Written by Jim Steinman & performed by Bonnie Tyler w/background vocals by Rory Dodd
THE PLAYERS: JIM STEINMAN, BONNIE TYLER, RORY DODD
In 1983, songwriter Jim Steinman had two songs on Billboard’s HOT 100 at Number’s #1 & #2: # 1 being “Total Eclipse of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler & # 2 “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” by Air Supply.
Jim Steinman also wrote the tracks to Meat Loaf’s mega-hit album “Bat Out of Hell” and the Celine Dion anthem “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now.”
That’s lots of star power! Let’s start from the beginning…
If you remember the music of the 1980s, then you know what a unique, creative and boundary-breaking time it was.
Dance clubs were the public’s second Home and the ‘invent’ of MTV changed music overnight across the planet.
Now, let’s rewind time a tad bit more… enter Bonnie Tyler. She was born Gaynor Hopkins on June 5, 1951, in the small Wales town of Skewen, in the United Kingdom.
She had tremendous success in America with her hit “It’s a Heartache,” released in 1978. The single was a crossover success on both Billboard’s Country and Pop charts.
In early 1980, Bonnie wanted to venture more into Pop and Rock, so she moved to CBS Records and set up a collaboration with music producer and songwriter Jim Steinman. It would be the perfect dream team and would make music history.
Mr. Steinman wrote and produced her most successful hit and album“Totally Eclipse of The Heart” and “Faster Than The Speed of Night.” (Both Billboard #1)
The single would earn Bonnie a 1984 Grammy Nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance/Female.
Irene Cara won for“Flashdance… What A Feeling!”
As mentioned, Jim & Bonnie’s collaboration was music gold.
In 1984, he wrote and produced Bonnie’s global hit “Holding Out For a Hero,” which was included on the motion picture soundtrack, “Footloose”; Academy Award Winner & Golden Globe Award Winner, Dean Pitchford, also contributed to the song’s lyrics.
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“TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART” Backup Vocalist Rory Dodd
Let’s talk about Rory Dodd.
Remember that name: RORY DODD
And, take a bow, Dude!!
If it wasn’t for Rory, many music critics don’t believe Total Eclipse would be the classic hit that it is today.
A Rocker from Port Dover, Ontario, Canada, who lent his smooth falsetto voice to duet with Ms. Tyler.
With haunting fluidity and ease, he repeats “… turn around bright eyes…”
Rory was Mr. Steinman’s favorite Backup Singer and his number one pick to record with Meatloaf on“Bat Out of Hell.”
The rest is history.
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A word from Waide Riddle…
“TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART” came out when I was still living in Houston. I was 20 and I remember it being a huge global smash.
Critiqued and dissected by DJs, music teachers, music historians, music educators and universities from across the country.
The University of Texas at Austin even created a class around the song to examine Pop Culture.
DRAG & QUEENS!
One Sunday night in 1983, I went to the gay dance club The Copa, in Houston, at the intersection of Richmond & Kirby. Sunday Night was drag night and I was all about the drag scene in the early 80s.
The show was known as the Fantastic 4: Hot Chocolate, Donna Day, Naomi Sims & Tasha Kohl. These Ladies/Artists ruled the Drag World.
To make it perfectly clear, Drag in the 80s was an ultra-serious business, at least in Texas. It was Art. It was convincing. It was theatrical. It took the audience on an unforgettable journey.
That specific night Tasha Kohl performed Total Eclipse.
Instead of doing a typical camp drag number, Ms. Kohl, went for the jugular; with drama and story. Entering center stage with a single white hot spotlight. Walls of fog wafting and cascading in the background and surrounding her as wind gently blew her long exaggerated white-blonde main; remember the music video? During the emotional turmoil of the song, Tasha summoned real tears, and she slowly wept, mascara running, and in the end, the audience jumped to its feet and went insane with a standing ovation, which lasted several minutes!
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UNFORGETABLE COVERS.
Since the release of the song, there have been a select-few of great and well-executed covers. Namely two:
1) Nicki French’s 1995 global Pop smash, which went to the TOP of Billboard’s Dance & Pop Charts in North America and the UK.
2) The second is an unexpected, pleasant and rare gem. An arrangement and cover by Broadway sensation and film and television actor Jeremy Jordan. Mr. Jordan re-invents it to make it his own, from a man’s point-of-view. It is fluid and works handsomely!
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GOD BLESS THE DJs!!
To cap off this story, I wanted to mention unique DJs that celebrate music and keep YOU dancing on the dance floors.
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19/Coronavirus, the world has been turned upside down. And, not in a good way.
Our precious and loved DJ community has been devastated and decimated, and is suffering a huge blow.
