''Bitterblue'' is the eighth studio album by Welsh singer

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh people, Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album ''The World Start ...

. It was released on 11 November 1991, through

Hansa Records Hansa Records (also known as Hansa, Hansa Musik Produktion or Hansa International) was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany. Profile The label's most successful act commercially was the German-based band Boney M. with mi ...

. ''Bitterblue'' is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

album, described by

Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German ...

as "more commercial" than her previous albums. Bohlen began working with Tyler in early 1991, writing and producing multiple songs for the album. ''Bitterblue'' also features compositions from

Albert Hammond Albert Louis Hammond OBE (born 18 May 1944) is a British- Gibraltarian singer, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific songwriter, he also collaborated with other songwriters such as Mike Hazlewood, John Bettis, Diane Warren, Holly Knight ...

Nik Kershaw Nicholas David Kershaw (born 1 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Kershaw came to prominence in 1984 as a solo artist. He released eight singles that entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during th ...

and

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

. ''Bitterblue'' received mixed reviews from music critics, with the songs being complimented but the production criticised. The album had major success in mainland Europe, where it reached number one in Austria and Norway. In 1992 it was certified 3× Platinum by IFPI Norway. Three singles were released from the album, including the hits " Bitterblue" and " Against the Wind".

Writing and recording

Tyler signed to

in 1990. ''Bitterblue'' was her first multi-producer album, with contributions from

, Luis Rodríguez,

Roy Bittan Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synth ...

, David Yorath,

and

. Bohlen claimed that Tyler was reluctant to record his songs as she perceived them to be more commercial-sounding than her previous work.Bohlen, ''Bonnie. Oder: Keiner singt geiler als die Tyler'', p. 204. The title track includes elements of

Scottish folk music Scottish folk music (also Scottish traditional music) is a genre of folk music that uses forms that are identified as part of the Scottish musical tradition. There is evidence that there was a flourishing culture of popular music in Scotland duri ...

, including

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

and accordion, and was inspired by the

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

hit " Rhythm of My Heart". ''Bitterblue'' was the first of three albums that Tyler recorded with Bohlen. His songwriting and production work was often credited under the names Howard Houston, Steve Benson and Jennifer Blake. Tyler claimed that Bohlen chose to disguise his involvement to avoid radio DJs developing preconceptions about the album. ''Bitterblue'' was recorded at five recording studios located in Germany, the UK and in the US. Bohlen wrote, recorded and produced his own songs, with Luis Rodríguez acting as co-producer on three tracks.

David Yorath all wrote and produced their own songs. Songs written by

and

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. War ...

were produced by

at Conway and A&M Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. Tyler recorded "Heaven Is Here" as a duet with Moroder, and "Till the End of Time" with

Dan Hartman Daniel Earl Hartman (December 8, 1950 – March 22, 1994) was an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Among songs he wrote and recorded were " Free Ride" as a member of the Edgar Winter Group, and the solo hits ...

. Both songs were written by Moroder. Tyler also co-wrote the lyrics for "Whenever You Need Me" with David Madiran.

Critical reception

Tomas Mureika of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

rated the album three and a half stars out of five, describing the album as "a pleasant collection of pop tunes." He opined that her pairing with

" aveTyler's work a contemporary sheen that frames her vocals within the songs." Mureika concluded that ''Bitterblue'' is "better than most pop records," but not as strong as her work with

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

and

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's " I Was Made for L ...

. In a review of the lead single, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' criticised Bohlen's production; "bombastic production, with a rush of bagpipes and a choir of chirping children at the forefront, overpower Tyler's distinctive raspy voice."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. Technical and Design * Dieter Bohlen (as Howard Houston) – recording (1, 13), mixing (1, 13) * Dieter Bohlen – recording (2, 9, 14), mixing (2, 9, 14) * Luis Rodriguez – recording (2, 9, 14), mixing (2, 9, 14) * Phil Kaffel – engineer and recording (3, 5, 6), mixing (3, 5, 6) * David Yorath – recording (4), mixing (4) * Stuart Bruce – recording (7), mixing (7) * Brian Reeves – engineer (8, 10, 11, 12), mixing (8, 10, 11, 12) *

– mixing (8, 10, 11, 12) * Thomas Sassenbach – art direction * Aaron's Outfit – design * Ariola – design * Markus Amon – photography * Jeff Weiss – photography * David Aspden – management Musicians and Vocals * Bonnie Tyler – vocals *

– vocals (12) *

– programming (8, 10, 11, 12) - vocals (10) *

– keyboards (3, 5, 6), arrangements (3, 5, 6) * Richard Cottle – keyboards (7) *

– keyboards (7), programming (7), guitars (7), arrangements (7) * Scott Greer – programming (8, 10, 11, 12) *

John Pierce John Pierce may refer to: *John Davis Pierce (1797–1882), American minister and legislator *John B. Pierce (1844–1917), American industrialist *John M. Pierce (1886–1958), American amateur astronomer *John L. Pierce (1895–1959), U.S. Army g ...

– guitars (3, 5, 6) *

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...

– guitars (3, 5, 6) *

Tim Pierce Tim Pierce (born 1959 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and the Ch ...

– acoustic guitar (3, 5, 6) * Teddy Castellucci – guitars (8, 10, 11, 12) *

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...

– bass (3, 6, 6) *

Kenny Aronoff Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer. Early life Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ener ...

– drums (3, 5, 6) * Gary Herbig – saxophone (8, 10, 11, 12) * Dieter Bohlen – arrangements (as Howard Houston on 1, 13), arrangements (2, 9, 14) * David Yorath – arrangements (4) * Jackie Challenor – backing vocals (7) *

Miriam Stockley Miriam Arlene Stockley (born 15 April 1962) is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music of her home country. Her distinctive ''vocalise'' style gained international acclaim when ...

– backing vocals (7) * Debbie McGlendon-Smith – backing vocals (8, 10, 11, 12) * Joe Pizzulo – backing vocals (8, 10, 11, 12) * Marietta Waters – backing vocals (8, 10, 11, 12)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Accolades

RSH Gold Award , - , 1992 , Bitterblue , Most successful German produced interpreter female ,

Notes

References

* * {{Authority control 1991 albums Bonnie Tyler albums Albums produced by Giorgio Moroder Albums produced by Roy Bittan Hansa Records albums