Simply the best – Tina Turner’s big hit, plus a Rangers anthem and announcing a song by Klitschko and Senna
Tina Turner – the legendary singer of the 80s and 90s, with whom everyone had the first association – “Simply the Best” is dead. He talks about mad love for a man, about the desire to lose yourself in him. But the shrill chorus along with the catchphrase “Simply the Best” makes this hit sport-appropriate, too.
‘The Best’ is constantly played at stadiums in all the world’s leagues, and Turner’s voice has become an anthem for Rangers since the 1990s – as the Glasgow side take to the pitch and the fans sing hard with Tina. Thus the club responded to Celtic’s most famous and popular anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
Even with The Best, Volodymyr Klitschko appeared on the ring in the last century, and on the track – Ayrton Senna, who met Turner on stage before performing her biggest hit.
Perhaps in sports, people were initially afraid to use a song with that title, because it showed too much confidence. But Klitschko made it ironic – he didn’t want to go into the ring under the grim pumping themes of Rammstein, who wrote the song especially for him.
British singer Bonnie Tyler was the first to sing “Simply the Best,” but her version didn’t make much of an impression on the world, briefly occupying modest positions in the charts. However, a year later, in 1989, Tina Turner performed the song, turning up the key and adding a saxophone solo. Tyler and everyone in the world thought this release was really touching.
Even Turner, through explanations in the interviews and the plot of the clip, slightly changed the meaning of the text. Now this is not just a cry of a woman’s soul to her beloved man, but a simple declaration of love:
It can be a love song for anything. When you find something, whether it’s a thing or a person, that’s a masterpiece, the word “best” fits right in.
In the video for “Simply the Best”, Turner usually rides a horse and appears to dedicate the song to her.
Turner stubbornly sang “The Best,” making singing her calling card. Although the singer at that time already had a long career. Why is the song so good? Author Holly Knight explains:
“It’s one of those rare gems that can be called positive songs, but it’s not sugary songs. It’s hard to write something positive until you’re really honest. It’s a tough job.”
When Turner’s strike was all over, Australian rugby league took advantage. They wanted to turn this challenging sport, popular only among suburban men, into a popular spectacle for the whole family. The NRL was an amateur league that was commercially unsuccessful with a bad reputation, but one big marketing campaign changed everything.
League president John Quayle described how distrustful his idea was perceived: a black American woman with no athletic experience promoting a traditional sport for the white middle class. Coyle risked his position if he failed, but his attempt to modernize the NRL’s image succeeded: several promotional videos featuring Turner and his rights to “Simply Best” made rugby in Australia a fashionable sport that young people are not ashamed of. .
Rugby coach Brad Fitler, in his dedication to Turner, noted that it was thanks to her that the girls went to the Games. And the difference was felt even in salaries. Prior to the Tins NRL’s marketing campaign, he didn’t even have a TV contract, but after money was poured into rugby, matches turned into shows, and Turner herself appeared in the 1993 final.
For seven years of cooperation, Turner received $ 200,000. NRL bosses say he has made huge profits:
“It was very cheap at those very times. Whatever we’re exporting, it doesn’t matter – it was just a great time.”
Turner herself enjoyed trips to Australia: she went unprotected, played rugby on the beach for publicity, and was friends with rugby players.
Turner also helped Australia due to personal connections. Australian producer Roger Davis saved the career of a 40-year-old singer with no bright future:
“It just so happened that we met during this period. Two people standing on the threshold of a new life. He needed an artist. I needed a manager. His ambition was to become a star, and I needed someone who would believe in me and lead me to success. We both got what we wanted.”
Turner remembers.
