Total Eclipse Of The Heart Vs. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All

[mickill]

Did you know that there was actually a 4 week period in October 1983 when these two virtually interchangeable masterpieces occupied both the #1 and #2 spots respectively on the Billboard charts? I had no idea until recently.

The fact that these two songs are so similar has bothered me for years. I often used to get them confused to the point where I'd be in the car singing the lyrics to "Total Eclipse..." and out of nowhere find myself singing the chorus to "Making Love...", completely unintentionally. It sorta baffeld me. So I did a little research and found out that they were both written by the same dude, Jim Steinman (who also wrote mad hits for Meat Loaf). For me, this is a bit like finding out that Coke also manufactures Pepsi.

As far as singing voices go, I was always more fond of Bonnie Tyler than the "chick" in Air Supply. So I've always leaned towards "Total Eclipse...". Plus it has the better title.

This isn't a poll because I'm kinda hoping to get people talking about this. You know, like, really telling it...from the heart. And it's not in the Other Music forum, because it actually belongs in the Cultural Phenomenons forum. But that doesn't exist yet.

[TAL]

Yay! I knew about something in music before mickill did.

[paul jones]

Bonnie Tyler used to smoke 100 cigarettes a day to get that voice(y)

[monkey]

turn around
bright eyes
every now and then i fall apart!
and i need your love tonight!
and i need you more than ever!
and if you only hold me tight!
we'll be holding on, forever!

you dont know what youve done mickill. this is my best friend's song. we actually had a singalong last saturday. we're doing it with a dance for her wedding.

[paul jones]

turn around

[Dr Deaf]

Total Eclipse Of The Heart gets my vote.

[bigblu89]

I think "Total" is a better song, but becasue of the remakes I hear it a lot more often than "Making Love", so I usually get more excited if I happen to hear "Making Love" on the radio.

Well, as excited as one should get when Air Supply is on.

[Documad]

There is no way to fully understand why Bonnie Tyler wins unless you see the videos. It was the golden age of music television, when a music video had to tell a story, but the story didn't need to make sense. The Bonnie Tyler video must be viewed at the 3:30 marker for you to see what I mean. That video has it all -- the village of the damned choir and the dancers from stayin' alive wearing black diapers. (y) And nice use of sleigh bells! (If you can explain the plot of the video it would be much appreciated because I've never gotten it.)

The Air Supply video has a simpler plot, but it's much less convincing. Once you see the blond guy in Air Supply in blue leather pants, it's difficult to believe that he has a girlfriend -- muchless that he's been a party to "making all the stadiums rock". :rolleyes:

Bonnie Tyler video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z025bcKYJ7s)

Air Supply video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlk5y_geVcw)

For more convincing "stadium rocking" and girlfriend-having, you simply must see this Journey video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58-oiwe1QUw), which I believe is of the same year. It has the added extra of Steve Perry shaving off his porn star mustache on camera. And his "whoa - oh- oh - oh"s at the end are better than anything Meatloaf's former friend ever wrote.

P.S. I used to love Bonnie Tyler's version of Straight From the Heart. :)

[mickill]

^ Now that's the kinda enthusiasm I was hoping for.

I love that Bonnie Tyler video.

And the album cover for Faster Than The Speed Of Night (with the lasers emitting from her ears),as well as the title itself, are far more impressive than anything Air Supply could come up with, I'm sure.

[Documad]

I have that album on vinyl. It's in really good shape because I never listened to it.

It's a crying shame that Stevie Nicks didn't make more videos.

[TAL]

I have the album on vinyl and the 7" single.

[scotty]

Total Eclipse of the Heart is the best song ever recorded. It runs the full gamut of emotions, the build up from the quiet parts to the chorus is perfection, not to mention the chorus itself. And Bonnie Tyler's voice is stupendous.

