BONNIE TYLER - TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

Publicació: 11 de febrer de 1983 (Regne Unit), 12 de juny de 1983 (EUA)

Llistes: EUA: #1 (4 setmanes) Regne Unit: #1 (2 setmanes)

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" és el single principal del cinquè àlbum d'estudi de Bonnie Tyler, "Faster Than the Speed of Night". Va ser escrit i produït per Jim Steinman i enregistrat el 1982, llançat com a senzill per CBS/Columbia el 1983. La cançó es va convertir en el major èxit de la carrera de Tyler, arribant al número u a la llista UK Singles Chart i esdevenint el cinquè single més venut el 1983 al Regne Unit. Als Estats Units, el single va passar quatre setmanes al capdavant de les llistes i va ser la sisena cançó de l'any per Billboard el 1983. A més, va ser nominada al Premi Grammy a la Millor Actuació Vocal Pop Femenina.

Jim Steinman rarament donava explicacions explícites sobre les seves lletres, però va suggerir que "Total Eclipse of the Heart" va ser influïda per la pel·lícula de vampirs de 1922 "Nosferatu", una adaptació de la història de Dràcula. Aquest context aclareix els temes de l'amor, la foscor i el desig presents a la cançó. Les emocions de la cantant fluctuen entre la solitud, els nervis i la por, mentre anhela el seu amant i contempla unir-se a ell en una unió potencialment eterna. Quan finalment arriba, és com un eclipsi total del cor, simbolitzant l'inici d'un viatge atemporal junts.

Bonnie Tyler va quedar profundament impressionada per la interpretació de Meat Loaf de "Bat Out Of Hell" al programa de música de la BBC The Old Grey Whistle Test. Quan va signar amb Sony, va expressar el seu desig de treballar amb el compositor darrere dels èxits de Meat Loaf. Resulta que Jim Steinman, el cervell darrere les cançons de Meat Loaf, havia escrit "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Tot i que Meat Loaf inicialment va sentir que la cançó hauria de ser seva, Tyler va aclarir que Steinman havia començat a escriure-la per a ell, però finalment l'havia acabat per a ella. La pista també va comptar amb contribucions de músics notables, incloent-hi el bateria Max Weinberg i el teclista Roy Bittan de la banda E Street Band de Bruce Springsteen, així com el guitarrista Rick Derringer, conegut pel seu treball amb The McCoys.

El vídeo musical amb temàtica gòtica va ser conceptualitzat per Jim Steinman i va inspirar-se en la pel·lícula "Future World", una seqüela del thriller futurista "Westworld". Gravat a l'asil Holloway, el vídeo mostra Bonnie Tyler vestida totalment de blanc. Dirigit per Russell Mulcahy, conegut pel seu treball en vídeos d'Elton John, Billy Joel i Fleetwood Mac, el vídeo inclou una escena on un noi jove amb el pit nu llança una colom a la càmera, una idea proposada per Steinman. Aquesta escena va portar a una reacció exagerada de Tyler, ja que la va percebre com a inapropiada. Mulcahy va aclarir posteriorment que no hi havia cap intenció perversa darrere de la presa.

Quan "Total Eclipse of the Heart" va arribar al número u als Estats Units, Bonnie Tyler va aconseguir una fita significativa al ser la primera artista gal·lesa en encapçalar les llistes allà, superant fins i tot el seu compatriota Tom Jones, que mai no havia aconseguit fer-ho.

BONNIE TYLER - TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

Released: February 11, 1983 (UK), June 12, 1983 (US)

Charted:  US: #1 (4 weeks)   UK: #1 (2 weeks)

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is the lead single from Bonnie Tyler's fifth studio album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night". It was written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded in 1982, released as a single by CBS/Columbia in 1983. The song became Tyler's biggest career hit, topping the UK Singles Chart and becoming the fifth-best-selling single in 1983 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the single spent four weeks at the top of the charts and was Billboard's number-six song of the year for 1983. Additionally, the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Jim Steinman rarely provided explicit explanations for his lyrics, but he did suggest that "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was influenced by the 1922 vampire film “Nosferatu”, an adaptation of the Dracula story. This context sheds light on the themes of love, darkness, and longing in the song. The singer's emotions fluctuate between loneliness, nervousness, and fear, as she yearns for her lover and contemplates joining him in a potentially eternal union. When he finally arrives, it's akin to a total eclipse of the heart, symbolizing the beginning of a timeless journey together.

Bonnie Tyler was deeply impressed by Meat Loaf's performance of "Bat Out Of Hell" on the BBC music series The Old Grey Whistle Test. When she signed with Sony, she expressed her desire to work with the songwriter behind Meat Loaf's hits. As it turned out, Jim Steinman, the mastermind behind Meat Loaf's songs, had written "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Although Meat Loaf initially felt the song should have been his, Tyler clarified that Steinman had started writing it for him but ultimately completed it for her. The track also featured contributions from notable musicians, including drummer Max Weinberg and keyboardist Roy Bittan from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, as well as guitarist Rick Derringer, known for his work with The McCoys.

The gothic-themed music video for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was conceptualized by Jim Steinman and drew inspiration from the film “Future World”, a sequel to the futuristic thriller “Westworld”. Filmed at Holloway Asylum, the video features Bonnie Tyler dressed entirely in white. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, known for his work on videos for Elton John, Billy Joel, and Fleetwood Mac, the video includes a scene where a shirtless young boy throws a dove into the camera, an idea proposed by Steinman. This scene led to Tyler's outburst, as she perceived it as inappropriate. Mulcahy later clarified that there was no perverse intention behind the shot.

When "Total Eclipse of the Heart" reached the number one spot in America, Bonnie Tyler achieved a significant milestone as the first Welsh artist to top the chart there, surpassing even her fellow countryman Tom Jones, who had never achieved that feat.