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)
River Deep
Tina Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only doll I've ever owned
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grown
And it gets stronger in every way
And it gets deeper, let me say
And it gets higher day by day
Do I love you, my oh my? Oh baby
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh, how I love you, baby, baby, baby, baby
When you were a young boy
Did you have a puppy?
That always followed you around
Well, I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy
No, I'll never let you down
'Cause it grows stronger like a river flows
And it gets sweeter, baby and Heaven knows
And it gets sweeter, baby, as it grows
Do I love you, my oh my? Oh baby
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh, how I love you, baby, baby, baby, baby
And it gets stronger in every way
And it gets deeper, let me say
And it gets higher day by day
Do I love you, my oh my? Oh baby
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh, how I love you, baby, baby, baby, baby
I love you, baby, just like Robin loves to sing
I love you, baby, like a flower loves the spring
And I love you, baby, like a school boy loves his pet
The lyrics of Tina Turner's song "River Deep Mountain High" express the intensity of love and devotion that the singer has for her partner. As a child, the singer only had one rag doll, which she loved dearly. Now, as an adult, she loves her partner with the same intensity and devotion. Love grows stronger, deeper, and higher with each passing day, and the singer can not imagine her life without her partner. She compares her love for her partner to a river that keeps flowing, a mountain that keeps rising, and a puppy that is always loyal.
In the second part of the song, the singer asks her partner if he had a puppy when he was a young boy that always followed him around. She assures him that she will be as faithful and loyal as that puppy and will never let him down. Love grows sweeter with each passing day, and it becomes stronger, like a river that flows, and deeper, like the depths of the sea. The singer compares the intensity of her love to the joy that a bird experiences in singing, the delight that a flower feels in the spring and the affection that a schoolboy has for his pet.
Overall, the lyrics of "River Deep Mountain High" express a passionate and enduring love that is both intense and spiritual. They showcase the immense power of love and the lengths to which one would go for their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll
When I was a child, I owned a rag doll
Only doll I've ever owned
That was the only doll I ever had
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
I love you just as much as I loved that toy
But only now my love has grown
But my love for you has grown with time
And it gets stronger in every way
My love for you becomes stronger each day
And it gets deeper, let me say
My love for you becomes deeper each day
And it gets higher day by day
My love for you becomes more intense every day
Do I love you, my oh my? Oh baby
Do I love you? The answer is yes, my dear
River deep, mountain high
My love is as strong as a river and as high as a mountain
If I lost you would I cry
I would be devastated if I ever lost you
When you were a young boy
When you were a child
Did you have a puppy?
Did you have a pet dog?
That always followed you around
That used to be with you all the time
Well, I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy
I will be as loyal to you as a puppy is to their owner
No, I'll never let you down
I will always be there for you, never disappoint you
'Cause it grows stronger like a river flows
My love for you increases like the flow of a river
And it gets sweeter, baby and Heaven knows
And my love for you becomes more delightful over time
And it gets sweeter, baby, as it grows
My love for you becomes more pleasant as it grows
I love you, baby, just like Robin loves to sing
I love you, dear, like Robin loves to sing
I love you, baby, like a flower loves the spring
I love you like flowers love spring
And I love you, baby, like a school boy loves his pet
And I love you like a schoolboy loves his pet
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@miracleofsound
Rest in piece, Tina. Thank you for your wonderful voice 💔
@JC-zu9ek
I don’t understand how this song wasn’t appreciated when it was released. Every time I hear it I have goosebumps.
@jackjules7552
It did not get a chance to get appreciated because the radio stations would not play it...hence its very low charting in the U.S. and poor record sales.
@Hampsonful
It was immediately appreciated here in the UK.
@kimspurre1242
Me too
@dippydoo1000
@@Hampsonful yes mate, you would hear it every ware , every juke box and fair ground , powerful
@derellyoung4877
Supposedly it was the fan base in England. It was released there
@yoshubrown8132
She passed today and I had to come here to hear my favorite song by her. Rest Well Tina!🙏🏾🕊
@autk
🖤🖤🖤
@southernswede1852