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Total Eclipse of the Heart

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"Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Song

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a power ballad written and produced by Jim Steinman, and was inspired by the classic tale, Wuthering Heights. It was originally performed by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler in 1983. It has been covered several times, and rewritten (with Michael Kunze) for the musical Tanz der Vampire as "Totale Finsternis".

Charts

This is probably Steinman's most successful commercial composition to date and Bonnie Tyler's most successful song, going to number one in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. At its peak, it sold 60,000 copies per day, and approximately 5-6 million copies in total.

Tyler's career reached new heights with this release and put her in the history books as the only Welsh artist to hit the number-one slot in the U.S Billboard magazine charts. The accompanying video was directed by Russell Mulcahy.

Steinman had given the song, along with "Making Love (Out of Nothing At All)," to Meat Loaf for his Midnight at the Lost and Found album. However, Meat Loaf's record company refused to pay for Steinman and he wrote the songs himself. Steinman's songs were then given to Bonnie Tyler.[1]

Chart positions of cover versions

UK #54.

  • 1995, Nicki French

Australia #2,[1] Spain #1, Hong Kong #1, Canada #1, Israel #1, Japan #1[citation needed], United States #2, United Kingdom #5, The Netherlands #10, Ireland #15, Germany #65.

Germany #13, Austria #6.

  • 2003, Jan Wayne.

UK #28.

  • 2003, Bonnie Tyler/Kareen Antonn (French/English version).

France #25

  • 2004, Bonnie Tyler/Kareen Antonn (French/English version).

France #1, Belgium #1, Swiss #7, Russia #155, Eurocharts #3.

  • 2006, Nikki French/Diva DJs

UK #168

  • 2008, Bonnie Tyler

UK #57, Ireland #32

Length

The song appears on Tyler's 1983 album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, on which it totaled nearly seven minutes in length. (6:56) Thus, an edited version was — and still is — most commonly played on radio. The radio version is just under 4:30, and removes the entire third verse and trims the extended fade-out ending. The music video version is about one minute longer than the radio version. The video mix of the song was released on the Billboard magazine compilation album for 1983.

Musicians

Reception

In November 2002, it was voted the #72 in "The Greatest Number Ones Of All Time" in UK.

Also in the UK, the video was voted #94 in "Greatest Music Video Of All Time" poll held by Channel 4.[citation needed]

In October, 2006, VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s included "Total Eclipse of the Heart' at #56.[citation needed]

Much More Music aired a 4 episode series in 2006 titled Top 50 Guilty Pleasures and listed it at #9.[citation needed]

Cover versions

Versions with Bonnie Tyler or Jim Steinman involvement

  • In December 2003, a re-recorded French/English duet version called "Si demain... (Turn Around)" was released. It was sung by Bonnie Tyler and Kareen Antonn and went to number one in France, Belgium, and Poland, selling two million copies all over the world.[2]
  • In October 2004, Australian tenor Peter Brocklehurst recorded this as a duet with Bonnie Tyler on his album For You. [3]
  • In 2005, Bonnie Tyler recorded an edited version for the album Wings. The album charted at #133 on the French top 200 album charts.
  • In September 2006, Lucy Lawless duetted the song with Bonnie Tyler on Celebrity Duets.
  • Westlife recorded the song for their 2006 album The Love Album. This would have been the album's second single but has been canceled due to their Love Tour conflicts, though a promo release still reached #5 on the radio charts in the Philippines. Three official remixes have been made for their version as well as a remix done by Jim Steinman, which was ultimately rejected by the record label but has surfaced on the Internet.
  • The song was rewritten in 1997 with Michael Kunze as "Totale Finsternis" for the musical Tanz der Vampire.
  • BabyPinkStar recorded the song with Bonnie Tyler in a punk/electronic remix version that was released in the UK in January 2007.
  • In March 2007, Bonnie Tyler's greatest hits compilation From The Heart, which includes "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Si demain... (Turn Around)", charted at #2 in Ireland, #31 in the UK, #74 on the European top 100 album charts, and #76 in Spain and #26 in New Zealand in July 2008.
  • In September 2008, a re-issue of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" peaked at #57 on the UK top 75 singles chart and #32 in Ireland charts[4].

Versions by Nicki French

Nicki French released a dance remake of the song in 1994, which was also a worldwide hit. In the U.S., French's version was a #2 Hot 100 hit and garnered frequent airplay on CHR and AC radio. It also reached #16 in the UK after being re-issued in 1995.

