About The Song
“Better Be Good to Me” is a song written by Mike Chapman, Holly Knight, and Nicky Chinn, recorded by singer Tina Turner for her solo studio album Private Dancer (1984) and released as a single in early September 1984. The song was originally recorded and released in 1981 by Spider, a band from New York City that featured co-writer Knight as a member. Turner’s version was successful in the United States and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the then-Hot Black Singles charts. At the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985, it won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, one of four Grammys awarded to Turner’s Private Dancer album at that ceremony. The song was also included on the Miami Vice soundtrack, and the 2024 Paramount Pictures film IF, during which the main characters sing and dance to the track inside the official music video.
In the video, Turner is seen performing the song on stage, wearing a black leather jacket and black skin-tight, knee-length leather pants, with leopard print high heels and spikey blonde hair. Towards the end, a man (Cy Curnin lead singer of the Fixx) appears on stage and grabs Turner’s arms. She looks him in the eyes and sings the words, “Why can’t you be good to me?”, then pushes him away. At the end of the video, Turner disappears under the stage in a puff of smoke. Both Curnin and the guitarist in the video, Jamie West-Oram (also of the Fixx), perform on the Private Dancer album.
Video
Lyrics
Oh yeah!
A prisoner of your love
Entangled in your web
Hot whispers in the night
I’m captured by your spell (captured)
I’m touched by this show of emotion
Should I be fractured by your lack of devotion?
Should I? Ah!
Should I?
Oh, you better be good to me
That’s how it’s gotta be now
‘Cause I don’t have no use
You loosely call the truth
You better be good to me
You better be good, yeah
I think it’s all so right
We don’t need to fight
We stand face to face
You present your case
I know you keep telling me that you love me
And I really do wanna believe
Did you think I’d just accept you in blind faith?
Sure babe, , anything to please you!
But you better be good to me
That’s how it’s gotta be now
Oh, I don’t have the time
For your overloaded lines
You better be good to me
Better be good, oh, good to me
And I really don’t see why it’s so hard to be
Good to me, and you know, and you know
I don’t understand what’s your plan
That you can’t be so good to me
It’s not real, I do not wish to see
Can’t be like so good to me
What ain’t real, I do not wish to see
Can’t be, be good to me
Be good to me
Can’t be like be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Be good to me, oh no
For what you loosely call the truth
Oh, I don’t have the time
For your overloaded lines
You better be good
Better be good
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t you be good to me?
Can’t you be good to me?
Ooh, be good to me
Ooh, be good to me
Ooh, be good to me
Ooh-ooh, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Ooh, be good to me
Ooh-ooh, be good to me
Can’t you be good to me?
Can’t you be good to me?
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
(Ooh) be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me
Oh, can’t be, be good to me
Can’t be, be good to me, oh