- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: SINGER BONNIE TYLER RELEASES AN ALBUM OF HER GREATEST HIT SONGS
- Date: 4th July 2001
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 4, 2001) (REUTERS) WIDE OF BONNIE TYLER APPLYING MAKE-UP IN HER DRESSING ROOM (2 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 19th July 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / FILE
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Entertainment,General
- Reuters ID: LVA340N4K62WKQ3A0TB9NH5LUKXO
- Story Text: After a glittering 25 year career, selling tens of millions of records world-wide and recording 13 studio albums, gravel-voiced singer Bonnie Tyler has finally released her Greatest Hits amid a blaze of publicity.
The Welsh beauty, now 50, had her first hit in 1976 with 'Lost in France', her second single. The track reached number nine in the UK charts before sweeping Europe, staying in the top ten in Germany for an incredible six months. 'Lost in France' was the last song recorded by Bonnie before the operation on her throat which created her legendary husky voice.
Speaking to Reuters in London, Bonnie says the success of 'Lost in France' was the moment she realised she was going to be a star. "The first time you hear yourself on the radio, which was 1976 for me, with 'Lost in France'. There's nothing quite like the first time, you know, it's fantastic, you feel really excited", she said. "Then when you get on Top of the Pops, after being like a kid watching 'Top of the Pops' and seeing people like Joe Cocker, and The Beatles, and The Stones and everybody on 'Top of The Pops' and then you're finally there yourself and I was standing on the stage with my band and my bass player. I'll never forget it, he said to me, Kevin, he was my ex-bass player from years ago, he said to me 'you've arrived' and I'm going 'Yes!' It was fabulous."
Bonnie's next milestone was breaking the States. "The first time you break America, which was in the 70s again for me, with 'It's A Heartache', and I was so lucky that that worked because there were two other artists that released it before me. One was Juice Newton, who was a huge country and western artist and the other girl was Phil Spector's wife, Ronnie Spector. They both released different versions of 'It's a Heartache', but it didn't get any kind of airplay, but when my version came out they played it to death and it was a big smash."
It was another moment of wild celebration for Bonnie.
She said: "I was getting in the limo and flicked through the radio stations and you're (I'm) on just about every station and it was like put the windows down.....'That's me!' It's so exciting. And then I did it again with 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'. Number one for four weeks in America, number one for three weeks here (UK) and I did it again then with 'Holding Out For a Hero'. All over the world I've had hits, like 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', was number one in just about every country in the world, which is great because it gets me touring."
An epic ballad 'Total Eclipse' is arguably the most well-known song of Bonnie's career. The first single from the Jim Steinman-produced 'Faster Than The Speed Of Night' LP, it toppled Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" from the top of the UK charts. A high gloss high-impact, semi operatic tour de force, the production had Steinman's fingerprints all over it and the song repeated its success all over Europe and culminated in a US Number One. The song went on to sell more than five million records, helped by an over-the-top video story-boarded by Jim Steinman with a few ideas borrowed from the movie 'Future World'.
Although the song was released in 1983, 'Total Eclipse' still retains its freshness today and Bonnie was honoured to be asked by her actress friend Catherine Zeta Jones to sing at her wedding to Michael Douglas in 2000.
"She's (Catherine) related to my husband, she's second cousin of Robert, and while she was home a few months before the wedding to show off Dylan the baby to all the family she asked me then if I would sing at the wedding. She said 'I'm not putting you on the spot, but if you feel you want to do it, do it', she said 'I want you to enjoy the wedding, don't feel pressurised, but it'd be nice if you'd sing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart''. I said 'Of course I will, that'd be great', so I did. Can you imagine, the audience, star-studded, like film stars, and all those people there?"
After completing the promotion for her 'Greatest Hits' Bonnie plans to return to the studio in the Autumn to record another album, for release in 2002. Before then she hopes to set up a tour of the UK. It's now 13 years since she toured her British homeland. "The thing I'm looking forward to most is getting a tour together for October in this country", she said. "I'm doing festivals like last weekend in Germany, I've been doing festivals not next week, but the following week, on the weekend headlining festivals, singing to 12-15,000 people. I don't mind singing to a load of people, but ask me to sing in the house to a handful of friends at Christmas, oh forget it!"
Bonnie says she would never have believed it if she's been told a quarter of a century ago that she'd still be a star. "I never thought I'd still be having success 25 years later and I can't believe 'Lost in France' is 25 years old, for a start. I only feel 28! I've got loads of energy and I just feel 28, but I love what I do and when you love what you do you can't go wrong, can you?" - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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