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https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/09/bonnie-tyler-totally-eclipsed-her-power-ballad-peers>
"Bonnie Tyler had a peculiar career: two bursts of global success that seemed
to have almost nothing to do with each other beyond the name that appeared on
the records. Her first big British hits, 1976’s
Lost in France and 1977’s
It’s a Heartache, were superior examples of what writer Pete Paphides
subsequently dubbed “medium wave pop”, the largely forgotten stuff that
actually filled the charts and Radio One’s playlists at a time when reductive
rock histories would have you believe the entire nation was gripped by punk.
They were a little bit soft rock, a little bit country, a little reminiscent of
reliable mid-70s hitmakers Smokie, and so catchy that no one seemed to notice
that somewhere between their respective releases, Tyler’s voice had changed
dramatically: possessed of a rather sweet tone on
Lost in France, an
operation to remove nodules on her vocal cords had caused her to develop a
striking Rod Stewart-like huskiness by the time of
It’s a Heartache.
It looked like
It’s a Heartache would turn Tyler into a huge star: it sold 6m
copies, and the accompanying album made the Top 3 on the US country chart. But
said success proved difficult to sustain, compounded by the fact that her
record label seemed bizarrely unsure what to do with her. Get her to cover Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers, as on
Louisiana Rain? Aim her squarely at the
easy listening market via a version of
Sometimes When We Touch? Encourage her
to go disco, as on the fabulously camp
(The World is Full of) Married Men?"
RIP,
*** Xanni ***
