| re: Bonnie Interview | |
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Posted by: |
Vin 02:20 pm UTC 02/16/07 |
| In reply to: | Bonnie Interview - Jacqueline 02:06 pm UTC 02/16/07 |
| "Jim 'Meatloaf' Steinman." I'm sure Jimmy loves that. > Westlife keep Bonnie on rich list > > Feb 16 2007 > > Robin Turner, Western Mail > > THE Bonnie Tyler song that has helped the singer maintain > her position in the Wales rich list has been given yet > another makeover, this time by Irish boyband Westlife. > > At its peak, Total Eclipse of the Heart sold 60,000 copies > a day, and about six million copies in total. It has been > number one in most charts around the world. > > The Skewen-born singer is currently ranked the 49th > richest person in Wales with a personal fortune of £25m > thanks to her record sales and property. > > And it is the longevity of her most famous song that has > gone a long way to building her wealth. > > The royalties will come rolling in once more when Westlife > releases the song. > > The top-selling singers from County Sligo are facing a > challenge for female hearts from a revived Take That whose > comeback single Patience picked up a Brit Award this > week. > > Westlife have responded by making their own version of > Bonnie's greatest hit and plan to release it as a single > on March 19. > > The Irish singers, discovered by feuding music impresarios > Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell, premiered the song on the > BBC's National Lottery Show on Wednesday. > > Bonnie, 55, who divides her time between her Mumbles Bay > home and her house on the seafront in Portugal's Algarve, > said she was happy to see Total Eclipse of the Heart yet > again being trotted into the charts. > > She said, "I will never get tired of Total Eclipse of the > Heart. I get another generation of fans as a result. > > "My first hit record was over 30 years ago and the people > who bought my records then are married now and they > probably still play these records and their children get > to like them when they are re-released." > > The song set Bonnie's career on fire when she released it > in 1983. It was written by American songwriter Jim > Steinman - his soulful lyrics were inspired by the classic > novel Wuthering Heights. > > He wanted to give it to larger-than-life singer Meat Loaf > for his early album Midnight at the Lost and Found but the > record company baulked at Steinman's fee. He offered it to > gravel-voiced Bonnie, believing her unique vocal style > would suit the song just as well. > > Tyler's career reached new heights and it put her in the > history books as the only Welsh artist to hit the top slot > in the UK and US Billboard magazine charts. > > The song, on Tyler's 1983 album, Faster Than the Speed of > Night, has since been a big hit for dance artist Nikki > French (1995). And it was a pan-European hit for Bonnie > and young French star Kareen Antonn in 2003 when they > re-released it together as the bilingual duet Si Demain. > > It was also recorded last year by Sheffield band > BabyPinkStar using her original vocals with new guitar > work. > > Speaking of the BabyPinkStar version, Bonnie said, "When I > first heard it I thought, 'are you serious?' I kind of > liked it, I sent it to producer Jim Steinman, he loved it > and suggested they crank up the guitars." > > The song was sung by Bonnie in 1999 at the opening of the > National Assembly. > > And amazingly it was used in an advert for yoghurt in > Germany, featuring members of the public turning around as > they went about their daily business, in time with the > song's famous "turn around" lyrics. > > Bonnie said, "That was definitely the strangest place I > have seen the song used, I wonder if we should have been > paid for it?" > > Total Eclipse of the Heart also became known for its > bizarre accompanying video. > > It featured Bonnie, apparently struggling through a wind > tunnel in an apparently haunted school, in which all the > children had disturbingly bright, shining eyes. > > She said of it, "Don't ask me what it was about. Jim > (Steinman) did the story boards and it must be said it was > nominated for a Grammy." > > Westlife formed in 1998 and quickly eclipsed even Take > That's chart success having 14 number one hits in the UK. > > The group, made up of Nick Byrne - married to Irish > Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's daughter Georgina - Kian Egan, > Mark Feehily, who came out as being gay in a national > tabloid despite Westlife's largely female following, and > Shane Filan, has sold 40m albums. > > Westlife's version of Total Eclipse of the Heart is > featured on The Love Album. > > Page 2 - Bonnie's biggest hits > > Bonnie's biggest hits > > Lost in France (1976) > Her second single, it reached the top 10 in the British > pop music charts. Her success with Lost in France led > Tyler to record her first album in 1977. Titled The World > Starts Tonight, it met with only modest success, but > Bonnie claims it did well enough that she could tour > throughout Europe. > > Total Eclipse of the Heart (1983) > Number one in 18 countries, including Belgium, an absolute > genuine rock classic that's still guaranteed to get > audiences up and moving. > > Holding Out for a Hero (1984) > Another collaboration with Jim "Meatloaf" Steinman, and > another worldwide hit that everyone still remembers - and > loves singing along to. > > A Rockin' Good Way (1984) > This time round, Bonnie teamed up with Shakin' Stevens to > bring us something as Welsh as the old Arms Park. > > It's a Heartache (1977) > A ballad, and one that established Bonnie's credentials as > a singer with a one-in-a-million voice. | |
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