Better Be Good to Me
Encyclopedia
"Better Be Good to Me" is a hit single
from Tina Turner
's solo album
, Private Dancer
. The song had originally been released in 1981 by Spider
, a band from New York City
with co-writer Holly Knight
as a member. The Turner version was successful in the United States
on the Hot 100 and the US R&B/Hip-Hop
chart. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100
and number six on the US R&B/Hip-hop chart. At the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985, this song won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, one of four Grammys won by Turner in that ceremony.
The song was featured in the tenth episode of Miami Vice
and was included on the first volume of the Miami Vice soundtrack.
Tina Turner is seen performing this song on stage. She is wearing a black leather jacket, and black skin tight knee length leather pants, with leopard print high heels and spikey blond hair. Towards the end of the song a man appears on stage (Cy Curnin
of The Fixx
), grabs Tina's arms and Tina looks him in the eyes and sings the words "Why can't you be good to me?" to him and then pushes the man away. At the end of the video Tina disappears under the stage in a puff of smoke. Both Curnin and the guitarist in the video, Jamie West-Oram (also of The Fixx
), perform on the Private Dancer
album.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
's solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Private Dancer
Private Dancer
Private Dancer is the fifth solo album by Tina Turner, released on Capitol Records in 1984, which became her breakthrough solo album. Turner's success with the album came after several challenging years of going solo after a public divorce from husband and performing partner Ike Turner. It is her...
. The song had originally been released in 1981 by Spider
Spider (band)
Spider were an American rock band from New York. They formed in 1977 and disbanded up in 1984. The band released two studio albums through Dreamland Records in the early 1980s, and scored a few moderate hit singles in the United States...
, a band from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with co-writer Holly Knight
Holly Knight
Holly Knight is a songwriter, vocalist and musician of pop and rock music.- Biography :She was born in New York City and started playing classical piano as a young child. She soon became interested in rock music, and left home at about sixteen to pursue her dreams...
as a member. The Turner version was successful in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the Hot 100 and the US R&B/Hip-Hop
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number six on the US R&B/Hip-hop chart. At the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985, this song won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, one of four Grammys won by Turner in that ceremony.
The song was featured in the tenth episode of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
and was included on the first volume of the Miami Vice soundtrack.
Music video
In the videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
Tina Turner is seen performing this song on stage. She is wearing a black leather jacket, and black skin tight knee length leather pants, with leopard print high heels and spikey blond hair. Towards the end of the song a man appears on stage (Cy Curnin
Cy Curnin
Cy Curnin is a singer/songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist for the new wave music group, The Fixx. The band became famous with the song "One Thing Leads to Another" in 1983, and remained popular in the United States throughout the 1980s...
of The Fixx
The Fixx
The Fixx is an English rock band formed in London in 1979. Their hits include "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies," "Stand or Fall," "Saved by Zero," "Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves?," "Secret Separation," "Driven Out," "How Much Is Enough?," and "Deeper and Deeper," which was featured on...
), grabs Tina's arms and Tina looks him in the eyes and sings the words "Why can't you be good to me?" to him and then pushes the man away. At the end of the video Tina disappears under the stage in a puff of smoke. Both Curnin and the guitarist in the video, Jamie West-Oram (also of The Fixx
The Fixx
The Fixx is an English rock band formed in London in 1979. Their hits include "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies," "Stand or Fall," "Saved by Zero," "Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves?," "Secret Separation," "Driven Out," "How Much Is Enough?," and "Deeper and Deeper," which was featured on...
), perform on the Private Dancer
Private Dancer
Private Dancer is the fifth solo album by Tina Turner, released on Capitol Records in 1984, which became her breakthrough solo album. Turner's success with the album came after several challenging years of going solo after a public divorce from husband and performing partner Ike Turner. It is her...
album.
Versions and remixes
- 7" edit – 3:39
- Album version – 5:10
- Extended 12" Remix – 7:47
- Extended 12" Remix (Private Dancer EMI Cententary Remaster Edit) – 7:03
Chart performance
| Chart (1984/85) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
5 |
| Canada | 6 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 6 |
| US Hot Dance/Club Play Tracks | 16 |
| Ireland | 21 |
| New Zealand | 22 |
| Australia | 28 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 32 |
| Netherlands | 36 |
| Germany | 52 |