Found Performance: “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

Anyone who peeks in at these “Found Performance” videos I post has probably caught on that I tend to favor ’60s artists, but I am not adverse to the big artists and radio hits of the ’50s and ’70s either. So this one seems like a new release compared to what I often post.  You heard it everywhere in 1983. Before anyone thinks I am selling out to new stuff, I will point out that this song is pushing 40 years of age. Wow, hard to believe.

Bonnie Tyler is “Welch” and this was her biggest hit. “Total Eclipse” was written and produced by Jim Steinman. He made tons of money and had a very distinct style of writing and producing. Listen to the early Meatloaf albums, then compare the sound to this one. You can definitely hear that Steinman influence. I like his style a lot, but the music is overwrought with drama…like frantic show tunes.

“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” was released first in the U.K. in Feb 1983. It was released in May ’83 in the U.S.  The record hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late September 1983. It remained on top for four weeks and, overall, it spent 29 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100. Billboard, also ranked it as the #6 most popular song of ’83.  Worldwide it sold more than 6 million copies and was certified as Gold and later upgraded to Platinum status. A couple other big hits from Bonnie Tyler were “It’s A Heartache” (which we played on country radio, peak position #10) and “Holding Out For A Hero” (another giant from “Footloose”).

The original video came from the British TV show “Top of the Pops.” Both the original video and audio have been cleaned up and enhanced. (The video is at ad free Vimeo, so click on the play button 2x- first to go to Vimeo and the second time to start the video.)