Bonnie Tyler skips the heartache and goes straight for the glory with “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 10, 1983

By Steve Newton

Bonnie Tyler? You mean that Welsh girl who used to sing about heartaches in a gravelly, Rod Stewart-type voice. She still around?

After her four years absence from the charts, there must be a lot of people who’ve written Bonnie Tyler off as something of a one-shot wonder. In 1978 her “It’s A Heartache” was an international smash on both pop and country charts, but there hasn’t been a peep out of her since.

Until now, that is. Tyler has come soaring back up the hit list with a new album, Faster Than the Speed of Night. Produced by Jim Steinman, famous for his work on the Meatloaf Bat Out of Hell album, it includes songs by John Fogerty, Bryan Adams, and Ian Hunter and Eric Bloom, as well as Steinman himself. The album’s first single, “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, sold over 57,000 copies in one day and is currently well fixed in the British Top 10.

A very consistent effort, Faster Than the Speed of Night features keyboardist Roy Bittan and drummer Max Weinberg, both from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Guitar hero Rick Derringer contributes some scintillating lead work to the album as well.

I spoke to Bonnie Tyler on the phone from her some in Swansea, Wales last week.

We haven’t heard anything from you since 1978 and “It’s a Heartache”. What happened to you?

Well “It’s a Heartache” sold seven-million copies worldwide, but after that the songwriter that wrote it’s gotten worse–the standard didn’t keep up. I had about seven releases which didn’t do much. So in 1981, when my contract expired, they wanted me to re-sign with them and do more country stuff. But I didn’t particularly want to do that, so I decided to do what I wanted to–make it or break it–at least I’d be happy doing the kind of music I’m doing now.

“It’s a Heartache” did well in the country charts.

Oh yeah, the album went to Number Two in the country charts, but there wasn’t a lot of country on it. It was country rock, I suppose. And that’s why my managers wanted me to go even more country, to cash in on the business that I had with a Number Two album.

Were a lot of people led to believe through that song that you were basically a country balladeer?

I think so.

Is Faster Than the Speed of Night a comeback for you?

Well “Total Eclipse of the Heart” has been a Number One single over here. I think it took everybody by surprise for me to be teamed up with Jim Steinman. The thing is, in 1981 I found myself a new manager, and because I hadn’t done anything in a couple of years I spent most of the time listening to new songs. I had hundreds of songs to sit through.

So I went into the studio and made demos of them, and my manager from CBS, Muff Winwood, thought about Jim Steinman. I’d always loved his work, but I never thought for one minute he was going to say yes he’d produce me. So to ask him and all was a bit of a long shot.

Anyways, when we did ask him he said no. And I wasn’t surprised that he did say no, because if I’d have been him at that point, knowing only about Bonnie Tyler singing country music, I’d have done the same thing!

But my manager didn’t give up. He sent him some of the rock music demos. I think that must have changed his mind, because he rang back to ask if we were still available to be produced. I went over to meet him in April of last year and then back in July for three and half months to make the album.

I understand you’re a fanatic of Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” recording techniques.

Well I’m not a fanatic, but my all-time favourite song–strangely enough–is the same one as Jim’s all-time favourite song, and that’s “River Deep, Mountain High”.

Did you want Jim Steinman for his ability to capture that big Spector sound?

No. I thought about Phil Collins, because I didn’t see the point in asking Jim Steinman. I didn’t think he’d be interested.

What was he like to work with?

Oh he’s terrific–an absolute genius.

Is it true that he wouldn’t have done the album if you hadn’t liked the songs he’d chosen for it?

It’s true that he wouldn’t have been interested in working with me if I hadn’t like “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” He tells me now that if I hadn’t liked that song and “Going Through the Motions” he’d have known it wouldn’t have worked out between us, because that’s the kind of music he could hear me singing.

But fortunately when he played me those songs, I just loved them anyway. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” is my favourite off the whole album, I think.

Yeah, I love that tune too. Were you a big Creedence Clearwater Revival fan before?

Yup. And it really suits my voice–exactly like Jim thought. But I mean half the songs I picked on the album. Jim wrote two and suggested a couple of the others.

“Going Through the Motions” is another song that I really like on your new album. It’s taken from the Blue Oyster Cult album Spectres.

Yes. I hadn’t heard that song until Jim played it to me. I think it’s great, and Iove what he’s done to the beginning and the end with the children skipping rope.

Were you surprised at the album’s immediate success?

Yeah I was. By the time chart day came I knew it would go Top 5 because you only need a hundred thousand copies to go gold, and there were already 98,000 copies on pre-sale orders.

I thought it would be a tough fight, but when they told me it was Number One, oh it was great. Champagne breakfast.

Are you going to be touring?

I’m coming over to Canada in June, but I’m not touring. I’m doing a promotional tour. I’m off to Switzerland tomorrow–wooooo!

Have you ever tried writing songs yourself?

I am writing songs, but they’re not good enough for the album yet. I’m writing B-sides, and just trying to improve. I am getting better, but I wouldn’t put one on the album just for the sake of having royalties. I’d rather do somebody else’s if I prefer it.

I wish I could find the cassette that I used to record that Bonnie Tyler interview back in ’83. I would digitize it for all to hear. Oh well… You can still hear over 250 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with music legends on my Patreon page, including:

…with hundreds more to come