Bonnie Tyler – “Faster Than The Speed Of Night” (1983)

The video for Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 smash, “Total Eclipse Of The Heart“, has just exceeded a billion views on YouTube, making it one of the few videos of its era to achieve that landmark figure. That phenomenal number is likely to continue to soar with the news that NASA expect a solar eclipse to be visible in parts of the United States, Mexico and many countries in South and Central America on October 14th!

“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” features on the 40th anniversary vinyl edition of Bonnie’s landmark album “Faster Than The Speed Of Night”, which will be released on 15th September when it will be pressed on ruby red vinyl.

“Faster Than The Speed Of Night” changed everything for Bonnie Tyler. While she had scored a domestic Top 10 breakthrough with “Lost In France” and then a major international hit with “It’s a Heartache”, her first four albums failed to break into the UK album charts. But then the super-charged drama of the iconic power ballad “Total Eclipse of The Heart” became one of the defining hits of the era, as it raced to the top of the charts and was certified Platinum in both the UK and the US with over three million worldwide sales to date.

The album was similarly successful, hitting No.1 in the UK and No.4 in the US, while also climbing album charts everywhere from Australia to Norway. Her star status continued to flourish with multiple BRIT and Grammy Award nominations. Between the soaring highs and characteristic rasp of Bonnie’s unmistakable voice and Jim Steinman’s theatrical wall-of-sound production, it’s easy to see why “Faster Than The Speed Of Night” made such a phenomenal impact.

The title track, a second Steinman composition, almost matches “Total Eclipse” in terms of Bonnie’s seemingly invincible vocal delivery and the thunderous bombastics of the music, while inspired covers – an arena-ready take on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” and a grandiose twist on Bryan Adams’ “Straight From The Heart” – contribute to a set of maximalist thrills.

More career highlights followed the release of “Faster Than The Speed Of Night”, including further Top five hits in the mid-80’s with “Holding Out For A Hero” and “A Rockin’ Good Way”, a successful 1986 “Greatest Hits” set, plus a Gold Badge Award from BASCA (now The Ivors Novello Awards) and a memorable Eurovision campaign, both in 2013. She has continued to tour and make high profile TV appearances all over the world, while 2019’s “Between The Earth And The Stars” became her highest charting UK studio album in over thirty years.

Bonnie Tyler’s current resurgence continues with the release of her autobiography Straight From The Heart on 28th September. It promises to be a heartfelt and candid memoir that tells the story of how a shy, music-loving teenager morphed into an international superstar. She will then embark upon a 40 year “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” tour across Europe in October, which includes numerous arena shows and runs until the end of the year.

“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” UK No.1, US No.1

“Faster Than The Speed Of Night” is released via Sony Records on 15th September