Music Matters: Farewell to a musical legend

It was announced last week that singer Bonnie Tyler had died at the age of 75. She was not only a Welsh musical legend but sang one of the biggest songs of the 1980s that remains a classic to this day and a brilliant representation of the sound of that fabulous musical decade.

The song, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, released in 1983, is one of the world’s greatest power ballads which demonstrates both Bonnie’s immense vocal talents and the slightly husky tone she brought to her recorded and live performances.

This particular track was written and produced by long-time Meatloaf collaborator, Jim Steinman, who also worked with Bonnie on another one of her 1980s hits ‘Holding Out for a Hero.”

She also enjoyed chart success outside of the eighties with her earlier work. Her debut album release in 1977 called “The World Starts Tonight” and the follow up album a year later, “Natural Force”, provided the hits “Lost in France”, “More Than a Lover” and “It’s a Heartache”’.

A favourite song of mine featuring Bonnie is a duet she recorded with US rock singer Todd Rundgren called “Loving You’s a Dirty Job but Somebody’s Gotta Do It” which was released in 1985 – it is an absoluter rock and roll belter. Bonnie Tyler will be much missed, but her musical legacy will live on for decades.

My musical gem: The line-up for this year’s Midhurst Jazz, Food and Blues Festival features some class acts. The festival runs between 19 and 22 November across various venues in the town. I first saw award-winning British jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine play Worthing Pavilion in the early 1990s when he was part of the revitalised British jazz scene. Check him out when he plays Midhurst Market Square on Sunday, 22 November – it is guaranteed to be a special evening.

Listen to Duncan Barkes on Nation Easy Radio, Monday to Friday nights from 10pm. Nation Easy Radio can be heard on DAB digital radio, via the Nation Player app and on your smart speaker – just say “Play Nation Easy Radio.”