Don't "Turn Around"

Tonight was going to be a few more movie reviews--we just saw the movie "Just Wright", starring Queen Latifah and Common (!), upon the request of The Lovely Steph Leann, so I'll make sure we discuss this at length....

However, in the car tonight, something happened that I want to discuss, and I want to make sure that we understand something, you and me.  Tonight, The Lovely Steph Leann and I were on the way back from the movie show (we'll get to that), and I flipped a few channels on the radio until I came to 96.5, which is soft rock, and more importantly, in the evening, its the home of Delilah (deee-liii-laaaah... love someone to-niiiight...). 

And the song that was playing immediately hooked The Lovely Steph Leann and I, as we both jumped right in... "Turn around, bright eyes, every now and then I fall apart... turn around, bright eyes, every now and then I fall apart... and I need you now tonight and I need you more than ever and if you only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever and we'll only be making it right 'cause we'll never be wrong, together we can take it to the end of the line, your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (all of the time)... I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark, we're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks... I really need you tonight, forever's gonna start tonight, forever's gonna start tonight


"Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart... there's nothing I can do... a total eclipse of the heart... once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark... nothing I can say... a total eclipse of the heart..."

I wrote out half that song, partly because I like to sing it as I'm typing, partly because I know you like to sing it and are doing it now, and partly because I wanted there to be no mistake about what song this is.   This song is called "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and its by a chick named Bonnie Tyler, from her 1983 album "Faster Than the Speed of Night".

The background vocals, the part that goes "turn around, bright eyes" is by a singer named Rory Dodd, who's claim to fame is this song, dozens of other songs doing background vocals, and the lead voice in an old Hungry Hungry Hippo commercial.  You can't make this stuff up.

The original song is a 7 minute opus of music, a monumental song that must who's choruse must be sung loudly until you get to "once upon a time there was light in my life...", upon which your voice must drop to an almost whisper.  If you hear this song on the radio, particularly on 96.5, you'd probably hear the criminally shortened 4 minute version...

...when I'm president in 2028, I'm going to expound an idea I've already discussed--that is to introduce legistlation that will criminalize and heavily fine any radio station that chooses to shorten "American Pie", "Lyin' Eyes" or even "Total Eclipse of the Heart"... Magic 96.5, I'm talking to you...

...anyway, this brings me to my point. 

This song gained more popularity when a chick named Nicki French did a cover of it... The Lovely Steph Leann admitted, "I actually heard the remake before I heard the original."  To which I replied, "Oh, the Nicki French version that came out a few years ago?"  A few years ago was actually 1994, but recently, this song came to light when GLEE did a version of it as well. 

And on Facebook, I saw a dozen people say something to the effect of "Oh, I loved it when they did 'Turn Around'!" and "Who sings that 'Turn Around' song?" and "I love that 'Turn Around Bright Eyes' song!!".  And I just cringed.

This song is not called, nor has it ever been called "Turn Around".  Or, "Turn Around Bright Eyes".  Yes, that is an oft-used phrase in the song, but that's not the title.  The title of the song is "Total Eclipse of the Heart".  The original is called "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and subsequent remakes are called likewise.

After this song was over, I said to The Lovely Steph Leann, "It kills me that people get this song wrong.  This song is too great, too amazing to be called 'Turn Around' by kids who don't know any better."   The Lovely Steph Leann just nodded, in her own way that says, "You're really goofy for worrying about this, but I'll agree..."

I continued, "If we don't teach Campbell Isaiah and Lorelei Addison anything else, my kids will know to their core that this song is called 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie freakin' Tyler from Nineteen Eighty freakin' three.  And I will teach them to mock incessantly anyone who calls it 'Turn Around'."  The Lovely Steph Leann looks at me, smiles and nods again. 

Any song that you and your beloved can immediately dive into together and sing together, no matter how off key (I speak of myself, not her) is a song to be embraced.  Because after "Total Eclipse of the Heart", up came Lionel Richie's "You Are", which we sang all the way into the garage of The Cabana.  

By the way, one of my favorite posts is when The Lovely Steph Leann said the line, "Lionel Richie is universal."  If you never read it, go check it out... its from 2007 and some of the references are dated (like news of a new Harry Potter park being built at Universal Studios in Orlando)... but nonetheless, the part with Lionel Richie is, in fact, a hoot.