They, too, have bills to pay and keep their livelihoods together. With bars and clubs closed, the dance floors are too. The DJs are out of work.
Please, remember them! Take time to get to know them. Take time to understand their important role in your happiness. Let them know you care.
As Madonna sings in her classic song: “MUSIC makes the people come together.”
It’s so true! Imagine a club without a DJ… What a boring world it would be…
Introducing…
DJ Jim Hopkins: Resident DJ in San Francisco.
At the time I reached out to him, unfortunately he was in crisis mode. He was dealing with the fires in Northern California, literally running out of his home to help friends salvage belongings and evacuate them to safety.
DJ Jim Hopkins is the Owner, Entrepreneur and Administrator of the San Francisco Disco Preservation Society (http://www.sfdps.org). One of the most important and comprehensive libraries and archives of Disco music. An audio archive of rare DJ mixtapes, from the Disco days to the 80s, and into late 90’s rave tapes. He can convert various formats of audio tapes to the digital format (info available on the SFDPS website). DJ Jim is a wealth of musical information and tech. Take advantage of him! For DJ gigs, interview & educational requests, please reach-out to the S.F.D.P.S. website or phone: 415-920-1727 or email: twitchsf@yahoo.com.
“I started spinning in 1981. I’ve always been a Bonnie Tyler fan since I was a kid. My first introduction to Total Eclipse of The Heart was seeing the music video debut on MTV in 1983. While I was a club DJ at the moment, I was more into upbeat dance music, and wasn’t listening to too many ballad songs. However, the melody in Total Eclipse did catch my attention and the song grew on me over the next few months. I remember watching the music video and being mesmerized by the guys with headlight eyes.”
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DJ Mark MacDonald: Resident DJ in Las Vegas.
Owner, Entrepreneur and Administrator of the Las Vegas Classic Disco Appreciation Society.
Resident DJ for Saturday Night Retro-Disco at the iconic Studio City, CA dance club Oil Can Harry’s. Contact DJ Mark MacDonald for gigs: 702-277-2849 / email djmtsvegas@yahoo.com.
The Society can be reached on its fan page on FB.
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DJ Bruce Godwin: Resident DJ & Business Owner in Houston.
Mr. Godwin has been a critical mover and shaker in the Houston music & dance scene for over 42 years. DJ & Owner of the iconic and historic Houston dance club NUMBERS!
Owner of the iconic and historic RECORD RACK. One of the few vinyl record stores in the 1980s to supply international imports to DJs.
IN HIS OWN WORDS, BRUCE GODWIN & “TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART”
Waide Riddle– On a critical level, why do you think this song has had such longevity and made the impact that it has on Pop Culture & music in general?
Bruce Godwin– Well, the song has a great story and hook, along with Bonnie Tyler’s smoky vocals and great delivery. After you hear it a couple of times it just sticks in your head.
WR– What moved you about the song originally? Did you think it was going to be a hit?
BG– I knew it was gonna be huge immediately. Jim Steinman is a great songwriter and producer, so it was a no brainer. He had already sold 50 million albums with Meatloaf’s Bat out of Hell as songwriter and producer. Bonnie Tyler was virtually unknown in the USA. It did not matter, anybody who heard the song could immediately sing along. Always the mark of a for sure hit!
WR– You are a survivor. You owned the historic Record Rack in Houston when vinyl ruled everything. You were a club DJ for the historic Numbers dance club. Tell us about your career as a DJ & entrepreneur. And, what made you decide to leave the industry?
BG– I guess I was in the right place at the right time. I could always tell a hit. “Ears” as they call it. My shop, the Record Rack had been open since 1957 so everyone knew it. I just started working there at the height of Disco in 1978. The shop sold all kinds of music, but we instantly knew 12 Remix singles were gonna be huge! We sold them by the thousands. 45’s, LP’s, 12″ singles, Eight Tracks, Cassettes, and eventually CD’s.
The shop also was a direct importer from the UK and Europe. If the record came out in the UK, we paid to air freight it to Houston within a week. So we had the same records that were chart hits overseas months or years before they became hits in the USA.
It didn’t hurt that I was also the DJ for Numbers Nightclub during the 80’s and introduced “New Wave” night when Disco was still popular, but was on the wane.
Oddly I walked into the Record Rack and asked for a job, within 4 years I bought the shop.
Same thing with Numbers… they hired me to be a DJ one night a week. It was extremely successful. That led to New Wave night expanding to every night. I also promoted and sold tickets at my shop for thousands of concerts. We had everyone from Grace Jones, The Village People, Divine, Sylvester to Siouxsie and the Banshees, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cure, The Cult, on to John Mayer, Bjork, NIN, Ministry, Melissa Etheridge, Snoop Dogg. You name it, we had them in concert. We were not slaves to one Genre, but just cool bands and great music.
