Nutbush City Limits

Album

Nutbush City Limits

Label

United Artists Records

Genre

Funk Rock

Composer(s)

Tina Turner

Entered Chart

Sep 8, 1973

Peak Date

Nov 17, 1973

Released

August 1973

Recorded

Bolic Sound (Inglewood, CA)

Catalog #

United Artists 298

B-Side

Help Him

Anna Mae Bullock was born November 26, 1939 in a hospital in Brownsville, a short drive from Nutbush, Tennessee, where she grew up. When she was 16, she left to live with her mom in St. Louis, which is where she met Ike Turner. When they started performing together in 1960, he insisted she take the name "Tina Turner," even though they didn't get married until two years later. In November 1973 the duo released "Nutbush City Limits." Far from being a city, Nutbush is a hamlet on Highway 19 in Tennessee. >> In this song, Turner recalls her memories of Nutbush, painting a picture of a friendly little town with a strong community. She once said that she didn't turn any heads in Nutbush, as she was too skinny, and many women there had the goods. Tina Turner didn't write many songs, but she is the sole composer on this one, which is her biggest hit as a songwriter. It's also the first song she ever wrote. Following the advice of "write what you know," she put the song together in an attempt to get Ike & Tina Turner back on track; after landing a hit with their cover of "Proud Mary" in 1971, they struggled. "Nutbush City Limits" did the job, giving them another hit in 1973. Marc Bolan of the '70s British glam rock band T-Rex played guitar on this track. Bolan was a fan of Ike's guitar playing and in his teenage years he had had a crush on Tina Turner. Like the 1966 Ike & Tina Turner song "River Deep - Mountain High," this was a lot more popular in the UK (where it charted at #4) than in their home country of America (where it peaked at #22). This despite the song being about a place in America. This song came at a pivotal time for Tina Turner, who was regularly being abused by Ike. By this time, they had been a musical couple for 13 years and a married couple for 11. Turner found her strength through chanting, repeating the Sanskrit mantra "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" over and over. She finally left Ike in 1976, but their divorce wasn't finalized until 1978, as there were so many business entanglements. Eager to move on with her life, Tina gave in to Ike's demands, getting just her name (which, in a way, Ike owned), out of the deal. After a rough patch where she lived with friends, she emerged as a solo artist and became far more popular than she had been with Ike. As her career progressed, Tina did less songwriting, putting her energies into vocal arrangements and performance. As a solo artist, she surrounded herself with top talent and developed a reputation for her strong work ethic, always getting it right in the studio. She certainly could have written more songs had she chosen to. Tina Turner re-recorded the song as a house number in 1991 for her compilation album Simply The Best. A single release peaked at #23 in the UK. Two years later she re-worked it again for the What's Love Got to Do with It? soundtrack album. The 1991 remix was accompanied by a music video showing early footage of Turner and shot of the Nutbush landmarks she mentions in the song. It was directed by Chris Cowey and Michael Bay (yes, the guy who later brought us the Transformers movies). Bob Seger released a live version on his 1976 album Live Bullet. Released as a single, it went to #69 in the US.

A church house, gin house
A school house, outhouse
On highway number nineteen
The people keep the city clean
They call it Nutbush
Oh, Nutbush
Call it Nutbush city limits

Twenty-five was the speed limit
Motorcycle not allowed in it
You go t'the store on Friday
You go to church on Sundays
They call it Nutbush, little old town
Oh, Nutbush
They call it Nutbush city limits

You go to the fields on week days
And have a picnic on Labor Day
You go to town on Saturday
But go to church every Sunday
They call it Nutbush
Oh, Nutbush
They call it Nutbush city limits

No whiskey for sale
You get caught, and no bail
Salt pork and molasses
Is all you get in jail
They call it Nutbush
Oh, Nutbush
Yeah, they call it Nutbush city
Nutbush city limits

Lil' old town on the Tennessee, that's called
Quiet little old community
A one-horse town
You have to watch
What she's puttin' down
In old Nutbush, they call it Nutbush...