Beyond 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' look back at Bonnie Tyler's timeless hits

In addition to the resounding success of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", the Brit also composed for the film Footloose (1984), had a hit that flirts with country and was the United Kingdom's representative at the Eurovision festival.

LOST IN FRANCE

Released in 1976, the country-pop song was Tyler's second single and first hit on the music charts. Written by producers and songwriters Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, the song appears on the singer's debut album, "The World Starts Tonight" (1977). The lyrics portray Tyler in a trance-like state due to love.

IT'S A HEARTACHE

Tyler achieved his first worldwide success with the song "It's a Heartache", a ballad about a failed love, which appears on his second studio album, "Natural Force" (1978). Also composed by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, it reached the top of the charts in Australia, Canada and throughout Europe, in addition to reaching 3rd place on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and 10th place on the country chart.

Bonnie faced competition with the song, as country star Juice Newton and Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes released their own versions in 1978, but neither achieved the success enjoyed by Tyler.

In 1979, the song was nominated for the 'International Hit of the Year' award at The Ivors Academy, one of the largest professional associations of music writers in Europe. In 2011, Bonnie's hit song was honored at the BMI Awards after racking up three million total performances on US radio and television.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

There's no way to talk about Bonnie Tyler without remembering the resounding success of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", her main single. Released on the singer's fifth studio album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night" (1983), the song was written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by the British by a stroke of luck. Worldwide, the song sold more than six million copies, in addition to becoming the fifth best-selling single of 1983 in the United Kingdom and being considered by Billboard to be the sixth most famous song of that year. The single also received a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance.

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

The lively "Holding Out for a Hero" took advantage of the momentum of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to keep Bonnie on the charts. The song was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Footloose (1984) and later included on their sixth studio album, "Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire" (1986).

The single reached second place in the UK charts in 1984, in addition to entering the top 40 in several European countries and Canada, and the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

The song's sonic explosion made it timeless. To this day, the composition is used in countless commercials, film soundtracks and television programs, such as "Shrek 2" (2004) and the series "Euphoria".

BELIEVE IN ME

Present on Bonnie's sixteenth studio album, "Rocks and Honey" (2013), the track was chosen to represent the United Kingdom at that year's Eurovision festival.

The song received mixed reviews from the specialized press and, after the event, it reached only 93rd place in the British charts, without repercussions in other countries.

Despite the modest performance, Tyler and the composition were awarded in the "best song" and "best singer" categories at the Eurovision Song Contest Radio Awards. This was the first time that a representative from the United Kingdom won a category in the history of the award since its creation in 2006.

Read Also: Singer Bonnie Tyler dies at age 75