Visit www.numbersnightclub.com if you want to see a history of all the bands and concerts. Still going today after 42 years! On pause for Covid at the moment.
Within 6 years I purchased the Club, along with Robert Burtenshaw (DJ Robot).
WR– You were quite the music critic in the 1980s. Where do you think music is going today?
BG– Music today is terrible. Yes, I am old and jaded. Longing for the good old days. There are some good pop songs out there, but almost everything is ‘one hit wonders.’ Nobody has long careers anymore. Music is also a background item taking a back seat to the internet, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. Younger people don’t sit down and listen to an entire Album. That is out of the question! Music up to the 90’s was at least an artistic endeavor. Meant to produce not only 1 good song, but an entire album of good songs.
So, yes Felicia, the internet did kill the music business as we knew it. It was the death of most record stores around the World. Including mine.
For archival interviews and DJ gigs, please contact Bruce Godwin directly:
Email- bruce4fun@yahoo.com
Or, find him on FB.
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DJ Rick Dominguez : Resident DJ in North Hollywood/Los Angeles. Current Resident positions include Oil Can Harry’s/Studio City Country-Western & Retro-Disco Saturday Nights; Flaming Saddles/West Hollywood; The Abbey/West Hollywood. Mr. Dominguez is a well established dance choreographer, dance coach & line-dance educator & instructor. Rick also Founded/Organized the L.A. Wranglers in 2003; a community based dance group focused on Country/Pop/Hip Hop dance moves. Today, the L.A. Wrangles continues to perform!
His skills in Country-Western Dance Movement are highly sought after and have put him in the forefront in Country Dancing and have won him Special Guest DJ & Line Dance Educator at the annual Sundance Stompede, presented by the Sundance Association for Country-Western Dancing in San Francisco.
Waide Riddle– What moved you about this song originally? Why did it grab you?
Rick Dominguez– I was just out of high school and getting ready to make my crazy move to L.A. when this gem was released. I felt an immediate connection; love at first sound to the song, it was just so melodic and dark. Then there’s her soaring voice with that scratchy tone that sets the heartbreak in the lyrics apart like no other artist of her time. I couldn’t get enough of this song! I wore out my 45 records grooves listening to it constantly. Watching MTV every night after my job till 4am, just to catch this, and all my favorite music videos, was pure gold to me back then. Then came my move… this song became one of my go to-s whenever I wanted to think about my hometown. It would come on the radio and I’d be right back in my living room with my midnight snack, curled in front of the tube watching the strange yet haunting video of “Total Eclipse Of the Heart.”
WR– On a critical level, why do you think this song has had such longevity and made the impact that it has on Pop Culture & music in general?
RD- Back then, the 80s, and even earlier, generations only had one style of Pop music… sure, there was Rock, Country and Disco, but as far as radio, Pop music was the cornerstone of the pop culture. Music we listened to influenced all our lives, from fashion, to our social groups of friends, and even our work at times. Certain songs stood out and became classics because of the impact it had on so many of us, with “Eclipse,” it was one of the biggest rock operas of that era. Jim Steinman was a musical genius, and hit the mark right on the beast’s head with this one. Nothing quite like this had hit radio since Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and the world was ready for it.
As a club DJ, the song caught the next generation by storm as well, as Nicki French’s rendition took “Total Eclipse” to the dance floors in 94-95. I was working at a club in Buena Park called Ozz and this song packed my dance floor for nearly a year; also having great Pop success hitting #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. So, for a solid 20 years this classic touched the heartstrings of 2 generations, keeping it very secure on being one of the greatest Pop/Rock/Dance songs in our country’s music catalog history!
Contact Rick Dominguez directly for DJ gigs & dance coaching/instruction:
Phone- 818-679-0250
Email- oneraddj@gmail.com
Web Site- http://www.oneraddj.com
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Michael Crane North Hollywood/Los Angeles: USC Doctorate Of Music/Music Professor/Piano Teacher & Coach/Award-Winning Film & Television Composer.
Waide Riddle– On a critical level, Michael, why do you think this song has had such longevity and made the impact that it has on Pop Culture & music in general?
