The Most Iconic Tina Turner Songs That Cement Her Superstar Legacy

Since bursting onto the music scene in the early 1960s, Tina Turner has survived tremendous obstacles to become one of the most important singers of the last century. From humble beginnings in Nutbush, TN she's risen to win a dozen Grammy Awards, earn the nickname "Queen of Rock and Roll," and sell 200 million records.

Turner's story is being revisited in HBO Max's new documentary, simply titled Tina. The film focuses on the adversity she's weathered, her relationship with her husband Erwin Bach, and of course, her supernova career.

"We learned in early conversations with Tina that the pain of her past is always lurking around the corner. She’ll say it herself. She doesn’t mind talking about it, but she knows if she does, it comes back in dreams, which is a form of PTSD," the film's co-director T.J Martin told NBC. "The narrative has always been that she’s 'overcome' these things. But she is actively processing, and this is a lifelong journey of making a decision to wake up every day and decide she’s going to be a survivor."

In 1974, Turner released Tina Turns the Country On!, her solo debut, kicking off a peerless run that includes platinum records like 1984's Private Dancer, 1986's Break Every Rule, and 1993's What's Love Got to Do with It. She's proven she can do everything from rootsy rock ("Proud Mary") to stirring ballads ("Be Tender with Me Baby") to high-gloss pop ("What's Love Got to Do With It").

Turner's live shows were also legendary, but the now 81-year-old singer hasn't been on stage in over a decade. She ostensibly wrapped up her performing career with the 2008-2009 Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour. Turner told Oprah about the toll that her intense performing schedule took on her.

"No one knew how tired I was of singing and dancing. It's work," she said. "I wanted to retire and not worry. That is what that tour did for me. I got to my goal. I received at that moment a revelation of, 'This is it. I'm going home now.'"

Combing through the Tina Turner discography is a process that'll take a committed fan weeks, but here are a handful of her biggest song hits that'll give you a sense of her pop, rock, blues, and R&B legacy.