{"id":733,"date":"2026-02-22T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=733"},"modified":"2026-02-22T14:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:42:36","slug":"4-iconic-songs-that-revived-the-careers-of-veteran-soul-artists-in-the-1980s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/4-iconic-songs-that-revived-the-careers-of-veteran-soul-artists-in-the-1980s\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Iconic Songs That Revived the Careers of Veteran Soul Artists in the 1980s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the launch of MTV in the early 80s, music became a visual experience. The keys to success were a hit song paired with a popular music video. This shift made room for 60s and 70s artists to revive their careers, catering to the generation glued to television. These 4 soul icons were able to step back into the spotlight, reviving their careers with hit songs in the 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;What&#8217;s Love Got To Do With It&#8221; by Tina Turner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tina Turner - What&#039;s Love Got To Do With It (Official Video) [HD]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oGpFcHTxjZs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ike &amp; Tina Turner<\/em> had a string of hits in the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1976, Tina left her abusive husband, Ike, and launched a solo career. After four solo albums in the late 70s didn&#8217;t gain much traction, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/songs\/tina-turner\">Tina Turner<\/a> revamped her image and catered to a 1980s music video audience. With hair bigger than ever, Turner released her fifth and most successful album, <em>Private Dancer<\/em>, on May 29, 1984. The album contained seven singles, with the third becoming Tina Turner&#8217;s most identifiable song. &#8220;What&#8217;s Love Got To Do With It&#8221; was released as a single that same month, and reached No. 1 on the <em>Billboard <\/em>Hot 100. It became Tina Turner&#8217;s best-selling song of her career, with over 2,000,000 copies sold. Turner won three Grammy Awards for &#8220;What&#8217;s Love Got To Do With It,&#8221; and successfully revived her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-songfacts-fact\"><div class=\"songfacts-card songfacts-card-horizontal\"><div class=\"songfacts-content-container\"><div class=\"songfacts-header\"><h3 class=\"songfacts-card-title\"><span>Songfacts: <\/span><span class=\"songfacts-title-part\">What&#8217;s Love Got To Do With It<\/span><span class=\"songfacts-separator\"> | <\/span><span class=\"songfacts-artist-part\">Tina Turner<\/span><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"songfacts-meta\">Album:<span class=\"songfacts-album\">Private Dancer <\/span><span class=\"songfacts-releasedate\"> [1984]<\/span><\/div><div class=\"songfacts-body\"><p class=\"songfacts-card-text\">In 1993, the title was used for a movie about her life starring Angela Bassett as Turner. Bassett lip-synched to Turner&#8217;s songs.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"songfacts-footer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/tina-turner\/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"songfacts-button\"><span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/americansongwriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SongFacts-icon.png\" alt=\"Songfacts\" style=\"width:20px;height:20px;vertical-align:middle;margin-right:5px\" \/><\/span>Read the full Songfacts<svg><title>angle-double-right<\/title><\/svg><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;Just The Two Of Us&#8221; by Bill Withers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bill Withers - Just The Two Of Us  (official video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Uw5OLnN7UvM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bill Withers had some success in the 70s, penning a No. 1 hit with &#8220;Lean On Me&#8221; in 1972. Along with other notable hits, such as &#8220;Ain&#8217;t No Sunshine&#8221; and &#8220;Lovely Day,&#8221; Withers became a dominant force in R&amp;B. Between 1978 and 1980, there wasn&#8217;t much noise from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/search\/artists\/bill-withers\">Bill Withers<\/a>. But a collaboration with saxophonist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/grover-washington-jr-with-bill-withers\/just-the-two-of-us\">Grover Washington Jr.<\/a> brought Withers right back into the spotlight. &#8220;Just the Two of Us&#8221; was released as a single in February 1981 and peaked at No. 2 on the <em>Billboard<\/em> Hot 100. Instead of supporting a new album, the single was attached to Bill Withers <em>Greatest Hits<\/em> collection, released in 1981. Previously, the collaboration had been released on Grover Washington Jr.&#8217;s 1980 album <em>Winelight<\/em>. The Greatest Hits release re-established Bill Withers as one of the all-time hit makers. &#8220;Just The Two Of Us&#8221; won a Grammy for Best R&amp;B Song in 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;Upside Down&#8221; by Diana Ross<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Diana Ross - Upside Down (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Po0BbGMSX4g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/songs\/the-supremes\">Supremes<\/a> singer made waves in the 1980s with the release of her eleventh studio album, <em>Diana<\/em>. The album&#8217;s first single release, &#8220;Upside Down,&#8221; reached No. 1 on the <em>Billboard<\/em> Hot 100 in September 1980. It sat in the top position for four weeks. &#8220;I&#8217;m Coming Out&#8221; was the second single and peaked at No. 5 on the chart. Though Diana Ross never fully left the spotlight, she was better than ever heading into the 80s. &#8220;Upside Down&#8221; was Ross&#8217;s biggest hit since &#8220;I&#8217;m Still Waiting&#8221; in 1971. <em>Diana<\/em> peaked at No. 2 on the <em>Billboard<\/em> 200 and became Diana Ross&#8217; best-selling solo album of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;Freeway Of Love&#8221; by Aretha Franklin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Aretha Franklin - Freeway Of Love (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ip_pjb5_fgA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1985, the Queen of Soul released her highest-charting track in twelve years. &#8220;Freeway of Love&#8221; featuring saxophonist Clarence Clemons from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/songs\/bruce-springsteen\">Bruce Springsteen<\/a>&#8216;s E Street Band, peaked at No. 3 on the <em>Billboard<\/em> Hot 100. Additionally, the track topped the Hot Black Singles chart for five weeks. With &#8220;Freeway of Love,&#8221; Aretha Franklin earned her twelfth Grammy Award for Best Female R&amp;B Vocal Performance. Franklin&#8217;s 1985 album <em>Who&#8217;s Zoomin&#8217; Who?<\/em> peaked at No. 3 on the Top R&amp;B\/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In 2017, &#8220;Freeway Of Love&#8221; was one of the songs performed at Aretha Franklin&#8217;s final public performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These four hit songs from veteran soul artists helped revive their careers in the 1980s, introducing a new generation to legends of R&amp;B.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":595065,"featured_media":740,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":52,"post_id":228}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"news","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"(Photo by Ebet Roberts\/Redferns\/Getty Images)","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[61,37,82],"byline":[52],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lists","tag-1980s","tag-rb","tag-soul-music"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Lists","term_id":14,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/lists\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"1980s","term_id":61,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/1980s\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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