The Best

Lore & Background

By 1989, Tina Turner had already completed the most dramatic reinvention in rock history: she had left the abusive shadow of Ike Turner, rebuilt her career from the ground up, and redefined herself as a solo force. "The Best" arrived at the height of that transformation, sitting on *Break Every Rule* alongside tracks that showcased her range from grit to glamour. The song's concept—Turner voicing both the lover and the beloved in a tender, almost theatrical exchange—gave her a chance to display vocal nuance and emotional intimacy that her harder-edged rock numbers rarely demanded. Bill Levenson's composition paired a smooth, radio-friendly pop arrangement with a chorus built on the simple, declarative phrase "I'm the best I can be." The self-duet format was not merely a studio trick; it became a stage device. In concert, Turner would alternate between a lower, almost conversational register for the "man's" lines and her full, soaring belt for the female responses, turning every performance into a miniature two-person scene. Audiences treated the chorus as a communal sing-along, and the song's warmth contrasted beautifully with the ferocious energy of her rock set pieces, reminding fans that her power lived in vulnerability as much as in volume. Culturally, "The Best" landed in the moment when Turner was being celebrated not just as a survivor but as a global superstar in her prime. Its ubiquity on radio, in films, and in live arenas made it a shorthand for the late-1980s pop landscape, and its duet-with-yourself conceit has been referenced and imitated by artists who wanted to capture that same sense of self-contained emotional dialogue.

In Their Own Story

The studio lights hummed a low amber glow. Tina stood in the vocal booth, headphones on, eyes closed, and sang the man's line first—low, warm, almost a whisper. Then she opened her eyes, straightened her shoulders, and let the woman's answer rip out of her in a full, golden belt that made the engineer lean forward in his chair. She did it again. And again. By the fourth take, the two voices were locking together like hands clasping across a table, and the room went quiet in the way rooms do when something true is being made. She pulled the headphones off, smiled, and said, "That's the one." Outside, the Los Angeles night was still, but inside that booth, a whole conversation had just happened between one woman and the best version of herself.

Reader's Guide

Written by Bill Levenson and recorded for the 1989 album *Break Every Rule*, "The Best" was conceived as a self-duet: Turner sang both the male and female parts, crafting a back-and-forth dialogue that felt like a couple arguing and reconciling in real time. The production is warm and polished, with layered strings and a steady pop groove that let the vocal interplay take center stage. On stage, the song became a set-list anchor. Turner would often perform it in a flowing white or cream gown, stepping close to the audience on a small platform. The choreography was deliberately understated compared to her rock numbers—she'd gesture to the "man's" lines with a slight turn of the head, then open her arms wide for the female responses, inviting the crowd to fill in the chorus. The audience reaction was consistently electric: thousands of voices joining the "I'm the best I can be" refrain, creating a wall of sound that Turner would acknowledge with a nod and a grin. The recording that immortalized the moment is the studio version on *Break Every Rule*, where the two vocal tracks sit in a tight, intimate stereo field. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became the signature closer of her late-80s concert sets, a reminder that her legacy was built not only on thunder but on tenderness. Its cultural footprint extends well beyond the chart: the song has been sampled, covered, and referenced in everything from television soundtracks to wedding playlists, cementing it as a generational anthem of self-acceptance.

Did You Know?

• Tina Turner recorded both the male and female vocal parts herself, making the entire duet a one-woman performance.
• The song was written by Bill Levenson, who also produced it for the *Break Every Rule* album.
• Despite its soft, conversational tone, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, proving that vulnerability could be a chart-dominating force.
• The self-duet format became a recurring device in her live shows, where she would physically turn to face the audience for the 'man's' lines and face forward for the 'woman's' replies.

The Album's Origins and Scope

Simply the Best stands as Tina Turner's first greatest hits compilation, a milestone release that arrived on October 22, 1991, through Capitol Records. The project was conceived to capture the breadth of her musical renaissance, gathering together the tracks that had defined her remarkable comeback during the early to mid-1980s. Rather than being a simple retrospective, the album also pushed forward, incorporating three entirely new compositions that had never before been heard by the public. This blend of proven fan favorites and fresh material gave the record a dual identity: a celebration of what made Turner a global icon once again, and a statement that her creative engine was still firing. The result was a package that honored her past while refusing to let it become a museum piece, positioning her as an artist still very much in motion at the start of the 1990s.

Fresh Tracks and Single Releases

Beyond the catalog of hit singles that anchored the compilation, Simply the Best introduced listeners to four pieces of new material. Three of these were entirely original compositions: "Love Thing," "I Want You Near Me," and "Way of the World." Each was subsequently issued as a standalone single across 1991 and 1992, and all three found their way onto the UK charts, with "Way of the World" reaching number thirteen, "I Want You Near Me" landing at number twenty-two, and "Love Thing" peaking at number twenty-nine. The fourth new entry was not a brand-new song but a reimagined version of Turner's earlier classic "Nutbush City Limits," re-recorded in a contemporary dance style that gave the track a modern pulse. It too was released as a single and charted at number twenty-three in the UK. This strategy of pairing retrospective hits with forward-looking singles ensured the album functioned as both a summary and a launchpad.

Commercial Dominance and Chart Longevity

The commercial footprint of Simply the Best was extraordinary, particularly in Turner's home market of the United Kingdom. There, the album became her biggest-selling record of any kind, moving 2.1 million copies and earning an impressive eight-times platinum certification from the British recording industry. Its chart presence was equally remarkable: the record remained on the UK albums chart for more than 140 consecutive weeks, a span of visibility that speaks to sustained listener engagement far beyond the typical release cycle. On a global scale, the compilation surpassed seven million copies sold across all markets. These figures collectively cemented Simply the Best not merely as a successful collection but as a defining commercial event in Turner's career, demonstrating that her post-comeback body of work resonated with audiences on a massive, enduring scale.

Regional Editions and Bonus Material

While the core compilation followed a consistent template, regional variations offered fans additional content. In the United States, the track listing diverged from the standard edition: the live rendition of "Addicted to Love" and the track "Be Tender with Me Baby" were swapped out for "What You Get Is What You See" and "Look Me in the Heart," giving American listeners a slightly different experience. Australia received a particularly generous limited-edition pressing that included a five-track bonus disc. Among its highlights was a re-recording of "The Best" performed as a duet with Australian singer Jimmy Barnes, retitled "(Simply) The Best" and released as a standalone single. The bonus disc also featured "I'm a Lady," a fourth new composition that in other parts of the world had been issued only as the B-side to "Love Thing." These regional differences made the album a collectible object with distinct identities in different markets.

Gallery