Faster Than the Speed of Night | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 April 1983 (United Kingdom) [1] September 1983 (United States) | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 43:14 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Bonnie Tyler chronology | ||||
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Singles from Faster Than the Speed of Night | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Faster Than the Speed of Night is the fifth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released in Europe on 8 April 1983 and later that year in the US through Columbia Records.
After releasing four albums on RCA, Tyler signed with CBS Records and changed musical direction. Soon after, she began working with Jim Steinman who produced the album and wrote its most successful single "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
Faster Than the Speed of Night entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 1, and was certified Silver in the UK, Platinum in the US, and Double Platinum in Canada. British Hit Singles & Albums lists Tyler as the first women to have her first album debut at no. 1. [4]
The album contains six dramatically re-worked cover songs, produced in the model of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, [5] including the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?". [6] "Goin' Through the Motions" is a cover of the song by Blue Öyster Cult from their 1977 album Spectres , [7] while "Straight from the Heart" was the break-out Top 10 hit for Canadian rock singer/songwriter Bryan Adams from his platinum album Cuts Like a Knife . [6] "Getting So Excited" was a cover of a song by British singer Lee Kosmin (with a short spoken interlude recited by Steinman inserted after the second verse: "I'd do anything for love, but I won't do that"). [8] Another song, "Tears", was originally written and performed by Frankie Miller for his 1980 album Easy Money; for this album, Tyler performed the song as a duet with Miller. [9] The sixth single, "Take Me Back", was written by Billy Cross and originally released by the Delta Cross Band in their 1981 album titled Up Front.
The album also includes three original songs produced in the same manner, two of which were written and composed by Steinman himself: the title track and the international No. 1 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Additionally, this contains the initial recording of "It's a Jungle Out There", written by Dennis Polen, Paul Pilger, and William Moloney, which was picked up and re-recorded (in a shorter version) by '70s pop group Three Dog Night for their 1983 EP It's a Jungle .
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" | John Fogerty | 4:08 |
2. | "Faster Than the Speed of Night" | Jim Steinman | 6:44 |
3. | "Getting So Excited" | Alan Gruner | 3:33 |
4. | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | Steinman | 6:57 |
5. | "It's a Jungle Out There" |
| 4:39 |
6. | "Goin' Through the Motions" | 4:09 | |
7. | "Tears" (with Frankie Miller) | Frankie Miller | 3:51 |
8. | "Take Me Back" | Billy Cross | 5:24 |
9. | "Straight from the Heart" |
| 3:42 |
Total length: | 43:14 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [26] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
France (SNEP) [27] | Gold | 100,000* |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [28] | Gold | 10,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [29] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [30] | Gold | 25,000* |
Sweden (GLF) [30] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [32] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 3,000,000 [33] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Gaynor Sullivan, known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album The World Starts Tonight and its singles "Lost in France" and "More Than a Lover". Her 1977 single "It's a Heartache" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Bat Out of Hell is the 1977 debut album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. The album was developed from a musical, Neverland, a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan, which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. It was recorded during 1975–1976 at various studios, including Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released in October 1977 by Cleveland International/Epic Records. Bat Out of Hell spawned two Meat Loaf sequel albums: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993) and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006).
Bad for Good is the only studio album by American songwriter Jim Steinman. Steinman wrote all of the songs and performed on most, although Rory Dodd contributed lead vocals on some tracks.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is the lead single by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler from her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night (1983) written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded in 1982, released as a single by CBS/Columbia in 1983.
Cuts Like a Knife is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Released on 18 January 1983 by A&M Records, the album was a huge commercial success in the United States and Canada. Three singles were released worldwide from the album: "Straight from the Heart", the title track and "This Time"; the three were responsible for launching Adams into mainstream popularity.
Dead Ringer is the second studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf, released on September 4, 1981. It is the second of four albums written entirely by Jim Steinman. The album cover was designed by comic book artist and horror illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire is the sixth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, released in April 1986 by CBS/Columbia Records as the follow-up to her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night (1983). Three years in the making, Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire was executive-produced by Jim Steinman, who had produced Tyler's previous album. Seven singles were released from the album, with "Holding Out for a Hero" originally being released two years in advance on the movie soundtrack album Footloose. Tyler's album features collaborations with songwriters and guest artists including Desmond Child and Todd Rundgren.
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the soundtrack to the 1984 film Footloose. It later featured on her sixth studio album, Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire (1986). The track was produced by Jim Steinman, who co-wrote the song with Dean Pitchford and was a top 40 hit in several European countries, as well as Canada and the United States. Its 1985 re-release in the United Kingdom reached number two and topped the singles chart in Ireland.
Midnight at the Lost and Found is the third studio album by Meat Loaf, released in April 1983. This would be the final Meat Loaf release under Epic Records until The Very Best of Meat Loaf (1998).
Greatest Hits or Air Supply Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British-Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, released in August 1983. It spent one week on top of the Australian album chart and reached number seven on the Billboard 200. The Jim Steinman-written and produced track "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" had been released in July as a single. It is Air Supply's last top 10 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" also reached top 10 in Canada and South Africa. The album was certified 5× platinum in 1993 in the US, denoting shipments of five million copies.
Heaven & Hell is a compilation album by American singer Meat Loaf and Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1989 by Telstar Records. The majority of songs included on Heaven & Hell were written by Jim Steinman, who wrote some of Meat Loaf and Tyler's biggest hits.
Original Sin is a concept album performed by Pandora's Box and produced by Jim Steinman. It was released on November 6, 1989. Steinman wrote the majority of this album, although there are a couple of cover versions. It was the group's only album, and was a commercial flop.
Hide Your Heart is the seventh studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released on 9 May 1988 through CBS Records. In North and South America, it was released through Columbia Records under the alternative title Notes from America. Tyler recorded the album with producer Desmond Child at Bearsville Studios in New York, and many of the tracks later became hit singles for other artists, most notably "The Best" for Tina Turner.
Free Spirit is the eleventh studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, released in Europe on 3 October 1995, by EastWest Records and in the United States on 26 March 1996 by Atlantic Records. Tyler recorded the album with numerous producers, and it was her first album release in the UK and the US since Hide Your Heart (1988).
Angel Heart is the ninth album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler released in 1992. It is the second of three albums Tyler released with Hansa Records, succeeding Bitterblue and preceding Silhouette in Red, achieving European success and spawning two hits, "Fools Lullaby" and "Call Me".
Bitterblue is the eighth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released on 11 November 1991, through Hansa Records. Bitterblue is a pop rock album, described by Dieter Bohlen as "more commercial" than her previous albums. Bohlen began working with Tyler in early 1991, writing and producing multiple songs for the album. Bitterblue also features compositions from Albert Hammond, Nik Kershaw and Giorgio Moroder.
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Bonnie Tyler: The Best is a compilation album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1993 by Columbia in the UK and by Versailles Records in France. Both issues feature the same front cover, but they do not have matching track lists. In 1995, the album was reissued in the UK under the title The Definitive Collection, featuring the original track listing and a bonus CD with five more tracks.
The Very Best of Bonnie Tyler Volume 2 is a compilation album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released on 14 February 1994 by Columbia Records as a follow-up to The Very Best of Bonnie Tyler, released in the previous year.
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Bonnie Tyler, the first woman to bag a UK album chart-topper with her first hit album straight in at No.1