The song Proud Mary was written by John Fogerty of American roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song is about an old steamboat on the Mississippi River — typically “down home” lyrics like so many songs by CCR. Over the years the song has been covered by various artists.
The version of Ike & Tina Turner is something special, because it contains a spoken word intro by Tina Turner as a slow opening — only to become a typically wild and energetic Ike & Tina Turner tune. Also much has been said about the lyrics of the song. The original line “… pumped a lot of pain in New Orleans” by Fogerty was interpreted by Tina Turner as “… pumped a lot of ‘tane …” — referring to “octane”. A famous example for a type of “mondegreen” in song lyrics …
Ike & Tina Turner- Proud Mary (1971)
