hands
You're very skilled at using your hands.
To help me with a hook or a zip
You're very helpful when it comes to assisting me with fastening clothes.
Indispensable that's what you are
You're absolutely essential to me.
For the occasional kiss
I only kiss you once in a while as part of our playful interactions.
I'm only playing games with you, I can't be nice without being cruel
I'm only teasing you, but I tend to be mean while doing so.
I know it's not fair, but I make the rules
I understand that it's unfair, but I have control in this situation.
All I want, I've decided
I've come to the conclusion that all I want is...
Is your attention undivided
I want you to be focused solely on me.
I want you near, don't turn away
Please don't turn your back on me, I want you close to me.
I want you near me, won't you stay
I want you to be by my side, won't you stay?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRAHAM HAMILTON LYLE, TERRY BRITTEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
César Cadavid Grajales
It took 10 years for me to love this song... Now I love it!
Lloyd Denver McKay
Didn't know Tina made a music video for this song! Lol😁 'I Want You Near Me' - the 16th track & underrated song taken from Tina Turner's 1991 compilation album: 'Simply The Best'. 💿 Shame this wasn't a big hit but still a nice song to listen to from TT - perfect for a warm summer sunny day! 😊❤🎤🎼🎶🎵🌞🌅
Turnerlover7
Love it! Tina Is beautiful as ever! :)
Joan NOVI VIVES
So beautiful, I loved it!
Andrea Maggiore
One of her most underrated video...very nice anyway ;-)
funnymanmrt
Tina is SIMPLY THE BEST. NO ONE LIKE THE QUEEN OF ROCK. AND WILL NEVER BE!!!!
MARCIA REGINA Sforsin
Kim carnes bette davis eyes
Anjies74
These were the days!!!!!!!
chuito6619
I never saw this video and I am a die hard fan I love her so much Beautiful video.
Luciano JPF
eu te amo, tina...