Tina Turner in 1970

Anna Mae Bullock (born November 26, 1939), known by her stage name Tina Turner, is a singer, dancer, actress, and author, whose career has spanned more than half a century, earning her widespread recognition and numerous awards. Born and raised in the American South, she is now a Swiss citizen.

Quotes

  • As the first Black woman to fill a football stadium. That is a wish of mine. It hasn't been done. Janis Joplin did it for the White girls. I want to do it for the Blacks.
    • Her answer to the question how she would like to be remembered, "TINA TURNER Tells How She Made It To The Top Alone", Jet (April 1, 1985), pp. 63–64
  • Well, it was a church person in the early days, Mahalia Jackson. And Rosetta Tharpe. These spiritual, very strong voices. I only knew that they were figures in the black race, recognizable and respected. But I must admit, I've always covered the songs of males. I haven't followed up on women or listened to that much women's music.
    • Her answer to a question about her first musical influences, Gerri Hershey, "Tina Turner", Rolling Stone (November 13, 1997), as quoted in Mark Bego, Tina Turner: Break Every Rule (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003), p. 18
  • People think my life has been tough but I think it's been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realise it's not what happens, it's how you deal with it.
  • It hurts to have to remember those times, but at a certain stage forgiveness takes over. Forgiving means not to hold on. You let it go, because it only hurts you. Not forgiving, you suffer, 'cause you think about it over and over again. And for what? I had an abusive life, there's no other way to tell the story, it's a reality, it's a truth. That's what you've got. So you have to accept it.

I, Tina (1986)

Tina Turner with Kurt Loder, I, Tina: My Life Story (William Morrow and Company, 1986)

  • I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always. From the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life.
    • p. 10
  • If you are unhappy with anything—your mother, your father, your husband, your wife, your job, your boss, your car—whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.
    • p. 199
  • I will never give in to old age until I become old. And I am not old yet!
    • p. 202

My Love Story (2019)

Tina Turner with Deborah Davis and Dominik Wichmann, My Love Story: The Autobiography (Arrow Books, 2019)

  • There's always been an emotion in my voice because it reached back to the life I was living. Where there were tears on stage, it wasn't Hollywood, it was real.
    • Motto
  • I never said, 'Well, I don't have this and I don't have that.' I said, 'I don't have this yet, but I'm going to get it.' The way I was thinking, I was choreographing my own life, figuring out which steps to take and, more importantly, picking the right time to take them.
    • p. 137
  • You have to be someone large on stage, not who you are in your everyday life. When I was performing, I believed that every song told a story, which I expressed through singing and movement. My audience wanted theater, and that's what we gave them. You start out not knowing who they are, or how active they will be, but you want to impress them. If they were quiet and they didn't move, then we had to work together, me, the girls, and the band, to pull them in and show them how to have a good time.
    • p. 192
  • Let me say this carefully, because I don't want anyone to take it the wrong way, but after working so hard for so many years, I was ready to stop. This was the moment to do it because I wanted to finish with my fans remembering me at my best.
    • p. 223
  • My longest love affair has been with my audience.
    • p. 273

Happiness Becomes You (2020)

Tina Turner with Taro Gold, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good (Atria Books, 2020)

  • After Margaret died, there was a lot of talk about God's will. Our community was deeply Baptist, after all, and that was a natural response to the sudden tragedy that killed her and a few other young people, including my half sister Evelyn (my mother's child from a previous relationship). (...) I couldn't verbalize my own vision of God then, as the vocabulary hadn't come to me yet. But from the youngest age I can recall, I knew I could experience "Godliness" in Mother Nature. Something told me I had a piece of God in my heart, even if the traditional beliefs of my family and the way they practiced religion weren't right for me. I wished they practiced what they preached and lived more positive lives.
    • p. 12
  • Maybe you've allowed your negative voices to undermine your self-esteem, to hinder your work, or to keep you locked in unhealthy relationships. If so, it's time to tell those voices you've heard their propaganda, and you're not going to take it anymore. Dismiss them, and you will be the only one holding the pen as you write the story of your life.
    • p. 75
  • At every moment, we always have a choice, even if it feels as if we don't. Sometimes that choice may simply be to think a more positive thought.
    • p. 126

Lyrics

  • When I think of soul, I think of grease 'cause ain't nothin' no good without the grease.
    • Spoken interlude during "Respect", live at Basin Street West, San Francisco, February 22, 1969, audio on YouTube
  • Sometimes I'm tossed and driven, Lord,
    Sometimes I don't know where to go.
    My mother and father won't own me,
    So I'll try to make heaven my home.
  • We never, ever, do nothin' nice and easy. We always do it nice and rough.
  • There are two sides to everybody,
    A good side and a bad,
    A side to make you happy,
    A side to make you mad.
  • Some of us are livin' in an earthly heaven,
    Lord, some of us are livin' in hell.
    Yeah, we're livin' in hell,
    Right here.
    • "That's My Purpose" on Nutbush City Limits (1973)
  • King of the jungle,
    The lion he roars,
    But the lioness calmly
    Soothes his soul.
    • "Delilah's Power" (first released in 1975 as "Delila's Power") on Delilah's Power (1977)
  • People often ask me when am I gonna slow down. You know what I tell 'em? I'm just gettin' started.
    • Spoken interlude during "Proud Mary", live at The Apollo, Manchester, 14 March 1979 ("On the Road", VHS)

Beyond

Swiss spiritual music group

  • Beyond the power – you find the flower.
    Beyond the bound – you find new ground.
    • "Calling by Tina" on Children – With Children United in Prayer (2011)
  • In the beginning, we all depend on attention and affection of our mother or other caring people. Without love and care, we cannot survive. Without loving action, we miss the meaning of life.
    • "Love Within" on Children – With Children United in Prayer (2014)

Quotes about Tina Turner

  • She's a good-hearted woman in love with a good-timin' man.
    She loves him in spite of his ways she don't understand.
    With teardrops and laughter they pass through this world hand in hand,
    A good-hearted woman, lovin' a good-timin' man.
  • Ike was often unpredictable in his actions and reactions, while Tina Turner only very rarely lost her composure even in her hardest times. For the band and all the other employees, she was always something like a haven of tranquility in the big thunderstorm.
    • Original German: Ike war oft unberechenbar in seinen Aktionen und Reaktionen, während Tina Turner selbst in ihren schwersten Zeiten nur sehr selten die Fassung verlor. Für die Band und alle anderen Mitarbeiter war sie stets so etwas wie ein ruhender Pol im großen Gewitter.

References

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