Foreign Affair

A huge international hit that became Turner's first UK number one album.

Foreign Affair is the seventh solo studio album by Tina Turner, released on September 18, 1989, through Capitol Records. It was Turner's third album release after her massively successful comeback five years earlier with Private Dancer and her third and last album with the label. Although the album was not a major success in Turner's native United States, it was a huge international hit, especially in Europe. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, her first number one album there. Dan Hartman produced most of the tracks on the album, including the hit single "The Best", which has gone on to become one of Turner's signature songs.

Quick Facts

Artist

Tina Turner

Released

September 18, 1989

Recorded

1988–1989

Studio

The Hit Factory (New York, New York, US); Pathé-Marconi Studios (Paris, France)

Genre

Pop rock

Length

52:16

Label

Capitol

Producer

Dan Hartman
Roger Davies
Tina Turner
Rupert Hine
Graham Lyle
Tony Joe White
Albert Hammond

Lore & Background

Foreign Affair arrived as Turner's third album after the massive comeback of Private Dancer, and it marked her final release with Capitol Records. Dan Hartman produced most of the tracks, including "The Best," which became one of Turner's signature songs. The album features a diverse range of musical styles, from pop-rock anthems like "The Best" and "I Don't Wanna Lose You" to bluesy tracks like "Undercover Agent for the Blues" and power ballads like "Be Tender with Me Baby." Collaborations included saxophone solos by Gary Barnacle on at least three tracks and guitar work by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, who co-wrote Turner's hit "Private Dancer," on the title track. While the album failed to crack the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 in the US, it was a worldwide hit, selling over six million copies. In the UK alone it sold over 1.5 million copies, entering the UK Albums Chart at number one—Turner's first album to do so there—and staying in the Top 100 for a year and a half. The album also reached number one in Germany and Sweden and topped the overall European Chart for four weeks. In 2021, Foreign Affair was released as a box set, which includes a previously unreleased demo of "The Best."

Reader's Guide

Foreign Affair falls under the adult contemporary genre and features a diverse range of musical styles, from pop-rock anthems ("The Best", "I Don't Wanna Lose You") to bluesy tracks ("Undercover Agent for the Blues") and power ballads ("Be Tender with Me Baby"). The album features collaborations with prominent musicians, including saxophone solos by Gary Barnacle on at least three tracks and guitar work by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler on the title track. Dan Hartman produced most of the tracks on the album, including the hit single "The Best." The album's commercial performance was strong internationally: it sold over six million copies worldwide, with over 1.5 million in the UK alone. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart (Turner's first number one there), as well as in Germany and Sweden, and topped the overall European Chart for four weeks. In the US, it failed to crack the Top 30 on the Billboard 200. The album was released as a box set in 2021, which includes a previously unreleased demo of "The Best."

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Steamy Windows	Tony Joe White	4:03
2	The Best	Mike Chapman, Holly Knight	5:28
3	You Know Who (Is Doing You Know What)	T. White	3:45
4	Undercover Agent for the Blues	T. White, Leann White	5:20
5	Look Me in the Heart	Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg	3:42
6	Be Tender with Me Baby	Albert Hammond, Knight	4:18
7	You Can't Stop Me Loving You	Hammond, Knight	4:00
8	Ask Me How I Feel	Hammond, Knight	4:46
9	Falling Like Rain	David Munday, Sandy Stewart	4:03
10	I Don't Wanna Lose You	Hammond, Graham Lyle	4:20
11	Not Enough Romance	Hartman	4:04
12	Foreign Affair	T. White	4:27

2021 expanded edition bonus disc

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Bold and Reckless	Jeannette Obstoj, Hine	3:48
2	Stronger Than the Wind	Essra Mohawk, Tony Sciuto	4:02
3	Steel Claw (live)	Paul Brady	4:43
4	Private Dancer (live)	Mark Knopfler	4:55
5	Be Tender with Me Baby (live)	Hammond, Knight	6:50
6	The Best (Extended Muscle Mix)	Chapman, Knight	5:28
7	Steamy Windows (12" vocal mix)	T. White	6:27
8	Foreign Affair (Heartbeat Mix)	T. White	4:24
9	Look Me in the Heart (12" remix)	Kelly, Steinberg	5:26
10	The Best (Extended Mighty Mix)	Chapman, Knight	6:37
11	Steamy Windows (12" house dub mix)	T. White	6:51
12	Foreign Affair (One in a Million Club Mix)	T. White	6:54
13	Steamy Windows (12" dub mix)	T. White	6:37
14	Look Me in the Heart (instrumental)	Kelly, Steinberg	3:39
15	Foreign Affair (Heartbeat Instrumantal)	T. White	4:25
16	The Best (demo)	Chapman, Knight	4:54

2021 deluxe edition third bonus disc

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Steamy Windows (live)	T. White	7:04
2	Typical Male (live)	Britten, Lyle	4:47
3	Foreign Affair (live)	T. White	4:11
4	Undercover Agent for the Blues (live)	T. White, L. White	5:07
5	Ask Me How I Feel (live)	Hammond, Knight	4:18
6	We Don't Need Another Hero (live)	Britten, Lyle	4:42
7	Private Dancer (live)	Knopfler	7:20
8	Nutbush City Limits (live)	T. Turner	4:18
9	Addicted to Love (live)	Robert Palmer	5:36