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)
Whatever You Need
Tina Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what forgotten moments have I felt like this?
The way you touch me I come undone
You know me more than anyone
Whatever you want
In what other lives have I touched your face
And what words did we whisper in a strange forbidden place?
We're two of a kind, you and I
I couldn't love anyone else
You are my beginning, my end
You are my lover, my friend
In this life, in this time
Whatever you want, whatever you need
I will be right here waiting (baby, baby, baby)
Whatever you want (whatever you want)
Whatever you need (whatever you need)
I will be right here waiting (right here waiting)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
In what other life did I feel your skin
And when exactly did I breathe you in?
Feel like I've known you for a thousand years
You're so familiar to me and there is no fear
You are my beginning, my end
You are my lover, my friend
In this life, in this time
Whatever you want, whatever you need
I will be right here waiting (baby, baby, baby)
Whatever you want (whatever you want)
Whatever you need (whatever you need)
I will be right here waiting
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We watch the sun go down, yeah, yeah (yeah)
My past and future in you are bound, oh yeah (yeah)
I watch as time moves on, I'm alive and strong
And when I'm with you there's no right, no wrong
Oh, whatever you want, whatever you need
I will be right here waiting (baby, baby, baby)
Whatever you want (whatever you want)
Oh, whatever you need (whatever you need)
I'm gonna be right here, right here waiting, baby, baby
Whatever you want (whatever you want)
Whatever you need (whatever you need)
I will be right here waiting
Waiting, waiting (baby, baby, baby)
Whatever you want (whatever you want)
Whatever you need (whatever you need)
Whatever you want (right here, waiting)
Right here, right here waiting
I'm gonna be right here waiting, yeah
Right here waiting
(You want)
In Tina Turner's song "Whatever You Need," the lyrics express a deep love and connection between two people. The verses pose questions about the past lives and moments shared by the two lovers. The chorus assures the listener that no matter what the person desires or needs, the singer will be right there waiting for them. The lyrics touch on themes of familiarity, trust, and the idea of being soulmates.
The repeated phrase "whatever you want, whatever you need" underscores a sense of devotion and loyalty. Turner sings about the lover being both her beginning and end, lover and friend. The image of watching the sun go down and seeing the past and future bound in the relationship highlights the timelessness of the love between the two people. The lyrics are emotional, romantic and speak to the depth of connection possible between two people.
Some possible interpretations of the lyrics could be that the singer is reflecting on the idea of past lives and how love transcends all barriers of time and space. Another interpretation could be that the singer is speaking to a current partner and wants to assure them of their commitment and devotion. Either way, the lyrics communicate a deep sense of love and trust between two people.
Line by Line Meaning
In what other lives have I known your kiss
I wonder if we have known each other in past lives and shared kisses like this
And what forgotten moments have I felt like this
What are the other moments from the past that made me feel like this? I can't recall
The way you touch me I come undone
You touch me in a way that makes all my stress, pain or nakedness fall apart
You know me more than anyone
You know me better than any other person out there. You can see clearly into my heart
Whatever you want
I am willing to do anything you ask for, my love
In what other lives have I touched your face
I wonder if we have touched each other's faces in past lives, in the way we're doing now
And what words did we whisper in a strange forbidden place
What were the secret words we whispered in that sacred place full of mystery and distance
To be with you baby is to find myself
Being with you is the same as discovering my true self; it feels like home
We're two of a kind, you and I
We resemble each other, babe; we have common ways of seeing life
I couldn't love anyone else
I have never loved someone else like I love you
You are my beginning, my end
You are everything to me, the start and the end of all my desires and dreams
You are my lover, my friend
You're not just my lover, but also my dear friend who understands me deeply
In this life, in this time
Right here and now, darling, I want to be with you forever
Whatever you want, whatever you need
I am here to give you everything you want and everything you need
I will be right here waiting, baby baby baby
I will be waiting for you patiently no matter how long it takes
Watch the sun go down, yeah yeah
Let's enjoy this watching the sun set
My past and future in you are bound, oh yeah
You and I are one, my past and my future connect to you in every way possible
I watch as time moves on, I'm alive and strong
Time passes by but I still feel strong and alive being by your side
And when I'm with you there's no right, no wrong
Being together is the only thing that matters, nothing else can go right or wrong
Right here, right here waiting
I'm here, close to you, waiting patiently for you to come back to me
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Harriet Roberts, Russell Courtenay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TINA Turner Blog
The One and Only Queen 🙌🏽❤️💃🏼
Carmela Caporossi
TINA Turner Blog
YES SHE IS!! ❤️
simone Gueredrat
C'est celle que je préfère. Elle est fantastique. Simple et ultra douée.Simone de Martinique
Street Witch outreach
So true im 26 and have been listening to tina since i was 6 and its so great that she is still making music. Would love to see here live one day
Paulina
TINA Turner Blog That is totally the truth 👍. Love her she isn’t just beautiful, she is amazing 💕🙏🏻😀💃🥰♥️♥️♥️
Unathi Mgidi
yes she is a real Queen
Erwan Brin
One of my favorite songs of all her repertoire. Such an inspirational track. And it has that typical sound of the early 2000s, it fits her voice so well. There will never be another like her. I miss her so much every day. Love you Tina❤
Marcelo Acosta
RIP Tina!❤🙏🙌
Fly high Queen! Thanks for your music!!
Theresa DeCandia
Thank you for this beautiful 🎵 song —RIP beautiful Tina ❤
Grenade Man PH (aka Yellow Scout)
This is the last single for Tina Turner where she gathered students for a singing session, one last time.
Thankful prayers to Tina Turner. Thank you for the music.
Rest In Heaven.