It's Gonna Work Out Fine

For the album, see It's Gonna Work Out Fine (album).

"It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a song written by Rose Marie McCoy^[2] and Joe Seneca. It was originally released by Ike & Tina Turner in 1961 as a single from their album Dynamite! (1962). The record is noted for being their first Grammy nominated song and their second million-selling single after "A Fool In Love".

"It's Gonna Work Out Fine"
Single by Ike & Tina Turner
from the album Dynamite!
B-side	"Won't You Forgive Me"
Released	June 1961
Recorded	1961, New York City
Genre	R&B^[1]
Length	2:53
Label	Sue Records
Songwriter(s)	Joe Seneca, Rose Marie McCoy (as J. Lee)
Producer(s)	Juggy Murray
Ike & Tina Turner singles chronology
"I'm Jealous" (1961) "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (1961) "Poor Fool" (1961)

Recording and release

Following the success of "A Fool in Love", Ike & Tina Turner scored another hit with "I Idolize You", and they released their debut album, The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner in February 1961. They toured all over the country on the Chitlin' Circuit as The Ike & Tina Turner Revue, which included Ike's band the Kings of Rhythm, and three backing vocalist known as the Ikettes.

Songwriter Rose Marie McCoy co-wrote "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," but used her pseudonym James Lee when it was copyrighted.^[3] After being suggested by her writing partner to hear Tina Turner sing, McCoy attended their show at the Apollo in New York and approached the duo about recording the song.^[4]

Juggy Murray is credited as the sole producer, but Sylvia Robinson of the duo Mickey & Sylvia contributed to the song.^[5] She arranged and produced the record.^[6] In a 1981 interview with Black Radio Exclusive magazine Robinson said, "I paid for the session, taught Tina the song; that's me playing guitar."^[7] Mickey & Sylvia also recorded a version of the song in 1960 which was unreleased until their 1990 compilation album Love Is Strange.^[8]

Ike & Tina Turner's version was released as a single in June 1961 and became their biggest hit since "A Fool in Love". It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart and became their third pop hit, reaching No. 14 on the Hot 100.^[9][10]

In addition to being released on the album Dynamite! in 1962, the song was also released on the album It's Gonna Work Out Fine in 1963.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Billboard	^[11]

Billboard (June 19, 1961): "Ike and Tina talk about love on this attractive disk which also features a gospel-styled chorus. Pair handle the tune with gusto and it has a chance."^[11]

Cash Box (June 24, 1961):

Ike & Tina Turner, who’ve had dual-mart R&B-pop chart representations in "A Fool In Love" and "I Idolize You," can soon be claiming another one in "It's Gonna Work Out Fine." Side, a hip-swinging, beat-ballad thumper, sports a delectable chorus-backed, verbal exchange between the two. Strings play an important part in the rhythmic, rock-a-shuffler on the lower end.^[12]

Awards and nominations

"It's Gonna Work Out Fine" earned Ike and Tina their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock & Roll Recording at the 4th Annual Grammy Awards.^[13]

Sequels and re-recordings

Ike and Tina released several "sequels" related to the song, including 1962's "The Argument", in which they sang in a similar way but this time involved in an argument, and the "official" sequel, "Something Came Over You", recorded during their tenure at Kent Records.

In 1966 the Turners re-recorded the original for the album, River Deep - Mountain High. The duo re-recorded the song again in 1975.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993 Tina re-recorded the song for the soundtrack to the biopic, What's Love Got to Do with It. Her saxophonist, Timmy Cappello, sang Ike's lines.

Live performances

"It's Gonna Work Out Fine" was performed in most of Ike and Tina's sets in the 1960s, most notably on The Big T.N.T. show in 1965, but as they began incorporating covers of rock tunes to their show, the song was rarely performed again. However, they performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1972. Their performance was included on the double LP Here's Johnny: Magic Moments From The Tonight Show released by Casablanca Records in 1974.^[14]

Tina performed the song along with "A Fool In Love" in an Ike & Tina medley during her early solo live shows in the late 1970s. After hiring Roger Davies in 1980, the song was taken off her setlist.

