''Bitterblue'' is the eighth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. 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 mil ...

. ''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, earl ...

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 a ...

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,

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 the ...

and

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

. ''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 ''Bitterblue'' is the eighth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released on 11 November 1991, through Hansa Records. ''Bitterblue'' is a pop rock album, described by Dieter Bohlen as "more commercial" than her previous albums. Bohl ...

" 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 synthe ...

, 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, 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, No ...

and

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

, 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 Albert Hammond 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. Wa ...

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 world' ...

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

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 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 Lovi ...

. 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 advertise ...

'' 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 * Dan Hartman – 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 – guitars (3, 5, 6) * Waddy Wachtel – guitars (3, 5, 6) * Tim Pierce – 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 – 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 – backing vocals (7) * Debbie McGlendon-Smith – backing vocals (8, 10, 11, 12) * Joe Pizzulo – backing vocals (8, 10, 11, 12) *

Marietta Waters Marietta Waters is an American singing, singer and most known for her performance of "Destination Unknown" on the ''Top Gun'' Top Gun (soundtrack), soundtrack, where she is credited by the stage name Marietta. Her other soundtrack credits includ ...

– 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