I truly enjoy how randomly connected life can be at times. A couple of weekends ago, after years of casually looking, I finally found an almost pristine copy of Bonnie Tyler’s Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fires in the dollar bin at Reckless Records.
Then this past Saturday, settling in for a lazy morning, I threw in my DVD of Urban Legend. I found myself delightfully surprised as I, sleepily, consumed my oatmeal and Ryze shake, having completely forgotten how much Tyler’s classic Total Eclipse of the Heart dominates the film’s incredibly memorable opening scene. How I ever wiped out Natasha Gregson Wagner’s ear shattering warble as she sings along to the tune in headless abandon, I’ll never know…but there you have it!
Of course, Tyler, notable for her distinctively gruff vocalizing style, had only a couple degrees of separation from the horror community to begin with. Her most lauded work, including Heart, was produced by the very dramatic, often bombastic composer Jim Steinman. Steinman, naturally, came to fame as the co-creator of Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf’s masterwork. Loaf, of course, is worshipped by terror kids for his dynamic take on Eddy in the legendary The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Wales’ most famous export, meanwhile, hasn’t been a slouch when it comes to other forms of gothic representation, herself. It’s A Heartache, her second most identifiable tune. is featured in Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City while Heart along with Holding Out for a Hero, her other smash, have been used to stylistic effect in projects like Scream Queens, Fall of the House of Usher, Dead Snow 2 and The Wraith.
This may not be enough to appoint her the Official Scare Kids All-Time Favorite Soundtrack Diva — but it definitely puts her in the running.
Nicely, Tyler is still going strong – as witnessed at http://www.bonnietyler.com. Thus, there are hopefully many more spooky sonic treats to come.
Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!
Big Gay Horror Fan 