Contents

Foreign Affair

Foreign Affair
Studio album by Tina Turner
Released	September 13, 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
Tina Turner chronology
Tina Live in Europe (1988) Foreign Affair (1989) Simply the Best (1991)
Singles from Foreign Affair
"The Best" Released: August 1989[1] "I Don't Wanna Lose You" Released: November 1989 (UK) "Steamy Windows" Released: November 1989 (US) "Look Me in the Heart" Released: March 1990 (US) "Foreign Affair" Released: May 1990 (EU) "Be Tender with Me Baby" Released: October 1990

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
USA Today	(favorable)[3]
The Vancouver Sun	[4]

Foreign Affair is the seventh solo studio album by Tina Turner, released on September 13, 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.^[5] 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.^[6]

Composition[edit]

Foreign Affair falls under the adult contemporary genre^[7] 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, who co-wrote Turner's hit "Private Dancer", on the title track.^[8]

Commercial performance[edit]

While Foreign Affair did not perform as well as Turner's previous albums Private Dancer and Break Every Rule in the US, where it failed to crack the Top 30 in the Billboard 200, it was a worldwide hit, selling over six million copies.^[9][10] In the UK alone the album 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 Top 100 for a year and a half.^[11] The album also reached number one in numerous other countries including Germany and Sweden and topped the overall European Chart for four weeks.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, Foreign Affair was released as a box set, which includes a previously unreleased demo of "The Best".^[12]

Single releases[edit]

Six tracks from the album were released as singles, most of which became hits in various parts of Europe and, to a lesser extent, in the US. "The Best" (US No. 15; UK No. 5) was released as the first single propelling the sales of the album.^[6] This was followed by "I Don't Wanna Lose You" (UK No. 8), which was released in Europe only. The album's third single (second in the US) was the opening track, "Steamy Windows" (US. No. 39; UK No. 13), which earned Turner a Grammy nomination.

Three additional singles released in various territories were the title track "Foreign Affair" (Continental Europe only), the ballad "Look Me in the Heart" (No. 8 on the US Adult Contemporary chart; UK No. 31) and the rock ballad "Be Tender with Me Baby" (UK No. 28).

Track listing[edit]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies additional producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies remix
• ^{^[c]} signifies post-production and remix

Personnel[edit]

Musicians

Production

• Dan Hartman – producer (1–8, 11)^[6][13]
• Tina Turner – executive producer, producer (2, 8)^[14]
• Rupert Hine – producer (9)
• Roger Davies – executive producer, producer (10, 12)
• Albert Hammond – producer (10)
• Graham Lyle – producer (10)
• Tony Joe White – producer (12)^[15]

Technical

• Chris Lord-Alge – recording engineer (1–8, 11), mixing (all tracks)
• Andrew Scarth – recording engineer (9)
• Mike Ging – recording engineer (10, 12)
• Tommy Vicari – recording engineer (10)
• Nick Froome – recording engineer (12)
• Vincent Frerebeau – additional engineer
• John Lee – additional engineer
• Dave O'Donnell – additional engineer
• James Allen-Jones – assistant engineer
• Darren Allison – assistant engineer
• Lee Curle – assistant engineer
• Tim Leitner – assistant engineer
• Paul Logus – assistant engineer
• Ray Pyle – assistant engineer
• David Scott – assistant engineer
• Elliot Singerman – assistant engineer
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

Studios

• Overdubs recorded at Multi-Level (Westport, Connecticut); The Power Station (New York, New York); Lion Share Recording (Los Angeles, California); E-Zee Studios (London, UK); Mayfair Studios (Primrose Hill, London, UK); Swanyard Studios (Islington, London, UK)
• Mixed at The Grey Room (Hollywood, California)
• Mastered at Masterdisk (New York, New York)

Other credits

• Bill Burks – art direction
• Tommy Steele – art direction
• Glenn Sakamoto – design
• Herb Ritts – center photography
• Peter Lindbergh – photography

Charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

References[edit]