Unreleased Tina Turner Song Has Surprising AC/DC Connection
A 40th anniversary reissue of the classic Tina Turner album Private Dancer is being released on March 21. The reissue features a selection of previously unreleased and rare tracks. One of those tracks is “Hot For You Baby,” which has a notable connection to AC/DC.
“Hot For You Baby” was written by Harry Vanda and George Young, who co-founded the Australian rock back the Easybeats in the 1960s. After the Easybeats broke up, Vanda and Young formed a producing partnership, which is best known for producing AC/DC’s early albums. Among those albums were 1976’s High Voltage and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, 1977’s Let There Be Rock, and 1978’s Powerage. George Young is also the older brother to AC/DC guitar duo Malcolm and Angus Young.
In the YouTube description for “Hot For You Baby,” it notes, ” … The track was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood and was originally intended to be an album track. It was thought to be lost to time, but this thrilling discovery introduces a fresh chapter in the ‘Private Dancer’ story.”
The 40th anniversary reissue of Private Dancer is available for pre-order in multiple formats here.
Interestingly, this isn’t the only connection between Turner and AC/DC. When Brian Johnson auditioned to be the band’s singer following the untimely death of Bon Scott, he sang “Nutbush City Limits,” which Turner wrote and first released in 1973 as part of Ike & Tina Turner.
“Nutbush City Limits” happens to be a massively popular song in Australia and inspired its own line dance in the 1970s, aptly called the Nutbush. This dance remains popular in Australia and received worldwide viral status thanks to TikTok. The Nutbush was featured in the Netflix Australian teen dramedy Heartbreak High.
