Me and Bonnie McGee Tyler: tale of love at first sight.

The 1980s were a disaster of enormous proportions for pop music: the flood, Ragnarok, Waterloo, Little Big Horn, Thermopylae, or whatever you prefer; the fact remains that from that decade pop would emerge completely destroyed, devalued, weakened and commercialized. But still, even in those years, a few wild seeds carried by the wind managed to germinate and bloom before being choked by weeds. I think of the lively, colorful yet anything but fake and superficial Cyndi Lauper, whose story is pretty emblematic, and I especially think of Gaynor Hopkins, known as Bonnie Tyler: a beautiful blonde and striking woman, the daughter of a Welsh miner.

In 1977, when she had just started her musical career, she risked having to say goodbye to her dream and her talent due to a vocal cord problem diagnosed too late, requiring a delicate operation; the beautiful Gaynor was at risk of being unable to sing again. But from that ailment, her greatest gift would bloom: the surgery that reshaped her vocal cords completely transformed her voice, turning it into a raspy and powerful growl: an extraordinary vocal power, immediately recognizable, and tremendously captivating. However, it is not an androgynous voice like Annie Lennox’s; no, Bonnie Tyler is wonderfully feminine, her singing is a crystalline expression of genuine, intense, overflowing femininity, non-conformist. Her climb to heaven could then begin; it was 1983, and Bonnie Tyler hit the big time: “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, the lead single from the album "Faster Than The Speed Of Night" is one of those songs that leave a mark. Freddie Mercury would have given anything to write a song like this: the quintessence of the power-ballad, a gospel-orchestral crescendo of rare power, a song that makes typical 80s emphasis (often in a detrimental way) its strength, ennobled by uncommon refinement and above all by that very unique voice. A star was born, who (almost) like all the most beautiful things lasted only for the fleeting time of a hit, to then fade into anonymity, from which she deserves to be rescued and celebrated as she deserves.

Bonnie Tyler’s music is to be listened to at strictly high volume: pop, pop-rock, 80s AOR, adult contemporary, call it what you will, but it is still great music, a powerful music, determined, the kind that shakes you from within, that gives energy, grit, and a smile: songs that are immediate, direct, choruses to belt out at the top of your lungs. Bonnie is a simple interpreter, but her voice is so overwhelming, her interpretations so passionate that those evergreen melodies seem to be hers entirely; behind the synthesizers, the choirs, the guitars, there’s a beating heart, there’s emotion, there’s a true artist, and this 1993 collection captures her in all her splendor, at the height of her golden era: "The Very Best Of Bonnie Tyler" is a fundamental album for understanding how beautiful the real Pop is, and what an interpreter with a capital I is, especially in times where it’s said that insufferable second-rate artists like Anastacia and Beyonce have great voices.

Almost all the songs in this collection have a rock structure sometimes influenced by synth-pop, but never dominant; the arrangements are very well-curated, rich, and "bombastic", certainly a choice in line with the times, but it perfectly matches the powerful timbre of the Welsh singer; however, opening the dances is the cheeky and lighthearted pop-folk of "Lost In France", which allows appreciation of Bonnie Tyler's voice before the surgery, softer and lighter yet still intense and magnetic, followed by the country-flavored ballads "Here Am I" and the hit "It’s A Heartache". After this tasty preamble from 1977-1978, the collection gets into the thick of it, in all its 80s magnificence; in a decade when ABBA broke up, Elton John was a hyperproductive shadow of himself, and the Bee Gees literally sunk after "Living Eyes," Bonnie Tyler was collecting excellent albums and many great songs; she, who certainly is not a musical genius like the aforementioned gentlemen, with her grit, her feline growl, and her tenacity and humility outshines them all. "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", in all its magnificence, needs no further commentary, the equally epic "Loving You Is A Dirty Job But Somebody’s Gotta Do It", an almost eight-minute ride duetted with Todd Rundgren, "Hide Your Heart", a powerful hard-rock piece signed by Paul Stanley perfect for highlighting Bonnie Tyler’s feline growl, while "Holding Out For A Hero" draws heavily from 70s disco, resulting in an ultra-vitaminized "It’s Raining Men," of significant impact. "If You Were A Woman And I Were A Man" leaves you stunned with its nearly identical refrain to Bon Jovi’s contemporary "You Give Love A Bad Name"; after all, both songs are signed by the notorious Desmond Child, a professional hitmaker on an industrial scale, but, of course, Bonnie Tyler with her class manages to save the piece from the mediocre plastic-coated rock mediocrity it was otherwise destined for with more than dignified results. In any case, much better is the dreamy and refined electronics of "Islands", a beautiful collaboration with Mike Oldfield, the unreleased "I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone", which, due to its extensive use of synthesizers and intriguing and hypnotic melody, almost brings back the atmospheres of that unparalleled and excellent pop masterpiece that was "The Visitors" by ABBA with a touch more rock, and two tracks from the 1991 album "Bitterblue," namely "Against The Wind", an absolutely perfect power-ballad, and the title track, a song that, despite having as banal and predictable a text as possible, showcases an incredible drive both for the grit and infectious enthusiasm this incredible voice can unleash and for the perfect use of electronics, creating a forceful and anthemic melody without slipping into the tacky.

