My Absolute 80s with Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie recently visited Absolute 80s and spoke with Chris Martin about some of her all-time favourite tracks from the 80s and her memories of them. The episode is available on Rayo:
This is My Absolute 80s with Bonnie Tyler, on Absolute 80s.
It’s My Absolute 80s. I am delighted as ever to bring another edition of the show to the radio. Tonight, I’m joined by Bonnie Tyler. Hello, Bonnie.
Hey! I’m here, and it’s lovely to be here.
It is absolutely gorgeous to have your company. And, as always with this show, an hour ahead of us, with the music not picked by me but by you, and soundtracking your experience of the decade. Our first song tonight, Meat Loaf and Cher, we’re in 1981. What is life like for you in 81?
Well, I had just changed record companies from RCA to Sony. And I had my eyes and my mind set on working with Jim Steinman. So, and this first song will be one of the songs that he wrote, but not for me. For Meat Loaf and Cher. And two wonderful singers. They actually said to me ahead of A&R, “Okay, Bonnie, we got you for five years. What direction would you like to go in?” And I said, “Well, I’d love to work with the songwriter and producer of Meat Loaf.” He said, “Jim Steinman? Are you crazy?” I said, “No, I’m not crazy. I really want to work with this guy. I know that this is the kind of material I should be doing.” I said, “You asked me who I would work with. I’m telling you, please ask him.” He said, “He’s never going to do it, Bonnie.” I said, “Ask him.” And so they did ask him. And yes, in all fairness, Jim was a bit baffled by how I thought that we’d work together. But he was intrigued with it. And so he invited me to meet him. Three weeks later, I was in his apartment, his penthouse overlooking Central Park. He was playing me songs and I was playing him songs. And I came home and I was with my manager, David Aspden, at the time. And we were pinching ourselves that we got to meet him. But three weeks later, we went back because he wanted to see us again. And he played ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ on the grand piano in his manager’s office and offered it to me. I couldn’t believe it. I just thought, “My God, this song is incredible.”
It’s Meat Loaf and Cher, it’s ‘Dead Ringer for Love’, chosen by Bonnie Tyler. Now, if that might give us a bit of a steer on where this hour is going musically, it rocks. It’s absolutely brilliant. I won’t spoil anything that’s coming up, but it’s a very, very good playlist, Bonnie, I appreciate it!
Oh, thank you!
And we’re into 1984 next, with Bruce Springsteen, ‘Born in the USA’. Where are you when you hear this?
Oh, God. I was touring in America, right? And I was invited by Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan. Max Weinberg plays the drums with Bruce Springsteen, and the keyboard player, Roy Bittan. And we went to see a live show of Bruce in his own hometown, and it was absolutely amazing. He did three hours or more. He was like… oh, my God, I got shivers just thinking about it! He was incredible, you know? And what’s his name now, on the sax? He was there then as well, you know?
Oh, Clarence Clemons.
Yeah! It was awesome! And, you know, to be seeing him do a show in his own hometown, you know, it was just wonderful.
Bruce Springsteen, ‘Born in the USA’. You’re listening to My Absolute 80s, Bonnie Tyler choosing the music. So, Bonnie, so far we’ve learned that you managed to poach Meat Loaf’s songwriter, and then go out with both the drummer and the keyboardist that played on Bat Out of Hell. Well done!
Yeah, but the reason why I got the invitation is because they were both playing on ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, so we knew each other. We had done a whole album together, and live in the studio. The way Jim Steinman works is he does nine tracks of the same song, and then he goes away with the reel-to-reel, and he gave me a cassette of each nine takes, and I take it back to the hotel room, and everybody picks their favorite take – which happened to be the second take – and Jim picked the same one as well. But I worked with those guys, Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan, for many months. It was fantastic!
So good. Your next choice, Bryan Adams, ‘Summer of ’69’, it’s the summer of 1985.
Another one I went to see live. I worked in the Benfica football stadium with him doing a show many years ago… many years ago… but he suggested that I cover ‘Straight from the Heart’ when I was recording a different album with Jim Steinman. But I also went to see Bryan Adams live in Cardiff, as well as working with him in the Benfica football stadium. It was fantastic, what a night!
Bryan Adams on Absolute 80s, Bonnie Tyler taking us through her Absolute 80s tonight. Some great stories, more of which you will find in her autobiography, Straight from the Heart, which is out now. She’s also got a live album out as well, Bonnie Tyler In Berlin. If you’re a big fan and haven’t come across it yet, it is out there. If you’ve got a Bonnie Tyler fan in your life, Christmas coming, just saying!
My name’s Chris Martin. I’m delighted to have the company of Bonnie Tyler tonight.
Thank you.
Bonnie, we’re in 1986 next with Aerosmith and Run DMC in ‘Walk This Way’.