Personnel

1961 version

• Lead vocal by Tina Turner
• Spoken vocal by Mickey Baker
• Background vocals by Mickey & Sylvia and The Ikettes
• Produced by Juggy Murray

1993 version

• Lead vocal by Tina Turner
• Spoken vocal by Timmy Cappello
• Background vocals by Jacquelyn Gouche, Jean McClain and Sharon Brown
• Produced by Chris Lord-Alge, Roger Davies and Tina Turner

Cover versions

• The Kings of Rhythm recorded an instrumental version that was released on the album Ike & Tina Turner's Kings of Rhythm Dance in 1962, which was released as a single in April of that year.^[15]
• Manfred Mann covered the song on their album The Five Faces of Manfred Mann in 1964.^[16]
• The Spencer Davis Group covered the song on their debut album Their First LP in 1965.^[17]
• Ry Cooder recorded an instrumental version of the tune on his Bop Till You Drop album in 1979.^[18]
• Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor released a version of "I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine" on Ronstadt's 1982 album Get Closer.^[19]
• Ronnie Spector and Andre Williams released a version of the song on Williams' 2001 album Bait and Switch on Norton Records.^[20]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1961) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100^[10] 14 US Billboard Hot R&B Sides^[9] 2 US Cash Box Top 100^[21] 21 US Cash Box Top 50 R&B^[22] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1961) Rank US Billboard Hot 100 singles^[23] 65 US Cash Box Top 50 R&B Records^[24] 5

References

1. Rolling Stone Staff (24 May 2023). "Tina Turner: 15 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 May 2023. Tina's real-life marriage to Ike was an abusive nightmare, but on this early R&B gem, she paints one of the most enticing portraits of monogamy imaginable.
2. Cooder, Ry, ‘’Bop Till You Drop’’, Warner Brothers, 1979, liner notes
3. "It's Gonna Work Out Fine". 45cat. 19 May 2015.
4. "Music Legend Rose Marie McCoy to Receive Honor". All About Jazz News. April 13, 2008.
5. "The Sole Track That Launched Commercial Hip-Hop in 1979". Vanity Fair. 2006-10-10. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
6. Charnas, Dan (2011-11-01). The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. Penguin. ISBN 9781101568118.
7. Charnas, Dan (October 17, 2019). "Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson: Hip-Hop's First Godmother". Billboard.
8. "Love Is Strange [Bear Family] - Mickey & Sylvia | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
9. "Billboard Hot R&B Sides" (PDF). Billboard. September 25, 1961.
10. "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. September 18, 1961.
11. "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. June 19, 1961. p. 33.
12. "Record Reviews - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box: 8. June 24, 1961.
13. "Ike & Tina Turner". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. 23 November 2020.
14. "Album Reviews - Pop Picks" (PDF). Cash Box: 26. November 30, 1974.
15. "Ike and Tina's Kings of Rhythm - It's Gonna Work Out Fine".
16. "The Five Faces of Manfred Mann - Manfred Mann | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
17. "'Their First LP': The Spencer Davis Group's Album Arrival | uDiscover". 8 January 2021.
18. "Bop till You Drop - Ry Cooder | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
19. "Get Closer". Rolling Stone. 11 November 1982.
20. "Andre Williams – Bait and Switch (2001, Vinyl)". Discogs. 2001.
21. "Cash Box Top 100 9/30/61". www.cashboxmagazine.com.
22. "Cash Box R&B Singles 9/30/61". www.cashboxmagazine.com.
23. "Chart Toppers - Hot 100 of 1961" (PDF). Billboard. December 25, 1961. p. 10.
24. "Top R&B Records & Artists of 1961" (PDF). Cash Box: 56. December 30, 1961.