Welcome back to the What is Love Series! A few of my readers have told me that they love and relate to this series, so I just want to take a moment to show appreciation. The kind words I receive for the blog and the podcast mean so much to me; it’s really crazy. Your messages of support brought tears to my eyes.
Tina Turner’s hit “What’s Love Got to Do with It” was released in May of 1984. Known for decades as the Queen of Rock n’ Roll, she was formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week.
I personally have so much love for Tina Turner. I have listened to her music and watched her 1993 biopic, also titled “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” 1000 times. Probably too many times at too young of an age considering all that the legendary singer has endured. But all of it has definitely shaped me. Maybe one day, I’ll do a series where I watch movies from the womanist/feminist lens.
But for today’s post, I will begin my analysis of popular songs, primarily by Black women, that detail their outlook on, experience with, and hopes for love.
Love isn’t Safe
Now, let me start off by saying that this is my interpretation of lyrics. Everything may seem cut and dry, but people will read the same exact thing and get wildly different meanings. So if you read the lyrics differently, leave a comment! I’d love to hear how you interpreted the song.
Tina Turner is actively discrediting the emotion of love throughout the song. Lines such as “what’s love but a second-hand emotion,” “who needs a heart when a heart can be broken,” and the repetition of the song’s title “what’s love got to do with it?” All of these questions are directed at the supposed lover.
The natural insecurity of love is the particular problem that Tina Turner is battling. She reveals the scars of a past relationship while invalidating the feelings that most would use to confirm attraction to another. Tina is aware that love is a risk, a gamble that will hurt if not consistently reciprocated.
The inflections in Tina’s voice while singing the bridge draw your attention to this very point:
“I’ve been taking on a new direction
But I have to say
I’ve been thinking about my own protection
It scares me to feel this way”
Genuine fear due to a past negative experience makes Tina reject this current offer of love.
Evolving Meaning
I remember listening to this song very young and resonating with the emotions that Tina Turner was expressing. Back then, I read the song as a breakup song, not a rejection of an offer. The exclamation of “what’s love got to do with it” was a Tina walking away from a relationship she didn’t want anymore, with the lover trying to reason and beg. As if love was enough reason to be somewhere you do not feel appreciated, respected, and safe.
Young me was definitely using emotional transference there.
What Can We Learn from Tina Turner
Love is a gamble, plain and simple. But I feel that almost everyone is aware of that. “Being afraid to fall” is discussed often because falling flat on your face and knocking a couple of teeth out is not fun. But there is always the principle of “no risk, no reward” creeping at your back. When it comes to pursuing love and allowing yourself to be vulnerable, I believe discernment is of the utmost importance. When you know you cannot be open to another person, do not get into a relationship. Suppose you are like everyone on Twitter speeding past the red flags. There has to be a level of accountability taken.
The unpredictability of human beings, on the whole, makes the venture of love terrifying. But suppose you genuinely want love and all the good that comes with it. Realistically, you know that invalidating emotions and remaining closed off is counterproductive.
“What’s Love Got to Do with It” hits me in a whole different way now at 20 years old. I do not actively discredit love and connections, but it’s simply not the center of my world anymore. The bridge of the song is where I’m at. I’ve taken on a new direction, one where romance is secondary to my overall happiness. They’re no longer one and the same. When I tell y’all how that’s freed me and actually lightened my heart, I’m not joking. Love very well is a gamble, a risk sometimes without reward. This is why basing my happiness on a potentially fickle lover isn’t cutting it anymore. “I’ve been thinking about my own protection.”
While Tina was shutting down a connection she definitely felt, she chose to protect her peace and spirit.
I respect and understand that. Tina Turner uses her discernment to know that she’s very well not in a space where she can healthily love. She doesn’t discuss what she needs to heal in this song, but that is undoubtedly the next step.
Know what you are willing to risk for love. It will not be the same for everyone else.
Lyrics courtesy of Genius
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