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Today's Great Song of 1984 was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, but when the group got to the studio to record It for their "Love Over Gold" album, , Mark decided to scratch the song--because he thought "Private Dancer" was more appropriate for a female vocalist.
He wasn't wrong.
So he had his management contact Tina Turner's management, and Tina LOVED the song...but until she had recorded it using members of Dire Straits (but not Mark) as her backup band, named her comeback album "Private Dancer," and released it as a single, she didn't realize it was about a prostitute.
Well, music critics and her fans pretty much let her know right away.
Tina was shocked--and quickly admitted how incredibly naïve she had been.
But people loved the song--and her fans were especially excited to see her back on the charts. "Private Dancer" reached #3 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Chart and #6 on the Hot 100. In Canada, it just missed the Top 10, coming in at #11.
Fun Fact: Jeff Beck was recruited to play the guitar solo on the track, a move that Mark thought ruined the song (He was probably the only one who thought so), and called it "the world's second-ugliest guitar solo." No word on what he thought the ugliest solo was.
"Private Dancer" by Tina Turner (via Dire Straits): a Great Song of 1985!
Tomorrow: Word up!
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