RIFFS / The singer Louie Louie on Tina Turner's rousingly re-styled live version of 'Proud Mary'
'I WAS really familiar with Creedence Clearwater Revival's version of 'Proud Mary', because my parents used to play it. Then one day I saw Tina Turner do the song on television. I remember her saying, 'We're gonna do this song and we're gonna start it slow, and then we're gonna get rough.' And it started up with just vocals, piano and bass. I think it was Ike doing the low voice in the background. And then Tina reached the line, 'And we're rolling, rolling on the river', and the thing took off, with the horns coming in and the tempo suddenly jumping up. And Tina's hips were shaking and she had a girl on each side of her, and they were shaking like they were crazy. The way she made that song take off left a big impression on me. I like to hear a soul singer sing a rock song and turn it around. Not that the Creedence Clearwater Revival version isn't soulful - it seems to be built around a rhythm and it has a southern-USA soulfulness. But Tina brought something else out. Stevie Wonder used to do the same kind of thing with versions of Beatles songs. Tina's studio version of 'Proud Mary' was a big hit over here; the live recording came later. And there's something about live versions of songs when you're used to hearing the studio version which drives me wild anyway. Especially if they're by Tina Turner, or any performer who gets a little frantic.'
'Proud Mary' is on 'Tina Turner Live in Europe', Capitol Records.
(Photograph omitted)
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