12/3/20 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Ike & Tina Turner- Proud Mary (1971)

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)

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