#ThrowbackThursday: Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

By Sean Smith

This week thirty years ago, Bonnie Tyler began her three week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her powerful ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

While everyone is familiar with this classic love song, few know that Bonnie Tyler was not the artist  songwriter Jim Steinman originally wrote it for. Steinman originally penned “Total Eclipse of the Heart” for Meat Loaf. In an October 2006 article published by Australian newspaper The Herald Sun, Meat Loaf revealed that he was unable to use the song on his 1983 album Midnight at the Lost and Found because his label refused to pay Steinman his asking price for it. Although Meat Loaf was unable to turn Steinman’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” into a hit, Meatloaf did get the chance a decade later to shine on another Steinman inked song, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”

“Total Eclipse of the Heart” was the lead single on the Welsh born Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 album Faster Than the Speed of Night, an album that would go on to become certified Platinum thanks to the overwhelming success of Steinman’s theatrical sounding power ballad. The album version of the song was just over seven minutes long and included three verses. This being much too long for radio play, the version released to radio was edited down to four and a half minutes and only included the first verse. A third version was made for the video of the song which was about five and a half minutes in length and included the first and second verses, omitting the third.

One of the reasons why I personally love this song is because of the way that Bonnie Tyler delivered the lyrics with such authenticity. She makes you feel each and every lyric. While it is next to impossible to match the raspy realness that Tyler displays in her performance, there is a cover of the song that I think comes close. It was done by The Dan Band and you may have heard it in part if you have ever seen the comedic film Old School. I’m including a link below, but I will warn you that it does contain some explicit ad-libbing.

So without further ado, I give you this week’s #Throwback Thursday offering here on Clizbeats, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. Enjoy!

Bonnie Tyler

“Total Eclipse of the Heart” (Video Version)

From Faster Than the Speed of Night

Columbia Records

Bonnie Tyler

“Total Eclipse of the Heart” (Album Version)

From Faster Than the Speed of Night

Columbia Records

Dreamworks Pictures/The Montecito Picture Company