Background and Writing
|
Et j'ai tant besoin de toi |
| — Beginning of the first chorus |
Bonnie Tyler had a hit with "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1984. Kareen Antonn explained that in 2003, along with her friend Emmanuel Pribys, she had the idea to record a song in French-language based on the tune of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" as a duet with Bonnie Tyler and a demo was sent to Tyler. Surprised and impressed by the voice of Antonn, Bonnie Tyler agreed to make an exception to her rule of not rerecording her own songs.
During interviews, Tyler explained the way the duet happened. Initially she thought that as "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was such a special song she did not think it could be a duet. However, she said "When I received Kareen Antonn's version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", I believed that my ears were going to explode. I didn't know if Kareen was a star or an unknown person in France, but what I had heard was just extraordinary. When she asked me to sing the song with her, I said "yes" immediately. The only thing that frightened me was singing in French, because I don't speak it at all". She overcame this fear with help from Antonn.
The Welsh artist came to Paris to record the duet with Kareen Antonn at the end of 2003. The two women got on well and the single was recorded in just a couple of hours. According to Tyler, the success was immediate and "amazing". She explained to BBC News Online that "the single was released three weeks earlier than planned after people heard it on the radio and went into the shops trying to buy it". The song was released in France on 19 December 2003, and a few weeks later in Belgium and Switzerland.
This song is available on Bonnie Tyler's albums Simply Believe, released on 13 April 2004), From the Heart : Greatest Hits (12 March 2007), and Bonnie Tyler Hit Collection Edition. The song features on Kareen Antonn's self-titled album, and was also included on several notable 2004 compilations, including Le Meilleur des Voix, NRJ Hit Music Only, Fan 2, Girls 2004, and Duets.
After the unexpected success of the single, Antonn and Tyler decided to record another French language duet. ""Si tout s'arrête (It's a Heartache)" was released on 7 June 2004 but did not have the same success and peaked at number 12 on the week of its debut on the French SNEP Singles Chart. The song reached number 25 in Switzerland on 27 June 2004 and number seven in Belgium (Wallonia) on 3 July 2004.
Read more about this topic: Si Demain... (Turn Around)
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