Bitter blue

Bitter blue
Studio album by Bonnie Tyler
Publication (s)	November 11, 1991
Label (s)	Hansa Records
Format (s)	CD, music cassette, vinyl
Genre (s)	Pop rock
Title (number)	14th
running time	58:40
occupation	Bonnie Tyler: vocals
production	Dieter Bohlen , Giorgio Moroder , Roy Bittan , David Yorath , Nik Kershaw , Luis Rodriguez
chronology Hide your heart Bitter blue Angel Heart
Single releases October 7, 1991 Bitter blue December 16, 1991 Against the wind 1992 Where were you

Bitterblue is the eighth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler . It was released on November 11, 1991.

backgrounds

After her departure from the Columbia Records label , under whose flag she was able to record the successful hits Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero , Bonnie Tyler signed a contract with the Hansa Musik Produktion label . The composers and producers Jim Steinman and Desmond Child , who were previously mainly responsible for their music, were replaced primarily by Dieter Bohlen and Giorgio Moroder , who were primarily known for their disco-suitable songs. Bohlen, who contributed five tracks to the album, would write almost all of the songs on her two follow-up works Angel Heart and Silhouette in Red , although he sometimes used pseudonyms , as on Bitterblue . Other producers who worked for Hansa on their first album are Roy Bittan , David Yorath , Nik Kershaw and Luis Rodriguez . Giorgio Moroder himself and Dan Hartman appear as guest interpreters .

Three singles were released from the album: Bitterblue , Against the Wind and Where Were You . The title song of the album was particularly successful in Austria and Norway , where it became a top ten hit, and it was also able to place in the charts in other European countries. The second single was also a chart success in German-speaking countries; the third, however, was commercially unsuccessful.

Music and lyrics

Tyler's label change was accompanied by a musical reorientation of her songs, which preferred more conventional song structures, more radio-compatible run lengths and more commercial pop-rock sounds to the epically structured tracks of their previous albums. There are both dramatic ballads and mid-tempo numbers. Due to its design in 12/8 time and its use of styles from Scottish folk music , the opening title song stands out from the others. In terms of content, the songs revolve primarily around motifs such as heartache, loneliness or the emotional coldness of the world, whereby an unhappy love is often discussed.

Cover design

The cover motif for Bitterblue shows a black-and-white photograph of Bonnie Tyler's face, which, however, is bathed in a bluish shimmer. There is a dark blue bar above and below the image . In the upper right corner is the name of the musician in gold , which protrudes from the bar below; in the lower right corner you can read the album title in white , which is underlined by two golden wavy lines.

Track list

Bitter blue
No.	title	Songwriter		length
1.	Bitter blue			3:50
2.	Against the wind			3:39
3.	Careless Heart			4:33
4th	Whenever You Need Me			4:04
5.	Where were you			5:02
6th	Save me			4:09
7th	He's got a hold on me			4:15
8th.	Keep Your Love Alive			4:24
9.	Tell me the truth			3:48
10.	Heaven is Here (with Giorgio Moroder )			4:40
11.	Love is in Love Again (with Dan Hartman )			4:41
12.	Till the end of time			4:03
13.	Too hot			3:27
14th	Why			3:56
Overall length:				58:40

Criticism and Impact

While Bitterblue in the USA and the UK could no longer build on past successes and went largely unnoticed, it meant a new commercial high for Tyler in several Central European countries after the previous album Hide Your Heart failed to meet international expectations. Suddenly the interpreter became a well-known term again and the title song in particular became one of her most popular songs, which has since appeared on a large number of compilation albums . The second single on the album, Against the Wind , also became known in Germany as the title track of the last Tatort film with Götz George in the lead role, Der Fall Schimanski . Bitterblue was received mixed by the critics . It was felt that the music provided a good setting for Tyler's inimitable voice and that the work was better than most pop albums, but did not come close to her work with Jim Steinman and Desmond Child.

success

Bitterblue was a commercial success specifically in Central Europe, which managed to reach the top of the charts in Austria and Norway . There it was the twelfth or fifteenth successful album of 1992. It was also able to hold its own in the charts in Switzerland (21st place), Germany and Sweden (22nd place each). The album sold particularly well in Norway: it was crowned quadruple platinum there ; in Austria it received a simple platinum record.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Date of publication. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Biography on AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
3. ↑ credits. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
4. ↑ "Bitter Blue" charts (Single). Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
5. ^ "Against the Wind" charts. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
6. ^ "Where Were You" charts. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
7. ↑ "Bitter Blue" -Songtext. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
8. ↑ "Save Me" -Songtext. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
9. ^ "Love is in Love Again" lyrics. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
10. ^ "He's Got a Hold on Me" lyrics. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
11. ↑ Cover motif. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
12. ↑ biography on last.fm. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
13. ↑ biography on own website. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
14. ^ AllMusic review. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
15. ↑ List of albums with the song "Bitterblue". Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
16. ↑ "The Schimanski Case" soundtrack list. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
17. ↑ Charts. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
18. ↑ Austrian annual charts 1992. Accessed on March 29, 2020 . 
19. ↑ Norwegian annual charts 1992. Retrieved on March 29, 2020 (English). 
20. ^ Austrian awards. Retrieved March 29, 2020 . 
21. ↑ Norwegian Awards. Retrieved March 29, 2020 .