In June 2006 Nicki French released an updated version of the track with the Diva DJs. The track did not chart in the UK top 75 but is due for release in the USA, Germany and Austria.

Talent TV show versions

The song has been performed numerous times on television talent contest shows.

Other versions

  • The song is a longstanding staple for cult-favorite cabaret performers Kiki and Herb. Usually performed as a show-closer, their cover incorporates the opening verse of Pat Benatar's hit, "Love is a Battlefield". A recorded version of this cover can be found on Kiki and Herb Will Die for You: Live at Carnegie Hall.
  • Experimental Norwegian rockers Hurra Torpedo did a cover version of the song on the Norwegian television programme Lille lørdag ("Little Saturday") in 1995 . A video of this performance, featuring kitchen appliances as percussion, became an internet meme in 2005 . Since the video the band has found a strong following in the United States.
  • At the end of 2001 it was a European dance hit by Jan Wayne.
  • There is a popular anti-drug skit based on this song, called the "Turnaround Skit."[2]
  • On 21 August 2005, Tori Amos covered the song during a live performance in Boston. It is featured on the album Official Bootlegs, Volume 6: B of A Pavilion, Boston, MA, CD 1, Track 8.
  • Westlife released a cover of the song in their 2006 The Love Album, and has 3 radio remixes.
  • The song was released in Icelandic in 2005, entitled "Mundu mig" ("Remember Me") by Icelandic Idol star Heiða.
  • On The Beta Band's self titled album in 1999, they offer a unique adaptation of the song during "The Hard One." The chorus is changed to "Once upon a time I was falling apart, now I'm always falling in love."
  • An infamous profanity-laced version by The Dan Band. Two versions of this song are included on the album The Dan Band Live- a studio version and a live version. The Dan Band shot to fame by performing their version of this song in the film Old School.
  • Jason Anderson covers this song as of 2006.
  • In the "Tundra" episode in the first series of The Mighty Boosh Dixon Bainbridge (Matt Berry) and Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher) perform an over the top, and (somewhat in keeping with the nature of the series) surreal version.
  • In the episode "Amazon Women in the Mood" of the animated television show Futurama, the alien Kif Kroker performs a karaoke version of the song, singing it to Amy before Zapp takes over to sing "Lola" by The Kinks.
  • Guster covered the song on their Satellite EP.
  • In the film Thunderstruck the four protagonists have a tense moment, upon which one asks if anyone still want to turn around and another begins to sing quietly. The others join in and sing the song in alternating bass and falsetto voices.
  • In 2005 this song was covered by the duet Zap Kan (Zapór & Kanti) from Poland.
  • Amateur Transplants used the melody for their Anaesthetists Hymn
  • Lissette Álvarez performed a Spanish version of the song (called Eclipse total del amor) in 1985.
  • Yuridia released a Spanish version in her second album, Habla El Corazón (2006).
  • It appeared in the 2008 version of the Cadburys Gorilla Advert.

Awards

RIAA - USA.

Bonnie Tyler

  • Gold 10/03/1983
  • Platinum 09/18/2001

Nicki French

  • Gold 06/14/1995

British Phonographic Industry BPI - UK.

Bonnie Tyler

  • Silver 03/01/1983
  • Gold 03/01/1983

Nicki French

  • Silver 1995

SNEP[5] Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique - France.

Bonnie Tyler

  • Silver 1983
  • Gold 1983

Bonnie Tyler & Kareen Antonn (french version).

"Si demain... (Turn Around)"

  • Silver 05/04/2004
  • Gold 05/04/2004
  • Platinum 05/04/2004
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
March 12 1983 - March 19 1983 		Succeeded by
Irish Singles Chart number-one single
March 13 1983 - March 27 1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian Kent Music Report number-one single
May 30 1983 - July 4 1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single
July 1 1983- July 22 1983
Preceded by Canadian RPM number-one single
August 13 1983- August 20 1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
October 1 1983 - October 22 1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cash Box Top 100 singles
October 8 1983- October 29 1983 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ Adams, Cameron. "Meat Loaf's a Hell raiser". Herald Sun. {{cite news}}: Text "October 26, 2006" ignored (help)
  2. ^ Description of the Turnaround Skit; Photos of the Turnaround Skit

Wuthering Heights link: http://www.tangomag.com/20071303/wuthering-heights.html

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