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This song was originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler on her 1988 album Hide Your Heart (released as Notes From America in the United States). It was written by Mike Chapman and Holly Knight. The duo have written a number of other successful songs including "Better Be Good To Me" (also Tina Turner) and "Love Is A Battlefield" (Pat Banatar), both of which won a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Sometimes known as "(Simply) The Best," this has become Tina Turner's anthem and has also been adopted by both the English boxer Chris Eubank and the late Brazilian motor racing driver Ayrton Senna as their theme songs.

Holly Knight: "'Simply The Best' is one of those rare gems that's a positive song, and it's not cheesy. But the hard part is to write something in a positive mode that really is sincere - that's a tall order."

Knight and Chapman wrote this song for Paul Young of "Every Time You Go Away" fame. He passed on it.

The sax solo is by Edgar Winter, whose band The Edgar Winter Group had an American #1 in 1973 with the instrumental "Frankenstein."

Many popular songs work well with different arrangements. Knight gives this as an example of one that makes a great Country song, which is how Wynonna Judd recorded it for her 2005 album Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime. (Thanks to Holly Knight for speaking with us about this song. Her full interview is available in the Songfacts Songwriter Interviews.)

Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan recorded this for the 2004 album What's Love? a Tribute to Tina Turner. As far as we can tell, this was the end of Kerrigan's singing career.

Comments:

you should try to sing this song on SingStar. FUN STUFF!
- Alexis, San Francisco, CA

Ahhh, reminds me of the old NSWRL adds. "Winfield Cup- making the big game, even bigger!"
- Ben, Gosford, Australia

Simply The Best : Phil Spector I Presume.
- Teresa, Mechelen, Belgium

My girlfriend wants this sing to be played at her funeral - HILARIOUS!! I'd prefer See you at the crossroads by Bone Thugs.
- Natalie, Austin, TX

This song was adopted as the Australian 1990 Rugby Laegue season anthem. Tina Turner also sang this song in duet with Australian singer Jimmy Barnes.
- Rennie, Sydney, Australia