Michael Crane– Because, it is the quintessential encapsulation and culmination of several music trends that were going on in Pop music at the time. And, things that do that tend to be remembered. Music production as a distinct element of Pop music had been gaining autonomy for years to the point where something could be considered “overproduced.” The heavy metal power ballad was something that came about in the 70s, and by the 80s, had become something of a vehicle for excess in production, theatricality and grandiosity in general. Just think of all the hair-metal bands of that era. Jim Steinman had been producing tracks for Meatloaf for a while before he produced this track. And you can hear the similarities instantly in the symphonic, piano-based instrumentation (which would not exist without Elton John and Queen) and in the stratospheric pathos of the vocal delivery. I think this song stands out as perhaps Steinman‘s best known song because of Bonnie Tyler’s utterly unique voice; combines with all the factors mentioned above.
WR– What moved you about the song originally? Did you think it was going to be a hit?
MC– As a kid who was more into classical music than pop music at the time, I found it to be musically very satisfying. The emotional range was just huge, symphonic! That beautiful “goodbye yellow brick road” style piano combined with thunder crashes, pipe organ… I think there are sleigh bells at one point! Plus, a massive choir! And, her voice goes from lyrical and pleading, to screaming like she’s bringing about some kind of emotional Armageddon. I also thought the video was the creepiest and most magnificent things I had ever seen, with the “Village of The Damned” boys in choir robes flying around. Inspired madness!
WR– You are an accomplished musician. You have a Doctorate Of Music from USC. You’re an award-winning film and TV composer. A music educator and a respected piano teacher & coach. Now, where do you see music going today?
MC– These days you can’t really distinguish between music and production. Especially if you’re talking about Pop music, and to some extent, in film music, too. Computers have become an essential part of the process. In some cases the human factor has almost been eradicated all together. You’ve just got people manipulating software. There are actually computer programs that can write film scores now. Having said that, I think more traditional music, in terms of technique and content, will never go away. But, it may find itself tending towards obsolescence, as its audience becomes smaller and smaller, and older, particularly in this country.
Of course, genuine musical creativity does still exist. It’s just not always the most commercially visible. And, even the processes mentioned above, despite their tendency towards artificiality, can be a viable creative medium. You sometimes just have to look a little harder for it. EDM, or Electronic Dance Music, and Hip Hop aren’t really my thing, but I see the creativity that goes into it. And, I can appreciate it on that level at least.
It’s hard to say where all of this will end up. The curse and blessing with music has always been that there’s just too damn much of it. As technology has made it easier and easier to produce music, and the internet making it easier and easier to promote it, I can only see this continuing… Oh… and, I’d love to see the Jim Steinmanesque Power Ballad make a comeback.
To contact Michael Crane directly for Piano coaching, music instruction & Film Scoring:
Phone: 310-612-1879
Email: cranecomposer@gmail.com
Web Site: http://www.michaelcranemusic.com
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Randy Brenner / Valley Village/Los Angeles. Award-winning actor, writer, producer & director. Multiple On & Off-Broadway Productions. WINNER! GLAAD MEDIA AWARD & NEW YORK OUTER CRITICS AWARD NOMINEE.
Waide Riddle– What moved you about this song originally? Why did it grab you?
Randy Brenner– At first, the soaring musicality of the song and the ripping vocals. It definitely has one of those melodies that is “catchy.“ Like other songs of this genre, its sweeping in scope. Are we really sure what the lyrics mean, or are they literally how we interpret them? It’s a great rock ballad.! A Classic!
WR– On a critical level, why do you think this song has had such longevity and impact on Pop Culture & music in general?
RB– It has a hook that everyone will remember immediately and, beyond that, any time I hear the words “Turn Around…” sung, I immediately know which song is being referenced.
The music video is so campy and fun with a style that heavily encapsulates the style of 80s films. From the costumes, to the sets, and crazy unconnected storyline, it’s like a little slice of the 80s. The vocal is very strong and it’s fun to try to sing. It’s a powerful ballad that kind of feels like an uptempo song as well. The combination of music video with song has also spawned parody versions that keep the memory of the song alive and allow the piece to not only be a fun homage to the time period, but also a song that didn’t take itself so seriously. Or, maybe it did, and that’s why it’s great.
To contact Randy Brenner directly for work:
Email: randybrenner1@gmail.com
Phone: 818-749-5993
Or, find him on FB.
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Bubba Mcneely / Houston Recording Artist; Three Gospel albums to his credit. Cabaret Performer, Singing Coach, Texas Socialite & Philanthropist. Bubba is one of Houston’s hottest 1970s-1980s R&B-Pop-Disco cover acts. He has performed with high-profile and legendary artists Michael Buble, BJ Thomas, Yolanda Adams, Thelma Houston & Grace Jones.
He was recently the profiled Artist on Great Day Houston with Debra Duncan.
The Bubba McNeely Singers perform monthly in Houston. Band members include Keyboard Artists, Tami Denny & Greg Giacona, and can be seen at Hotel Granduca Uptown Park, 51Fifteen Saks Galleria and Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room.
