On This Day in 1983, Bonnie Tyler Made History With a Vampiric Love Song That Almost Went to Meat Loaf

On this day (October 1) in 1983, Bonnie Tyler started a three-week run at the top of the Hot 100 with “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” This made Tyler the first Welsh artist to have a No. 1 single in the United States. The song almost went to Meat Loaf. However, his label wanted him to write his own songs for his 1983 album Midnight at the Lost and Found.

Jim Steinman wrote all of Meat Loaf’s most memorable hits, including “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” and “Bat Out of Hell.” He also wrote “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Initially, he planned to give this song and “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” to Meat Loaf for his 1983 LP. However, his label wanted him to write or co-write most of the album. As a result, this song went to Tyler and the other went to Air Supply.

Interestingly, Air Supply was at No. 2 for the first three weeks of October while Tyler was at No. 1, according to Songfacts. So, those songs may have been two highlights on a Meat Loaf album that was panned by fans and critics alike. Then again, Steinman believed that Tyler’s raspy voice was a perfect fit for the song. “It sounded so sensual but so ravaged,” he said of her voice. “It sounded heroic that she could sing at all.”

Bonnie Tyler Took Vampiric Romance to No. 1

Before Bonnie Tyler agreed to record “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Jim Steinman wrote it for a musical adaptation of Nosferatu. The latter was a retelling of the Dracula story. Initially, he called the song “Vampires in Love.” In 1997, he included the song in his musical Dance of the Vampires.

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“If anyone listens to the lyrics, they’re really like vampire lines,” he said. “It’s all about the darkness, the power of darkness, and love’s place in the dark,” he explained.

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