To top it off, Rick Derringer plays the guitars (y)

[befsquire]

mickill, i hate you so hard right now. over and over and over in my head, all i hear is "once upon a time there was light in my life. now there's only love in the dark." and then just "total eclipse of the heart". because i don't know the words anymore, and i'm not looking them up so that the whole thing can be stuck in my head.

fuck :mad:

[mickill]

You're missing out on some of the best lyrics to "Total Eclipse...", Beth:

Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears

or

Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms

or

Turnaround, every now and then I know
you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be

or

Turnaround, every now and then I know
there's no one in the universe as magical and wonderous as you

[mickill]

I have that album on vinyl. It's in really good shape because I never listened to it.

Do you know if those lasers are supposed to be shooting out of or into her ears, by any chance?

[Nivvie]

I had no idea Jim Steinman wrote Total Eclipse (which gets my vote), but the Air Supply one is obvious Steinman, and really should have come out of Meatloaf's mouth.

[mickill]

I think that more things go into Meat Loaf's mouth than come out of it.

[Dorothy Wood]

I vote for Bonnie. that video totally blew my mind. I'd never seen the whole thing and I totally forgot about the glowing-eyed choir boys. what a creepy video! it was fucking ridiculous and awesome.

[Pootytang]

Watch the Bonnie Tyler video while on 3 hits of Blue Dragon LSD and you will get it.

[mickill]

When the one kid flies across the room (3:32) that's the ultimate right there.

[skra75]

I like this version the best (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Vy4Iqu0fU)

[Documad]

Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms

or

Turnaround, every now and then I know
you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be
So aren't the lyrics a bit disturbing given that she's apparently some kind of administrator of a boarding school for English boys?


Turnaround, every now and then I know
there's no one in the universe as magical and wonderous as you
This is the genius of the songwriting. The lyrics are too wordy to comfortably suit the melody.


I CANNOT FIND MY ALBUM! It may be misplaced because I've boxed some of my LPs up on account of remodeling, but it's not where it should be. I find it very difficult to throw any LP away, no matter how embarrassing, but I wonder if I did that during my last move. I remember her head looking disembodied and looking very 80s.

[mickill]

I remember her head looking disembodied and looking very 80s.
That's what it looked like, that's why!!! (http://mir.glasnet.ru/~evm/bonnie/gfx/covers/bt_fast.jpg)

[TAL]

I can find my album.

[Documad]

I don't remember those lazers coming out of her ears! There's no way that my LP looked like that! TAL???? Help me!

[Documad]

I can find my album.
Ooh, you slipped in. Do you remember the lazers?

[TAL]

That's how mine looks like.

[mickill]

Maybe you just blocked it from your memory.

[TAL]

Hmmm!!
(http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/9936/005153.gif)

[Documad]

Most of the ones on Ebay have the lasers. But there's no way mine looked like that. Mine looked like this (http://cgi.ebay.com/BONNIE-TYLER-SEALED-LP-Faster-Than-The-Speed-Of-Light_W0QQitemZ4833003544QQihZ003QQcategoryZ306QQs sPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem), I believe.

I bought my LP before Total Eclipse of the Heart was a hit. I think I bought the LP because Straight From the Heart was on it. Because I remember that when Total Eclipse of the Heart became a giant hit, I hid my LP so that my friends wouldn't see it. Her big face on that LP cover still makes me ashamed today.

So does that mean that they added the lasers later? And why?

[TAL]

I'm faster than the speed of Documad.

[mickill]

This is very peculiar.

I can't say I'm "cool" enough to have ever purchased a copy myself, but I would definitely choose the lasers version over the sans lasers version.

[Documad]

I'm faster than the speed of Documad.
Yes, I am slow with the typing -- especially if it involves using those little buttons on the top. :p

If you're truly a collector, you will need the non-laser version now.

[TAL]

Good thing I'm only a listener then. I bought my copy in a secondhand store.

[yeahwho]

I like this version the best (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Vy4Iqu0fU)
Thank You that was some much needed comic relief, because for the life of me I do not understand how Air Supply could be "losers to lasers", that leer jet is real baby, they're making love out of nothing.....at all.

[bigblu89]

Yup. I've officially had "Total Eclipse of the Heart" stuck in my head for a solid 24 hours now.

[Lyman Zerga]

i deleted it as fast as i could out of my brain

lol bonnie tyler

[iceygirl]

air supply greatest hits live is one of my most favorite cd's ever.