# In 1984, Tina Turner took a chance on a song nobody else wanted. It sold 2,000,000 copies

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1984-tina-turner-took-a-chance-on-a-song-nobody-else-wanted-it-sold-2000000-copies/
- Published: 2026-11-12T00:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T00:24:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/tina-turner-chance-song-nobody-else-wanted/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Turner turned a song passed over by other artists into a major hit.
- The single topped the US chart and reached number three in the UK.
- It has sold more than two million copies.

## Summary

Tina Turner’s recording of ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ became one of her biggest hits, despite the song being passed over by other performers before it reached her. Its journey illustrates how Turner’s performance transformed a song that had struggled to find the right singer into an enduring pop anthem.

Songwriters Graham Lyle and Terry Britten first offered it to Cliff Richard, who reportedly declined it, and it later came close to being recorded by Bucks Fizz. The group’s version was not completed before Turner took up the song; her single was released in May 1984, reached number one in the US and number three in the UK, and has sold more than two million copies.

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