"Break Every Rule" by Tina Turner

Song#:  3117
Date:  05/09/1987
Debut:  89
Peak:  74
Weeks:  5
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Turner's album Break Every Rule would be a platinum seller, but that was about one-quarter of what her previous LP, the Grammy-winning Private Dancer, sold. The lower sales were mainly due to the lack of major hits. To this point, three tracks would be released as singles, yet only "Typical Male" would crack the Pop Top 10 (#2). The label decided to give it another shot with this fourth single. The title track was unable to catch on and it stumbled after a few weeks on the chart. It would be the last single released from the album.

ReduxReview:  While this is one of the more enticing tracks from the album, it wasn't necessarily the most single-worthy. The track had a bit of a Fixx feel to it thanks to producer/co-writer Rupert Hine, who had produced that UK band's first four LPs. It grooved along just fine, but the chorus wasn't nearly strong enough to move ahead of far hookier songs on the chart.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) To help promote Break Every Rule, Turner went out on a massive worldwide tour, which included a stop at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium. Her show there on January 16, 1988, set a record for the single biggest ticketed concert (excluding free concerts and festivals) with 180,000 people in attendance. Her record would be broken two years later by just 4,000 people when Paul McCartney played the same venue. Turner's Rio show still ranks in the Top 5 for biggest paid attendance.  2) The tour also spawned Turner's first live album. The double-CD Tina in Europe mainly consisted of performances from the Break Every Rule tour, but also included a few from her Private Dancer tour and other live shows. The album was successful in Europe and other countries going Top 10. Some singles were released from the LP in various countries with the live duet track "Tonight" featuring David Bowie doing the best getting to #1 in the Netherlands and #3 in Belgium. In the US, no singles were officially released from the album, but it sold fairly well getting to #86. The album would end up earning Turner her seventh Grammy award. She would win in the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, category.

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