The Best (song)

Tina Turner version

The song was later covered by Tina Turner, and released as a highly successful single in 1989. It was included on her hit album Foreign Affair. The saxophone solo on Turner's version is played by Edgar Winter.

Holly Knight told Songfacts: "'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."

In 1992 Turner recorded "(Simply) The Best", a duet version of the song with Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes, to promote that year's New South Wales Rugby League season in Australia. The single subsequently appeared on a limited edition bonus disc as part of the Australian release of her compilation album Simply The Best.

Versions and remixes

In the United States

The song was covered by the "Soul Queen of New Orleans" Irma Thomas in 1990 and released in 1991 on her "Live! Simply The Best" album.

The song was used during the ceremony that the San Francisco 49ers held as they retired number 16 in honor of quarterback Joe Montana.

The song was used during the ceremonies that the Pittsburgh Penguins held as they retired, un-retired, and re-retired number 66 for Mario Lemieux, as his surname means "the best" in French.

The song was used during the ceremony that the Philadelphia 76ers held as they retired number 3 in honor of Allen Iverson.

It was also played on August 13th, 2016 in Yankee Stadium when the New York Yankees held a ceremony to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the 1996 World Champion team.

The song was played over the PA system at Madison Square Garden when Mark Messier was presented with the Stanley Cup after the New York Rangers' victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers listened to it before the game. It was continued to be played as the Rangers skated around the ice at the Garden with the Stanley Cup. On the CBC, Bob Cole and Harry Neale said that "the crowd responded" when the song was played over the PA system when the players skated around the ice, as they had throughout the game.

Bonnie Tyler's version of the song was used in a tribute video for WWE wrestler Edge that aired on the July 20, 2007 edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

Turner's version was used by NESN (New England Sports Network) on September 1, 2007, as a tribute when Boston Red Sox Rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz threw a No-Hitter at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles in his second Major League start. This consisted of a 2-hour replay of the game, showing all 27 outs recorded for the night, as well as the 4 minute musical montage, entitled "Rookie Magic".

Additionally, Senator Joe Biden used Turner's recording as the theme song for his 2008 campaign for the presidency, and it was an unofficial anthem for the pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beecham.

Jim Carrey performed a few lines of the song in his tribute speech to Meryl Streep during her AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony in 2004.

Rush Limbaugh frequently plays Turner's version in his bumper music rotation.

Alec Baldwin's character in 30 Rock sings a verse of the chorus while looking at a picture of his boss during an episode in season one.

Turner's version was used in a promotion for the movie network Showtime

In Europe

"The Best" is played at Ibrox Stadium, Scotland when the players of Rangers Football Club and the visiting team run on to the park. On April 19, 2010 Rangers FC fans began a campaign to get "The Best" to number one in the UK Pop Charts. It subsequently charted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart.

It is even the theme song of PSV Eindhoven when the players entering the Philips Stadion

Throughout the 1990s, Chris Eubank used "The Best" as both his nickname and entrance music before all of his world championship boxing matches. Arriving to the ring in a variety of forms, Eubank would always synchronise his entrance to the rising crescendo of the first verse and chorus, standing on the ring apron while tapping his gloves together nonchalantly. As Turner's second chorus boomed out he would leap over the top rope into the ring, shadow boxing and soaking in the cheers and boos from the crowd. As the pantomime villain of British boxing, Eubank used "The Best" to propel himself into the heart of British culture.

"Simply The Best" has become the slogan of loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.

In the original version of The Office, David Brent plays the Tina Turner version of the song at the end of a motivational speech, shouting, "I've been David Brent! You've been the best!"

Cadbury's used this song in their Keep Team Britain Pumped adverts with Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington.

The theme song of Besti Flokkurinn, an Icelandic political party standing in the 2010 Reykjavik local council elections, was "Simply The Best" by Tina Turner. Prior to the 2010 election the party published a localized version of the song with new lyrics.

In the 1980s in the North East of England, the song was used in a long running radio advert for a local motor garage, South Cleveland Garages, with the lyrics of the chorus changed to include the name of the company, forever linking the song and the company in local memory.

Other

Japanese pro-wrestler Osamu Nishimura currently uses the song as an entrance theme.

It also became the theme song for the Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna. Senna surprised Turner by showing up on stage during her concert in Adelaide, Australia in late 1993, after Senna won the Australian Grand Prix earlier in the day in what would tragically prove to be the final win of his career. Turner had already sung "The Best" earlier in the concert but decided to play it again as a tribute to Senna immediately after he left the stage.