Among all the collections dedicated to Bonnie Tyler, this one is undoubtedly the best and the most comprehensive, although it should be noted a gross error like including the not-so-exceptional Bryan Adams cover "Straight From The Heart" at the expense of the wonderful "Faster Than The Speed Of Night," as well as excellent interpretations of "Piece Of My Heart" and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," and also "Married Men (The World Is Full Of)," but this does not impair the perfect outcome of a collection that gives this wonderful voice of Pop, this authentic and misunderstood diva all the honor she deserves; even though she is not a figure of absolute depth, to this day there is no other Bonnie Tyler, there is no new voice even remotely comparable to hers; no one capable of reproducing this type of great entertainment music, this mix of AOR, pop, and fizzing, explosive electronics; the blonde Gaynor Hopkins thus remains the last of her kind, one of the last Popstars truly worthy of the title.

Tracklist and Lyrics

01   Lost in France (03:55)

I was lost in France
In the fields the birds were singing
I was lost in France
And the day was just beginning
As I stood there in the morning rain
I had a feeling I can't explain
I was lost in France in love

I was lost in France
In the street a band was playing
And the crowd all danced
Didn't catch what they were saying
When I looked up he was standing there
And I knew I shouldn't but I didn't care
I was lost in France in love

Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing

I was lost in France
And the vines were over-flowing
I was lost in France
And a million stars were glowing
And I looked round for a telephone
To say 'baby I won't be home'
I was lost in France in love

Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing

And I looked round for a telephone
To say 'baby I won't be home'
I was lost in France in love

Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing
Ooh la la la Ooh la la la dance
Ooh la la la dancing...out

02   It's a Heartache (03:30)

It's a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Hits you when it's too late
Hits you when you're down

It's a fool's game
Nothing but a fool's game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It's a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Love him till your arms break
Then he lets you down

It ain't right, with love to share
When you find he doesn't care for you
It ain't wise to need someone
As much as I depended on you

Ah, it's a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Hits you when it's too late
Hits you when you're down

It's a fool's game
Nothing but a fool's game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It ain't right, with love to share
When you find he doesn't care for you
It ain't wise to need someone
As much as I depended on you

Ah, it's a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Love him till your arms break
Then he lets you down

It's a fool's game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It's a heartache
Love him till your arms break
Then he lets you down

It's a fool's game

03   Here Am I (03:49)

Here am I in love again clinging to your arms again
Wondering why I wanted to be free
Here am I next to you wondering what we ought to do
Can't afford to lose it all again

Here am I, there are you, we nearly broke our hearts in two
Would have been the worst thing in the world
When I thought that we could live apart
I must have been crazy, what a fool I was
What a fool from the moment you got in my heart
I should have known baby, but now I know, oh!

Here am I in love again clinging to your arms again
Wondering' why I wanted to be free
When I thought that we could live apart
I must have been crazy, what a fool I was
What a fool from the moment you got in my heart
I should have known baby, but now I know, oh!

Here am I in love again clinging to your arms again
Wondering' why I wanted to be free
Here am I next to you wondering' what we ought to do
Can't afford to lose it all again
Here am I in love again clinging to your arms again
Here am I, there are you, we nearly broke our hearts in two
Would have been the worst thing in the world

04   Total Eclipse of the Heart (06:58)

(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit lonely
And you're never coming 'round
(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit tired
Of listening to the sound of my tears
(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit nervous
That the best of all the years have gone by
(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified
And then I see the look in your eyes

(Turn around bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart
(Turn around bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart

(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit restless
And I dream of something wild
(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit helpless
And I'm lying like a child in your arms
(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit angry
And I know I've got to get out and cry
(Turn around)
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified
But then I see the look in your eyes

(Turn around bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart
(Turn around bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
'Cause we'll never be wrong

Together we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
(All of the time)
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
(Forever's gonna start tonight)

Once upon a time I was falling in love
Now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart

(Turn around bright eyes
Turn around bright eyes)

(Turn around)
Every now and then I know you'll never be the boy
You always wanted to be
(Turn around)
But every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy
Who wanted me the way that I am
(Turn around)
Every now and then I know there's no one in the universe
As magical and wonderous as you
(Turn around)
Every now and then I know there's nothing any better
There's nothing that I just wouldn't do

(Turn around bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart
(Turn around bright eyes)
Every now and then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight
(And I need you)
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
(If you'll only)
Well be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
(And we'll never)
'Cause we'll never be wrong

Together we can take it to the end of the line
Love is like a shadow on me all of the time
(All of the time)
I don't know what to do, I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
(Forever's gonna start tonight)

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
Nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart

(Turn around bright eyes
Turn around bright eyes
Turn around).