Yeah, this always just reminds me of… I mean, the vocals by Steven Tyler. It’s incredible. But the energy, you know. This always reminds me of rehearsal times in John Henry’s studio in London, where we rehearse with the band before we go on tour and stuff. And it reminds me of this video that they released, Aerosmith and Run DMC. Because it’s just what happens in this studio – apart from we don’t poke a hole in the wall and get through to the next studio! But it’s like, “Shut up in there!” You know what I mean? It reminds me of John Henry’s studio. Fabulous
I love this notion that you can be banging on a soundproof wall. How are you getting through this? How?
Aerosmith and Run DMC. It’s a riot. ‘Walk This Way’. It’s Absolute 80s, where everything chosen tonight is from Bonnie Tyler’s record collection, and an amazing choice next. In fact, a real change of direction from the last one and to an incredible album, The Joshua Tree, for U2’s ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’. We’re in 1987, Bonnie. Where does this track take you?
My car coming up and down the M4 with The Joshua Tree on repeat on cassette tape in my car, and I played that cassette until it wore out. And I’m ashamed to say I actually covered that song on one of my albums as well, called Heart Strings. I was asked to record an album with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and my band, and pick my favorite tracks. So I picked ‘…Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’.
How did you find it to perform, that vocal?
Easy. You know, I enjoyed recording it, and it was superb, working with both the orchestra and my band. The Prague Philharmonic did a great job on it. It’s on an album called Heart Strings.
U2. ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’. I wouldn’t tackle that. If I was to do karaoke, Bonnie, there’s a bit where Bono keeps climbing higher and higher and they’d lose me completely. It just wouldn’t work in my vocal range whatsoever! What a song, though. Fantastic. This is My Absolute 80s, and next, to a song which just wouldn’t go away. So the album came out in 1987. It was the number one in the U.S. in 1988. It was released here then, and in 1989, it was probably one of the greatest examples of an album growing by word of mouth and just not going away. We’re talking Appetite for Destruction. You’ve chosen Sweet Child of Mine.
Oh, wow. What an intro! That guitar lick in the beginning that Slash plays. My God, it’s gorgeous, isn’t it? I did have that for my ringtone for many years.
That’s fantastic. Have you ever had the chance to hang out with any of them?
No, no, no. I mean, Axl Rose. I mean, I used to… I think he looked incredible in them days, in 1988.
This is My Absolute 80s. Tonight’s guest, Bonnie Tyler, who’s picked Alice Cooper’s Poison from 1989. Bonnie, I always feel like this song sounded like it came out 10 years before 1989. What about you?
Yeah. Did Desmond Child write this song?
I think he wrote most great 80s rock songs.
Yeah. Because I worked with Desmond Child. You know, I did an album called Hide Your Heart with Desmond Child. The title track was written by Paul Stanley from KISS.
Oh! I didn’t know that.
Yeah. And I still do that in my show. I did a gig in the Parthenon. And, yeah, ‘Poison’, he was there as well. And Desmond Child. Desmond Child picked people that he had worked with to do a whole show there. It was a fabulous night.
What was it like to be in amongst that sort of crowd? Because he’s worked with everyone.
You know, that man, he looks so evil, doesn’t he? But he’s such a sweetie! He’s really, really kind and sweet, and he’d probably hate me saying this now. But you couldn’t meet a nicer person. And funnily enough, when he comes down the railway, he plays golf not far on the corner from my house. And they love him there. He’s just a real nice guy, you know.
Alice Cooper, what a performance. That’s ‘Poison’ on My Absolute 80s. All these song choices tonight – I promised you it was a rocking playlist at the start, and you absolutely delivered. Bonnie Tyler’s song choices for you.
Thank you!
Our final choice tonight, we’re going out with a bow, with Tina Turner’s ‘Simply the Best’.
Wow! What a woman, what a voice. Incredible. I was devastated when I heard the sad news that she passed away. She inspired so many of us female singers in the early days. Oh, my God! It was in 1966 when she released ‘River Deep – Mountain High’. I used to put that on full blast in my bedroom and sing it with a hairbrush into the mirror. And then, years later, I met her a few times. I was so blessed to meet her. And she was ever so nice. And, yeah, there’s a few things in the book that I say about the meetings with her. And years later then, she covered one of my songs, which was never a hit for me, but I recorded it two years before Tina Turner. And it was none other than ‘Simply the Best’. And she recorded it two years after me. She had the most enormous global hit with it. But she did an incredible version of it. And they had put in a wonderful middle eight that wasn’t in my version of it as well. And it changed the whole song. It was just gorgeous. My God, we were so lucky to ever see her.
Yeah. Absolutely. Well, what a way to finish up tonight. Bonnie Tyler, thank you so much.
Thank you.