Bonnie Tyler – a career built on her unique voice

Bonnie Tyler's career was unusual: two periods of global success that seemed to have almost nothing in common except the name on the album covers. Her first big hits in the UK, "Lost in France" (1976) and "It's a Heartache" (1977), were prime examples of what writer Pete Paphides later called "middle-wave pop" - the now largely forgotten music that actually filled the charts and Radio One airplay charts at a time when simplistic accounts of rock history suggest that the whole of Britain was gripped by punk fever. Signs of the arrival of a superstar They were a bit rock, a bit country, and somewhat similar to the sound of the band "Smokie," masters of reliable hits from the mid-'70s. The songs were so catchy that almost no one noticed that, between the releases of one and the other, Tyler's voice had changed radically: on "Lost in France" he had a sweet timbre, while after surgery to remove nodes in his vocal cords, by the time of the release of "It's a Heartache" he had acquired that characteristic hoarseness reminiscent of Rod Stewart. Everything seemed to indicate that "It's a Heartache" would turn Tyler into a superstar. The song sold six million copies, while the corresponding album ranked in the top three on the American country music chart. However, that success proved difficult to maintain, especially because her record company seemed strangely undecided about the direction to take her career: to have her perform a song by the group "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers", like "Louisiana Rain", to orient her towards the light music market with a version of "Sometimes When We Touch", or to push her towards the disco genre. None of these really worked, and it could have ended there if Tyler hadn't decided to take matters into her own hands. As a rock fan, she had considered asking Phil Collins or Jeff Lynne to work with her, but she was lucky enough to turn to Jim Steinman at just the right moment. The producer and songwriter's relationship with Meat Loaf had soured after the album "Dead Ringer" (1981) failed to repeat the incredible success of "Bat Out of Hell". Meanwhile, the release of his solo album, "Bad for Good", had definitively shown that the public was not interested in hearing Jim Steinman perform his own songs. After two consecutive failures, Steinman clearly felt that he had to try something, and the best way to do this was to double down on his ambitions. He had never been one for subtlety, and the songs he presented to Tyler were grand and pompous even by his standards. Everything seemed to indicate that "It's a Heartache" would turn Tyler into a superstar. If life depended on the "Total Eclipse of the Heart" Since Bonnie Tyler's voice reminded him of John Fogerty, Steinman suggested they do a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" His version transformed the original acoustic roots-inspired song into a mix of pseudo-classical piano and sharp, thumping guitar solos reminiscent of metal music—all accompanied by castanets. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was seven minutes long, featured a church organ solo that sounded like it was being performed by Count Dracula himself, and was punctuated by explosions that were supposed to represent the sound of nuclear bombs falling. As was his wont, Steinman claimed that the song was heavily influenced by Wagner. The whole thing would have sounded utterly ridiculous if it weren't for Tyler's vocal delivery, which gave the impression that she didn't consider herself one. She sang it as if her life depended on it. To use a modern expression, she was so completely immersed in the performance that her voice became the most prominent element of the song, rather than being lost in the utter chaos that surrounded her. The end result couldn't have been more different from "It's a Heartache." The song was certified platinum in nine countries, reached number one on the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, led the album "Faster Than the Speed ​​of Night" to sell three million copies, and proved completely immune to changing musical trends. In the 21st century, it continued to re-enter the music charts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Denmark, Belgium, and Hungary; in 2026, it surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. Always modest and the impossibility of returning It was a success of a magnitude that Tyler would never repeat, although he came close with “Holding Out for a Hero,” another Steinman extravaganza, this time part of the soundtrack for the teen film “Footloose.” With even more explosions, another dedicated vocal performance from Tyler, the song became another big hit. However, the sheer success of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” may have damaged her collaboration with Steinman. With his career revived, he once again became one of the most sought-after producers and writers, working with artists ranging from Barbra Streisand and Def Leppard to wrestler Hulk Hogan. As a result, he was only partially present on the album “Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire” (1986). Bonnie Tyler's voice had changed radically: in "Lost in France" he had a sweet timbre, while after an operation to remove the nodes in his vocal cords, by the time of the release of "It's a Heartache" he had acquired that characteristic hoarseness reminiscent of Rod Stewart. Steinman was executive producer and writer on four of the nine songs, with the rest being left to other writers, with varying results. With all due respect to the effort, Freda Payne's soul hit "Band of Gold" (1970) was probably not the ideal candidate for a Steinman-style transformation, although it is said that it was this song that caught the attention of a talent scout when he heard him perform it in a Swansea nightclub in the 70s. Her career in the UK and the US then declined, and she was unfortunate not to experience a comeback with “The Best”, the lead single from the album “Hide Your Heart” (1988). It is difficult to understand why it did not become a major hit anywhere except in Norway. The problem was clearly not the song itself, as evidenced by the fact that when Tina Turner recorded it a year later, it sold millions of copies and became her most recognizable song. Tyler, ever the modest one, said that Turner had performed it much better than she had. Even the great effort of the album “Free Spirit” (1995) – which temporarily reunited him with Steinman and included collaborations with Jeff Lynne, appearances by Lenny Kravitz and dance remixes by Ralphi Rosario – failed to bring him back to the music charts. However, she continued to release platinum albums in Europe well into the 90s, and her tours continued to fill arenas. As an artist who, in the early 80s, had interrupted her string of Steinman-produced opuses to record a duet with Shakin' Stevens, Tyler always maintained an extraordinarily diverse approach to music. She seemed just as happy performing progressive rock with Rick Wakeman or former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett as she was singing the UK's Eurovision entry in 2013, or collaborating with David Guetta to re-record her vocals from "Total Eclipse of the Heart" for his 2025 single "Together." Once again, she sang as if her life depended on that song.