Making Love Out of Nothing at All

So, I apologize once again for my long hiatus.  It's not like me, really, and I feel very guilty.  That being said, I really wanted to write about a show-stopping tune this evening.  "Total Eclipse of the Heart" came to mind, since I love that song.  It's definitely a monstrous tune and has enjoyed huge popularity--even to the point of being re-recorded in a dance version (which, I admit, is epically tragic in my opinion).  Anyway, I love that tune, and Bonnie Tyler is amazing.  As I was researching the tune, I discovered that it was written by Jim Steinmann, who wrote songs for Meatloaf.  Steinmann also wrote "Making Love Out of Nothing at All"  and offered it to Meatloaf, but there was some kind of conflict with the record company.  Ultimately, "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" was recorded by Air Supply.

I admit that I am not a huge Air Supply fan.  I think they are a terrific band, and some of their songs are really memorable -- like this one!  So, it all came back to me when I heard it.  It is definitely one of those classic ballads with beautiful vocals and hugely romantic lyrics.  If you read the lyrics, well, they are pretty intense.  Lots of contradictions and interesting mental imagery -- all because of love.  Yup.  I never really heard anything other than "making love out of nothing at all."  In fact, it's still hard for me to concentrate on the lyrics when I hear this song, because I am spellbound by the piano and the quality of Russell Hitchcock's voice.  But, alas, the song is about someone who is deeply in love with another person and can never let him/her go.  It say "him/her" because the song was actually covered by Bonnie Tyler in 1996.  Check out her video.  It's interesting.  Actually, I think it is kind of creepy, but she looks beautiful, and the video production is great.  Air Supply wins the contest (in my opinion) for the champions of this song.  It would be interesting to hear yet another reincarnation by today's singers.  I wonder who would really have the voice to make it work.  Hmmm...let's ponder that one.  In the meantime, please enjoy the video for this tune.  Albeit kind of cheesy, it is a perfect peek into the fashions, style, and video direction of 1983.  

Piece of My Heart

Come on, come on, come on!

So, this evening I was listening to my favorite radio program.  You guessed it--Nights with Alice Cooper.  He played "Piece of My Heart" as covered by Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin on lead vocals.  This is the only version of the song I had heard, but I did a bit of research and found there are many versions.  In fact, the song was written in 1967 and first performed by Erma Franklin (Aretha Franklin's younger sister).  So, the song has been covered in the 60s. 70s, 80s (Sammy Hagar), 90s (Faith Hill), and 2000s (Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge).  It has also been covered by Bonnie Tyler and a host of others, but the performance in this video with Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge is just truly amazing.  In the YouTube notes, someone commented that they felt Janis Joplin was smiling from above when these ladies performed.  It is powerful and passionate.  AMAZING.  Yeah!!!!  "Take another little piece of my heart now baby...break another little piece of my heart now darling..."  I cannot think of any other song that really packs as much punch and delivers the message as well as this one.  I think we've all had our hearts broken, but when you have really had it ripped out and smashed into a million pieces, this sums up the feelings perfectly!  Come on--we've all experienced this, right?  If you haven't, well, this tune paints a perfect picture.  So, listen and enjoy.  This particular performance gives me goosebumps.  It is just awesome.  I would love to hear Heart perform it sometime.  I bet Ann WIlson would change the earth's rotation with her voice on this tune.  Nevertheless, Ms. Etheridge and Ms. Stone really tear this one up.  BRAVA!!!!!

Totally Awesome Covers

I was wondering if anyone had released a version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" other than the kind of pop/techno one that came out recently (Nicki French from 1995 -- guess it's not that recent!).  So, as I was looking through YouTube, I found the most amazing version of "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meatloaf.  The two songs do sound similar if you think about it, so I guess this isn't a surprise.  For me, it was a godsend.  I found an entire channel of videos by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.  Turns out that they have released several covers of songs from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.  There are songs by ABBA, Queen, Phil Collins, The Police, U2, Pink Floyd, Bryan Adams, REM...and the list goes on.  It's amazing.  The Meatloaf one is definitely my favorite.  Too bad the video isn't better, but hey, a giant bat staring into the distance is still alright.  So, I've included both the Royal Phil's version and Meatloaf's video (which was from 1994, so I am technically cheating again).  Meatloaf's career has spanned several decades, so I guess it's okay to include this one.  Enjoy!