Waide Riddle– On a critical level, Bubba, why do you think this song has had such longevity and made the impact that it has on Pop Culture & music in general?
Bubba Mcneely– When I first heard this song, it was Tasha Kohl performing it at The Copa in Houston. The lyrics, her powerful raspy voice, which was similar to my raspy voice, intrigued me. Listening to: “Turn Around… Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight…Once I was falling in love…. Now, I’m only falling apart…. Total Eclipse of The Heart…” An intense, passionate relationship can be toxic, even destructive, but, you can be torn… should I be alone or hang in there and try to make this work? POWERFUL!!!
WR– What moved you about the song originally? Did you think it was going to be a hit?
BM– When you have lyrics and melody that moves you deep down in your soul, which this song did to me, it’s always relevant. Every time you hear it…. you flash back to when you heard it…. where you were… your circumstance, and that CEMENTS IT INTO POP CULTURE FOREVER!!!!! And, Bonnie Tyler… I WORSHIP!!!
To contact Bubba Mcneely directly for performances & instruction:
Email- bubba62758@aol.com
Phone- 281-300-9061
He can also be found on FB.
The final glossy & glittery word:
After 38 years, I still stay in touch with this amazing and talented Goddess, TASHA KOHL! a.k.a. Jery F. Kohl Faulkner. He answers from his home in Dallas.
WR– Tasha, tell us the love story between you & Total Eclipse.
Tasha Kohl– When I first heard Total Eclipse of The Heart, I knew it had to be a Tasha number! It had such a haunting, eerie quality, and also that edgy raspy voice, intertwined with the sadness of the song, and the compelling lyrics… I thought it would surely be a big hit. I have a bit of the flair for the dramatics as you know! Haha! So, of course, it seemed to me that this was a perfect vehicle. I had recently been through a breakup, and so it was easy to pull from my own emotions of my actual life at that time.
As for its longevity and impact… I think some of the reasons that the song has had such longevity and made such an impact on the pop culture, of that time, is because of the production ideas behind it. I don’t know of anyone that was doing edgy rock and roll ballads at that time other than Heart. So, that in itself, was unique, but then with the production with the full orchestra and sound effects, I think set it apart. Sometimes performances are just blessed with a magic inherent in them… there’s no real reason why they become so popular, they just touch so many different people from so many different walks of life. They touch people because they can relate to the message.
WR– The politics of Drag and labeling.
TK– I’m not sure what your meaning by the ‘politics of Drag and labeling?’ If you’re talking about the actual semantics of female impersonator, Drag Queen, Performance Artist… I would definitely put myself in the category of Performance Artist. Especially later on now in my career, where my illusion is much more along the androgynous line. My work is more about the character and the music, than necessarily portraying the illusion of a female… Although, most all of my characters are in fact female gender. I was never one to be offended by how you refer to me by name. I knew who I was and what I was doing and I felt that it was art and ART can never truly be judged.
As for my career, I was very blessed. Honestly, my meteoric rise was mostly due to being at the right place at the right time…pure luck! Ha! As far as the highlights of my career… working at the Landing, in Dallas, and at The Copa, in Houston, with the Fabulous Four, was an amazing experience. I was blessed to win Miss Gay Texas, and was twice voted Texas Entertainer of the Year. Back in those days, it was actually voted for by the public in the clubs, not by a panel of judges, so those were very special Accolades to me. I later went on to become the first ever
National Entertainer of The Year, winning a car and almost $10,000.00 in prize money, which was unheard of, and the largest prize in history for a drag pageant, at that time. When I got to be about 30 years old, I decided that I was getting too old to do drag. Ha! So, I went to hair school and became a hairstylist. My first job I landed was as an assistant with the famous Jose Eber.
I still work as a stylist today, and amazingly enough, I am still doing drag . I have been blessed with a 41 year career, so far, in drag, and I’m still going strong. I produce my own show at the Rose Room at S4 in Dallas twice a year: ICONtheshow! I still do many special events and special occasions. I’ve done El Paso, Austin, Dallas, Houston and many other Gay Pride events. I’ve been fortunate enough to be interviewed by several magazines and newspapers and featured in the book called “100 Of The Most Influential Gay Entertainers: Vol. 2.”
For interviews, bookings & performances, please contact Jery/Tasha:
Email: kohlmgaeoy@gmail.com
Phone: 214-929-0566
You can find both Jery & Tasha on FB.
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The Final Trivia…
After a surgery to remove large vocal nodules, Bonnie Tyler was left with the ‘husky’ voice she has now. It’s true.
