Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia

"Turn Around, Bright Eyes, Part 2"

Host: Chris Molanphy
Date: October 30, 2020

Episode Overview

In "Turn Around, Bright Eyes, Part 2," host Chris Molanphy dives deep into the 1980s and 1990s chart reign of songwriter-producer Jim Steinman. Continuing from Part 1—which focused on Steinman's early collaborations with Meat Loaf—the episode explores how Steinman became one of pop’s most eclectic and bombastic hitmakers, shaping the sound of theatrical rock ballads for artists like Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, and Meat Loaf—ultimately defining the “power ballad” as a chart force.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – The Ultimate Steinman Power Ballad

• Background & First Hits: Bonnie Tyler, hailing from Wales, found early success in the UK with “Lost in France” (1976) and the international smash “It’s a Heartache” (1978).

• Finding Steinman: By the early ‘80s, Tyler craved a modern “Phil Spector sound.” She pursued Steinman, who tested her musical tastes; their instant creative chemistry led to the collaboration.

• Recording & Release:

  • Steinman penned “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” involving familiar collaborators from the Bat out of Hell sessions (Roy Bitton, Max Weinberg).
  • The result was a “monster” hit.
  • Quote: “Let’s be honest, [Total Eclipse of the Heart] doesn’t make much sense. Not the title, not its lyrics, and certainly not its glossy, bonkers and much ridiculed music video … Both the song and the video might be the ultimate expression of the Jim Steinman aesthetic: no logic, all feeling. And what’s wrong with that?” (Chris Molanphy, 07:34)
  • Critical Take: Tom Breihan (Stereogum) on Total Eclipse: “The term power ballad doesn’t adequately describe Total Eclipse of the Heart, if only because the word power just doesn’t have enough power. It’s an extinction level event rendered in musical form.” (Chris Molanphy quoting Tom Breihan, 07:54)

• Chart Success:

  • Entered Hot 100 at #75 in July 1983, hit #1 in October, stayed there for 4 weeks.

2. Air Supply & the Takeover of the Charts (10:13–14:30)

• Background: The Australian duo, after a long run of soft-rock hits, sought a new sound as their popularity waned.
• Steinman’s Role: Steinman gave them “Making Love Out of Nothing at All,” itself cobbled from an earlier movie theme.
  • “90% of the players from Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ played on Air Supply’s ‘Making Love Out of Nothing At All.’ So of course the two songs came out sounding like twins.” (Chris Molanphy, 13:16)
• Chart Domination:
  • For three weeks in fall 1983, “Total Eclipse…” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” held the #1 and #2 spots; Steinman was the first since the Bee Gees to achieve this as sole songwriter/producer.
  • “It was a total Jim Steinman chart conquest…” (Chris Molanphy, 13:50)

3. Steinman Becomes Pop’s “Gun for Hire” (15:09–17:45)

• Barry Manilow – “Read ‘Em and Weep”: Repurposed from a Meat Loaf song; hit #18 in 1984 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart.
• Bonnie Tyler – “Holding Out for a Hero”: Another explosive Steinman/Tyler joint, written with Dean Pitchford for Footloose (peaked at #34, 1984).
• Billy Squier – “Rock Me Tonite”: Squier’s biggest top 40 hit, produced by Steinman (peaked at #15, summer 1984).
• Barbra Streisand – “Left in the Dark”: Steinman recycles a song from his earlier solo project for Streisand; moderate hit, heavy on Steinman’s “theatrical” production.

4. Failed & Curious Experiments (19:12–24:00)

• Def Leppard – Hysteria: Steinman’s production style clashed with the band’s, leading to his exit from the project.
• Streets of Fire Soundtrack: Steinman’s bombastic songs underperformed, while Dan Hartman’s did well.
• Bonnie Tyler’s “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)”: Written by Desmond Child with explicit “gender-crossing” instructions from Steinman; failed to hit big, but inspired Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” a direct rewrite and a massive hit.

5. Crossing Genres: Goth, Alternative Rock, and the Sisters of Mercy (24:43–29:10)

• Steinman Produces Sisters of Mercy:
  • “This Corrosion” (1987): Steinman insisted on a 40-person chorus! Became the gothic band’s biggest UK hit.
  • “More” (1990): Another bombastic, cinematic goth hit—reaching #1 on America’s Modern Rock chart for five weeks.
  • “More was goth done Steinman style, with a cinematic sound and just a hint of Broadway.” (Chris Molanphy, 28:31)

6. The Meat Loaf/Steinman Reunion & 1990s Renaissance (29:10–36:30)

• Pandora’s Box / “Good Girls Go to Heaven”: Steinman’s 1989 all-female project provided more material for Meat Loaf’s big comeback.
• Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell:
  • “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” — built upon a throwaway lyric from Bonnie Tyler’s album, became a giant smash.
    • “Has to be regarded as one of the most amazing Pop Rocks comebacks of all time. … Actually, comeback isn’t quite right. Maybe come up is more appropriate.” (Chris Molanphy, 31:33)
  • Charted immediately at #3, went to #1 (album and single) in late 1993—five weeks atop the Hot 100.
  • “Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through” and “Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are” added to the run of hits.
• Nikki French’s “Total Eclipse” Cover:
  • 1995 dance cover peaked at #2, proving the song's continued chart magic.

