Simply the Best (Tina Turner album)

Simply the Best is the first greatest hits compilation by Tina Turner, released on October 22, 1991, by Capitol Records.

Simply the Best
Greatest hits album by Tina Turner
Released	October 22, 1991
Recorded	1973–1991
Genre	Pop rock
Length	73:33
Label	Capitol
Tina Turner chronology
Foreign Affair (1989) Simply the Best (1991) What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
Singles from Simply the Best
"Nutbush City Limits (The 90s Version)" Released: September 1991[1] "Love Thing" Released: November 1991 (US) "Way of the World" Released: November 1991 (UK) "I Want You Near Me" Released: May 1992

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Calgary Herald	A−[3]
Robert Christgau	A−[4]
Entertainment Weekly	C[5]

Overview

The album includes Turner's most popular hits since her comeback in the early mid-1980s. It also includes three new songs that were previously unreleased: "Love Thing" (UK Airplay No. 13 and UK No. 29), "I Want You Near Me" (No. 22 UK), and "Way of the World" (UK Airplay No. 6 and UK No. 13) as well as a re-recorded dance version of Turner's classic "Nutbush City Limits", all of which were also issued as singles in 1991 and 1992. The album is Turner's biggest seller in the UK where it sold 2.1 million copies.^[6] It was certified 8× platinum in the UK and stayed on the UK charts for over 140 weeks. The album sold over 7 million copies worldwide.^[7]

The compilation was released with a different track listing in the US with the songs "Addicted to Love (Live)" and "Be Tender with Me Baby" being replaced by "What You Get Is What You See" and "Look Me in the Heart". In Australia, a limited edition of the album was also released and features a five-track bonus disc. It includes a re-recording of "The Best" as a duet with Jimmy Barnes, which was retitled "(Simply) The Best" and was released as a single, as well as a fourth new song called "I'm a Lady", which was released in other regions as the B-side to "Love Thing".

Track listing

Original version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"The Best" (7" edit)	Holly Knight Mike Chapman	Foreign Affair, 1989	4:10
2.	"What's Love Got to Do with It"	Terry Britten Graham Lyle	Private Dancer, 1984	3:50
3.	"I Can't Stand the Rain"	Don Bryant Bernard Miller Ann Peebles	Private Dancer	3:44
4.	"I Don't Wanna Lose You"	Albert Hammond Graham Lyle	Foreign Affair	4:18
5.	"Nutbush City Limits" (The 90s Version)	Tina Turner	original remix	3:44
6.	"Let's Stay Together" (7" edit)	Al Green Al Jackson Jr. Willie Mitchell	standalone single, 1983	3:39
7.	"Private Dancer" (7" edit)	Mark Knopfler	Private Dancer	4:01
8.	"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (7" edit)	Britten Lyle	Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, 1985	4:14
9.	"Better Be Good to Me" (7" edit)	Knight Chapman Nicky Chinn	Private Dancer	3:40
10.	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner)	Jeff Barry Ellie Greenwich Phil Spector	River Deep - Mountain High, 1966	3:37
11.	"Steamy Windows"	Tony Joe White	Foreign Affair	4:02
12.	"Typical Male"	Britten Lyle	Break Every Rule, 1986	4:14
13.	"It Takes Two" (with Rod Stewart)	Sylvia Moy William "Mickey" Stevenson	standalone single, 1990	4:13
14.	"Addicted to Love" (Live in London, England, 1986)	Robert Palmer	Tina Live in Europe, 1988	5:10
15.	"Be Tender with Me Baby"	Knight Hammond	Foreign Affair	4:17
16.	"I Want You Near Me"	Britten Lyle	previously unreleased	3:53
17.	"Way of the World"	Hammond Lyle	previously unreleased	4:19
18.	"Love Thing"	Knight Hammond	previously unreleased	4:28

UK double LP (ESTV 1-1 & 1-2) version^[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Best"	Chapman Knight	4:08
2.	"I Can't Stand the Rain"	Bryant Miller Peebles	3:42
3.	"What's Love Got to Do with It"	Britten Lyle	3:48
4.	"I Don't Wanna Lose You"	Hammond Lyle	4:18
5.	"Let's Stay Together"	Green Jackson Mitchell	3:37
6.	"Steamy Windows"	White	4:03
7.	"Typical Male"	Britten Lyle	4:15
8.	"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"	Britten Lyle	4:14
9.	"Private Dancer"	Knopfler	4:01
10.	"Better Be Good to Me"	Knight Chapman Chinn	3:38
11.	"Nutbush City Limits" (The 90s Version)	Turner	3:42
12.	"It Takes Two" (with Rod Stewart)	Moy Stevenson	4:13
13.	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner)	Barry Greenwich Spector	3:38
14.	"Be Tender with Me Baby"	Knight Hammond	4:16
15.	"Addicted to Love" (Live, London 1986)	Palmer	5:03
16.	"I Want You Near Me"	Britten Lyle	3:52
17.	"Way of the World"	Hammond Lyle	4:24
18.	"Love Thing"	Hammond Knight	4:27

