Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer and one of her most famous singles is Total Eclipse of the Heart. This iconic song was a massive hit when it was released in 1983. The single sold approximately six million copies resulting in it climbing to number 1 on the Billboard’s Hot 100. In fact, it was even number 6 in the list of 1983’s Billboard Top 100 Songs. This made it Tyler’s most successful song of her career and is the one for which she is still the best recognized. Although this is a well-known and very popular song, there are some facts that you might not know about this song and here are five interesting pieces of information.
1. This Song Nearly Didn’t Happen
When Tyler’s 1978 song, ‘It’s a Heartache’ was unsuccessful in the charts, her popularity faded. She left RCA Records and got herself a new manager. She also approached Jim Steinman who was a songwriter for Meatloaf as this star was enjoying massive popularity and success in this era. Initially, Steinman was reluctant to produce Tyler’s album, ‘Faster Than the Speed of Night’, but changed his mind after listening to her demo tapes. He then went on to produce ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’ for Bonnie Tyler before the pair worked on ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’.
2. It Was Originally a Vampire Song
Steinman composed the song as part of a compilation for ‘Dance of the Vampires’, a 1997 musical. He needed to include a love duet and had only a month and a half to write all the music for the show. ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ was intended as a big love duet. He used ‘Nosferatu as inspiration because this is a great vampire love story. The intended themes of the song are the power of darkness and the place of love in darkness.
3. It Is Popular During an Eclipse
Eclipses are exciting natural events that attract lot of attention. Depending on how rare a particular type of eclipse is, it can lead to celebratory events taking place. When this happens, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ is one of the most popular music choices. There have been many occasions when Tyler has been invited to perform this song at such events.
4. This Song Was Re-recorded by Bonnie Many Times
Although the original version is still the most popular, Bonnie Tyler re-recorded this hit many times throughout her career. For example, in 2003, she recorded the song with French singer Kareen Antonn. This French/ English version was renamed ‘Si Demain…’, which translates as ‘Turn Around’. A punk electronic version was recorded when Tyler collaborated with BabyPinkStar in 2007. Tyler also sang a duet with Peter Brocklehurst on his album ‘For You’ which he released in 2004. Furthermore, many artists have covered this song.
5. Russell Mulcahy Directed the Music Video
The music video for ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ is almost as famous as the song itself. The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy. His previous work includes the music video for ‘Turning Japanese’ by The Vapors.
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