7. "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" & the Celine Dion Era (38:30–41:00)

• Origins: Written for Pandora’s Box, inspired by Wuthering Heights.
  • Jim Steinman on song’s genesis: “It's All Coming Back to Me Now is my attempt to write the most passionate romantic song I could ever write. I was writing it while under the influence of Wuthering Heights …”—(Jim Steinman, 39:03)
• Celine Dion’s Version:
  • 1996, featured on Falling Into You—epic Steinman/Bitton production, huge vocals.
  • Reached #2 on Hot 100 (blocked by “Macarena”), album sales soared.

8. Late-Career & Broadway Ambitions (41:10–end)

• Stage Musicals:
  • Whistle Down the Wind (with Andrew Lloyd Webber): Mixed reviews, a moderate UK pop hit (“No Matter What” by Boyzone).
  • Tanz der Vampire/Dance of the Vampires: Steinman’s full musical adaptation underperforms on Broadway, but features “Total Eclipse” (retitled “Vampires in Love”).
• Covers & Revivals:
  • “Total Eclipse of the Heart” remains ever-present: covered by Glee (2010s), The Voice (2017), and others.
  • “Total Eclipse remains Jim Steinman's most unkillable, perhaps I should say undead, composition.” (Chris Molanphy, 45:58)
• Meat Loaf’s Continued Steinman Connection:
  • Recorded new versions of Steinman songs (“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” “Loving You’s a Dirty Job”) into the 2000s/2010s.
• Jim Steinman’s Final Victory Lap:
  • Bat Out of Hell: The Musical tours globally and plays Off-Broadway, serving as a super-sized retrospective of his career.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Let’s be honest, Total Eclipse of the Heart doesn’t make much sense … Both the song and the video might be the ultimate expression of the Jim Steinman aesthetic: no logic, all feeling.”
  (Chris Molanphy, 07:34)

• “It was a total Jim Steinman chart conquest … giving Steinman, who was the sole producer and sole songwriter of both hits, a hammerlock on the top of the charts, which he held for three weeks.”
  (Chris Molanphy, 13:50)

• Tom Breihan on “Total Eclipse”:
  “The term power ballad doesn’t adequately describe Total Eclipse of the Heart … It’s an extinction level event rendered in musical form.”
  (Chris Molanphy quotes Tom Breihan, 07:54)

• On Steinman’s attitude toward musical logic:
  “No logic, all feeling. And what’s wrong with that?”
  (Chris Molanphy, 07:40)

• On old songs getting new life:
  “Jim Steinman was not a guy who’d let a catchy aphoristic phrase go unnoticed. So he wasn’t about to let this throwaway Bonnie Tyler lyric … get thrown away.”
  (Chris Molanphy, 31:10)

• On “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”:
  “Celine Dion’s ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ was in many ways the culmination of Jim Steinman’s lifelong art project. Wagnerian drama, thundering production, overpowering romanticism … the ultimate vocal diva.”
  (Chris Molanphy, 40:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bonnie Tyler and “Total Eclipse of the Heart”: 00:08–10:08
• Air Supply and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”: 10:13–13:50
• Consecutive Chart Domination: 13:50–15:09
• Steinman, Manilow, Squier, Streisand: 15:09–18:56
• Failed Production Work & Gender-Swapping Hitmaking: 19:12–24:32
• Goth Rock Crossover with Sisters of Mercy: 24:43–29:10
• Meat Loaf/Steinman Reunion & Early 90s Comeback: 29:10–36:30
• Nikki French and “Total Eclipse” Cover: 36:30–38:30
• Celine Dion and “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”: 38:30–41:00
• Musicals & Steinman’s Late-Career Legacy: 41:10–end

Conclusion

Chris Molanphy’s episode is both affectionate and sharp in tracing Steinman’s outsized pop legacy. If you want the story of how enormous, over-the-top, emotionally volcanic music conquered the charts—not just once, but again and again, and echoed through decades—this chart history deep-dive is essential. Steinman’s gift for musical bombast left an indelible mark, from Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler to Celine Dion, from arena rock to the gothic underground and Broadway stages. As Molanphy concludes, regardless of taste, “you can only imagine that as Jim Steinman, the self-proclaimed lord of excess, looked upon this spectacle, it was all coming back to him. Now.” (50:24)