US version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"The Best" (7" edit)	Chapman Knight		4:08
2.	"Better Be Good to Me" (7" edit)	Chapman Chinn Knight		3:38
3.	"I Can't Stand the Rain"	Bryant Miller Peebles		3:42
4.	"What's Love Got to Do with It"	Britten Lyle		3:48
5.	"I Don't Wanna Lose You"	Hammond Lyle		4:18
6.	"Nutbush City Limits" (The 90s Version)	Turner		3:42
7.	"What You Get Is What You See"	Britten Lyle	Break Every Rule	4:26
8.	"Let's Stay Together" (7" edit)	Green Jackson Mitchell		3:37
9.	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner)	Barry Greenwich Spector		3:37
10.	"Steamy Windows"	White		4:03
11.	"Typical Male"	Britten Lyle		4:15
12.	"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (7" edit)	Britten Lyle		4:14
13.	"Private Dancer" (7" edit)	Knopfler		4:00
14.	"Look Me in the Heart"	Tom Kelly Billy Steinberg	Foreign Affair	3:39
15.	"It Takes Two" (with Rod Stewart)	Moy Stevenson		4:11
16.	"I Want You Near Me"	Britten Lyle		3:52
17.	"Way of the World"	Hammond Lyle		4:24
18.	"Love Thing"	Hammond Knight		4:27

Australian version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Best" (7" edit)	Chapman Knight	4:10
2.	"Better Be Good to Me" (7" edit)	Chapman Chinn Knight	3:40
3.	"I Can't Stand the Rain"	Bryant Miller Peebles	3:44
4.	"What's Love Got to Do with It"	Britten Lyle	3:50
5.	"I Don't Wanna Lose You"	Hammond Lyle	4:18
6.	"Nutbush City Limits" (The 90s Version)	Turner	3:44
7.	"What You Get Is What You See"	Britten Lyle	4:28
8.	"Let's Stay Together" (7" edit)	Green Jackson Mitchell	3:39
9.	"Addicted to Love" (Live, London 1986) (Alternate version)	Palmer	5:05
10.	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner)	Barry, Greenwich, Spector	3:37
11.	"Steamy Windows"	White	4:02
12.	"Typical Male"	Britten Lyle	4:14
13.	"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (7" edit)	Britten Lyle	4:14
14.	"Private Dancer" (7" edit)	Knopfler	4:01
15.	"Look Me in the Heart"	Kelly Steinberg	3:41
16.	"It Takes Two" (with Rod Stewart)	Moy Stevenson	4:13
17.	"I Want You Near Me"	Britten Lyle	3:53
18.	"Way of the World"	Hammond Lyle	4:19
19.	"Love Thing"	Hammond Knight	4:28

Limited edition bonus disc, 1992

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"(Simply) The Best" (with Jimmy Barnes)	Chapman Knight	original duet version	4:11
2.	"I'm a Lady"	Britten Lyle	previously unreleased	3:24
3.	"I Can't Stand the Rain" (Extended 12" remix)	Bryant Miller Peebles		5:43
4.	"Be Tender with Me Baby"	Knight Hammond		4:17
5.	"Show Some Respect"	Britten Sue Shifrin	Private Dancer	3:17

B-sides

Title	Single(s)
"Nutbush City Limits" ('91)	"Nutbush City Limits" (The 90s Version)
"I'm a Lady"	"Love Thing" and "(Simply) The Best"
"Let's Dance" (Live)	"I Want You Near Me"

Charts

Weekly charts 1991–1992 weekly chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1991–1992) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 12 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 8 Belgian Albums (IFPI)[11] 1 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] 40 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[13] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 5 European Albums (Music & Media)[15] 4 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 5 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 4 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[18] 6 Irish Albums (IFPI)[19] 2 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[13] 5 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] 6 Portuguese Albums (UNEVA)[22] 1 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[23] 11 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 3 UK Albums (OCC)[26] 2 US Billboard 200[27] 113 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[28] 99 US Cash Box Top Pop Albums [29] 78 1994 weekly chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1994) Peak position Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 13 UK Albums (OCC)[31] 9 1996 weekly chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1996) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 23 French Compilation Albums (SNEP)[33] 16 2000 weekly chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (2000) Peak position Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[34] 3 2013 weekly chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (2013) Peak position Italian Albums (FIMI)[35] 77 2023 weekly chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (2023) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 49 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] 29 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[38] 41 UK Albums (OCC)[39] 17

Year-end charts 1991 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1991) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[40] 58 European Albums (Music & Media)[41] 57 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[42] 86 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] 27 Norwegian Fall Period Albums (VG-lista)[44] 10 UK Albums (OCC)[45] 4 1992 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1992) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[46] 56 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[47] 31 European Albums (Music & Media)[48] 22 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[49] 29 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[50] 7 Norwegian Winter Period Albums (VG-lista)[51] 11 UK Albums (OCC)[52] 21 1993 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1993) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[46] 88 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[53] 58 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[54] 21 UK Albums (OCC)[55] 81 1994 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1994) Position UK Albums (OCC)[56] 67 1996 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1996) Position UK Albums (OCC)[57] 130 2000 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (2000) Position Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[58] 93 2002 year-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (2002) Position Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[59] 142 Decade-end charts Decade-end chart performance for Simply the Best Chart (1990–1999) Position UK Albums (OCC)[60] 14

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Simply the Best

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[61]	Platinum	60,000^
Australia (ARIA)[46]	3× Platinum	210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[62]	2× Platinum	100,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[63]	2× Platinum	100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[64]	Gold	50,000^
Denmark	—	74,330[65][66]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[67]	Platinum	58,539[67]
France (SNEP)[68]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[69]	3× Gold	750,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[70]	Platinum	100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[71]	Platinum	15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[72]	2× Platinum	100,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[73]	Gold	50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[74]	Platinum	100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[75]	Platinum	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[76]	2× Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[77]	8× Platinum	2,400,000[78]
United States (RIAA)[79]	Platinum	1,733,000[80]
Summaries
Worldwide	—	7,000,000[7]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.