05   Straight From the Heart (03:42)

06   A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love) (02:53)

07   Holding Out for a Hero (05:49)

Where have all good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and I dream of what I need

(Chorus)
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life (larger than life)

Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

(Chorus)

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there's someone somewhere
Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like a fire in my blood

(Chorus)

08   Loving You Is a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It (07:48)

09   If You Were a Woman (and I Was a Man) (05:15)

(Desmond Child)
Producer for Bonnie: Jim Steinman

How's it feel to be a woman
How's it feel to be a man
Are we really that different
Tell me where you stand
I look at you, you look away
Why do you say we're night and day
I'd like to try another way
Oh baby for just one day

If you were a woman and I was a man
Would it be so hard to understand
That a heart's a heart and we do what we can
If you were a woman and I was a man
If you were a woman and I was a man

How's it feel to be the hunter
How's it feel to be the prey
Is there really a reason
For this game we play
I look at you, you look away
Why do you say we're night and day
I'd like to try another day
Oh darling, just one day

If you were a woman and I was a man
Would it be so hard to understand
That a heart's a heart and we do what we can
If you were a woman and I was a man
If you were a woman and I was a man

Hey, we're just two people trying to love
Oh but how, how can we love
With this wall between us, holding us back

If you were a woman and I was a man
Would it be so hard to understand
That a hearts a heart and we do what we can
If you were a woman and I was a man
If you were a woman and I was a man

10   Islands (feat. Mike Oldfield) (04:18)

11   Hide Your Heart (04:22)

12   Save Up All Your Tears (04:20)

(Desmond Child/ Diane warren)
Producer for Bonnie: Desmond Child

I can't figure you out
But a heart must be the one thing
You were born without
I'm through wasting my time
I don't know where I'll sleep tonight
You say that you can do without me
Go ahead now, try and live without me....

Baby, save up all your tears
You might need them someday
When the tears start to fall
I won't wipe them away
When you cry in the night
For the love that you need
Baby, save up your tears
Cause you'll be cryin' over me

You got used to my touch
I got used to not feeling much
Winter set in your eyes
Time will melt your castle of ice
You think that you won't feel the pain now
Your eyes'll be cryin' like the rain now....
Baby, save up all your tears
You might need them someday
When the tears start to fall
I won't wipe them away
When you cry in the night
For the love that you need
Baby, save up your tears
Cause you'll be cryin' over me
You don't know it now
But some wounds get deeper with time
You don't feel it now
Till the need burns, a knife turns
Your heart bleeds like mine....

13   Bitterblue (03:48)

Bitterblue
Written by - Howard Houston
I'll take the train to nowhere
This love is a sacrifice
My heart ain't big enough babe
For your paradise...
Oh darling I'm crazy - after all these years

Don't throw away my love babe
I'm not a lonely child
Tomorrow's such a long time
My dreams are running wild...
Oh Darling I'm crazy - after all these years

I gave you all my love for free
My tears are full of memories
Give me love, give me all
Baby, catch me when I'll fall tonight

Bitterblue, Bitterblue
Breaking up is hard to do
Bitterblue you know that I'm too
Proud to cry
Bitterblue, Bitterblue
I can't take my eyes off you
That's no way to say goodbye

I'll be sailing on a rainbow
If you will change your mind
Don't throw away this love babe
Love is hard to find...
Oh darling I'm crazy - after all these years

Come save a little room babe
In your heart for me
We can make it better
Love is a mystery...
Oh darling I'm crazy - after all these years

Oh I sold my heart to you
I gave you love and heaven, too
Give me love, give me all
Baby catch me when I'll fall tonight

Bitterblue, Bitterblue
Breaking up is hard to do
Bitterblue you know that I'm too
Proud to cry
Bitterblue, Bitterblue
I can't take my eyes off you
And that's no way to say goodbye

Bitterblue, Bitterblue
Breaking up is hard to do
Bitterblue you know that I'm too
Proud to cry
Bitterblue, Bitterblue
I can't take my eyes off you
And that's no way to say goodbye

And that's no way to say goodbye
And that's no way to say goodbye
And that's no way to say goodbye

14   Against the Wind (03:38)

"Living in a danger zone
A lonely man a lonely child
So many miles away from home
Emotions running wild with me

Come take my heart
Come feel the burns of fire
Come and break my heart
And feel my loving mind

Oh against the wind I'm flying
Against the wind I'm crying
This night was made for a lonely
Don't break my heart tonight, no

Oh you need a helping hand
The times are geting tough
Baby come and try again
There's no living without love, in my heart
It's hard for me, but it's harder to ignore it
Oh my fantasy, come feel my love tonight."

15   Where Were You (04:54)

16   Till the End of Time (03:49)

17   I Can't Leave Your Love Alone (04:01)

Loading comments  slowly