Tag: Bonnie Tyler

Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out For A Hero (UK 12″) (1984)

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NEW 2026 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

I had already planned to begin this new series with Bonnie Tyler before hearing the sad news of her passing. Now, this post carries a meaning I never expected it to have.

Bonnie Tyler passed away on July 8, 2026, at the age of 75. With her unmistakable voice and powerful delivery, she gave us some of the most dramatic and memorable recordings of the 1970s and 1980s. She could turn almost any song into a full-scale event, and “Holding Out For A Hero” remains one of the greatest examples.

Released in 1984 as part of the soundtrack for the motion picture Footloose, “Holding Out For A Hero” was written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford and produced by Steinman. The song was later included on Bonnie’s 1986 studio album Secret Dreams And Forbidden Fire.

From its opening blast of drums, racing piano, blaring horns, and urgent backing vocals, the record never slows down. Everything about it is oversized, breathless, and wonderfully theatrical. Then Bonnie enters with that rough, commanding voice, sounding as though she is not merely waiting for a hero. She is demanding that one arrive immediately.

No one could have sung this song halfway. It required a vocalist who could rise above Jim Steinman’s enormous production without becoming lost inside it. Bonnie did more than rise above it. She owned every second.

The song was originally released in the UK in 1984, reaching only number 96. It was reissued the following year and became a major hit, climbing to number two and remaining there for three weeks. It also reached number one in Ireland and number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The Footloose soundtrack was packed with hit singles, but “Holding Out For A Hero” brought a different kind of energy to the album. It was louder, stranger, and more dramatic than almost anything surrounding it. Even without the movie, the recording creates its own frantic action sequence inside your head.

For this post, I am using the original UK 12-inch single. The A-side features the extended dance remix by John “Jellybean” Benitez. Jellybean stretches the song to more than six minutes while keeping the force and urgency of Jim Steinman’s original production. The remix gives the arrangement more room to breathe, but it never loses its momentum.

The B-side opens with the instrumental version of “Holding Out For A Hero.” Removing Bonnie’s lead vocal puts more attention on the layers buried within the production, including the dramatic piano, pounding percussion, guitars, synthesizers, and backing vocals. It is a great companion to the extended remix and shows just how much is happening underneath Bonnie’s performance.

The final track is “Faster Than The Speed Of Night,” the title song from Bonnie’s hugely successful 1983 album. Also written and produced by Jim Steinman, it makes this UK 12-inch feel more substantial than the usual soundtrack single. All three tracks capture Bonnie during one of the strongest periods of her career.

I previously posted this record in April 2019. For this new 2026 edition, I returned to the vinyl and created an entirely new transfer from the beginning. This is not a recycled or lightly updated version of the previous post. It is a brand-new transfer with meticulous audio restoration while preserving the power, movement, and excitement of the original recording.

This post also begins my new series, Ladies Of The 80s: Soundtrack Edition. Throughout the series, I will be featuring female artists who released singles connected to motion pictures during the 1980s.

It is bittersweet to begin the series this way, but I cannot think of a stronger song or a more deserving artist. Bonnie Tyler gave the decade a voice that could sound wounded, fearless, romantic, and larger than life, sometimes within the same recording.

Thank you, Bonnie, for the music, the drama, and that unforgettable voice.

SIDE A:
Holding Out For A Hero (Special Extended Remix) 6:22
Written By – J. Steinman/D. Pitchford
Written-By – D. Pitchford, J. Steinman

SIDE B:
Holding Out For A Hero (Instrumental) 5:17
Written By – J. Steinman/D. Pitchford
Written-By – D. Pitchford, J. Steinman

Faster Than The Speed Of Night 4:41
Written-By – J. Steinman*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

Chart Performance – Bonnie Tyler: Holding Out For A Hero (1984) Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 44
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 19
Canada (Billboard) 17
Europarade Top 40 12
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 8
Ireland (IRMA) 1
Japan (Oricon Singles Chart) 38
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 33
South Africa (Springbok Radio) 23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 19
UK Singles Chart (1984 release) 96
UK Singles Chart (1985 reissue) 2
US Billboard Hot 100 34
West Germany (Official German Charts) 19

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: CBS – TA 4251
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
From the original soundtrack of the Paramount motion picture “Footloose”.

Side A – Mix name on front cover is “Extended Remixed Version”.
Side A – Also known as “Dance Version-Jellybean Remix”.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

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Bonnie Tyler 1951 – 2026

Today we say goodbye to Bonnie Tyler, one of the most unmistakable voices to ever come through a speaker.

Bonnie passed away at age 75 in Portugal after a period of illness. Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, South Wales, she would become known around the world for that raspy, powerful voice that sounded like heartbreak, fire, and survival all at once. It was not polished in the usual pop-star way. It was better than that. It had character. You knew it was Bonnie the second she opened her mouth.

For many of us, Bonnie Tyler is tied to a very specific kind of pop memory. Big songs. Big drums. Big emotion. The sort of records that made the 1980s feel larger than life.

Before the thunder of “Total Eclipse Of The Heart,” Bonnie had already made her mark with “Lost In France” and “It’s A Heartache.” Those songs proved she could take pain and turn it into something beautiful. Then came her work with Jim Steinman, and everything went widescreen.

“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” is still one of those records that stops you in your tracks. It is dramatic, strange, romantic, and completely unforgettable. Who else could have taken a song that massive and made it feel so personal? Bonnie sang it like she was standing in the middle of a storm, refusing to be carried away.

And then there is “Holding Out For A Hero.” For lovers of 1980s movie music, that one is pure lightning. It has all the drama of a great soundtrack moment, but Bonnie’s voice is what makes it last. The song still feels alive every time it plays. It still makes the room bigger.

That was her gift. Bonnie Tyler could sing a huge production and still make it feel human. She could make heartbreak sound heroic. She could make longing sound like a battle cry. She could take a song right over the top, then somehow make you believe every word.

For those of us who love physical media, 12-inch singles, soundtrack cuts, and the big pop moments of the 1980s, Bonnie’s records are part of the collection in more ways than one. They are part of the memory. The radio. The video channels. The record bins. The late-night sing-alongs. The songs that came on and made everyone turn their head.

Bonnie Tyler gave us a voice that could not be copied.

She gave us songs that still fill a room.

She gave us drama, heart, and fire.

Rest in peace, Bonnie Tyler.

Turn around, bright eyes.

-DjPaulT