About The Song
“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” was written and produced by Jim Steinman, whose songs were always passionate, often opulent, and sometimes perplexing. This one is all three.
Steinman rarely divulged the meaning behind his lyrics, but he did say this one was a tribute to the 1922 vampire film Nosferatu, an adaptation of the Dracula story. This helps explain the “love in the dark” that permeates the song. The singer is on edge, at times lonely, nervous, and terrified. She calls out for her lover, ready to join him in a forever that may be more than metaphorical (vampires are immortal). When he comes for her, it’s a total eclipse of the heart. Forever starts tonight.
Steinman rarely divulged the meaning behind his lyrics, but he did say this one was a tribute to the 1922 vampire film Nosferatu, an adaptation of the Dracula story. This helps explain the “love in the dark” that permeates the song. The singer is on edge, at times lonely, nervous, and terrified. She calls out for her lover, ready to join him in a forever that may be more than metaphorical (vampires are immortal). When he comes for her, it’s a total eclipse of the heart. Forever starts tonight.
Bonnie Tyler, from Swansea, Wales, was best known at the time for her 1977 hit “It’s A Heartache.” Jim Steinman thought her distinctive raspy voice was the perfect vessel for “Total Eclipse Of The Heart.” “It sounded so sensual but so ravaged,” he said on the ITV program Smash. “It sounded heroic that she could sing at all.”
“Total Eclipse” hit #1 in the US on October 1, 1983. The for the next three weeks, it retained the top spot while another Jim Steinman composition – “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All” by Air Supply – stayed at #2, never reaching the summit. At least one writer came up with the headline “Total Eclipse Of The Charts.” The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Worldwide, the single has sales in excess of 6 million copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 1 million copies after its release, updated to platinum in 2001 when the certification threshold changed.