''Simply Believe'' is the fourteenth studio album by Welsh singer
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
. It was released on 13 April 2004 by Yanis Records.
The singles from ''Simply Believe'' were the two French duets with
Kareen Antonn
Kareen Antonn (born Kareen Antonopoulou on 24 May 1980 in Nogent-sur-Marne, France) is a French singer of Greek and Spanish origin.
In 2003, she recorded a pair of duets with British singer Bonnie Tyler; " Si demain... (Turn Around)" and "Si Tou ...
, both originally released as solo singles by Tyler years before. Their first duet, "
Si demain... (Turn Around)", was a success, and reached number one in France for ten weeks and became the fourth best-selling single in France in 2004. Eight of the tracks on the album were also released by her then-future record company, Stick Music, on an EP called ''
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
'' in 2005. Critical reception of ''Simply Believe'' was mostly positive, with the album being regarded as Tyler's "comeback".
Background
After the release of ''
Heart Strings'' in the previous year, Tyler had begun working on a new album. While getting plans together, French singer
Kareen Antonn
Kareen Antonn (born Kareen Antonopoulou on 24 May 1980 in Nogent-sur-Marne, France) is a French singer of Greek and Spanish origin.
In 2003, she recorded a pair of duets with British singer Bonnie Tyler; " Si demain... (Turn Around)" and "Si Tou ...
wrote to Tyler asking if she would be willing to record a bilingual version of "
Total Eclipse of the Heart
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was written and produced by Jim Steinman, and released on Tyler's fifth studio album, ''Faster Than the Speed of Night'' (1983). The song was released as a single b ...
" as a duet with her. Though hesitant, Tyler requested a demo recording of Antonn singing the song in French. Impressed by what she received, Tyler accepted and flew to Paris to record the song. They later recorded a new version of "It's a Heartache" in the same format.
''Simply Believe'' only contains six original songs. Tyler recorded new versions of "
Holding Out for a Hero
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the soundtrack to the 1984 film ''Footloose''. It later featured on her sixth studio album, ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (1986). The track was produced by Jim S ...
", "
Here She Comes
"Here She Comes" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the Metropolis (1927_film)#Giorgio Moroder Metropolis Soundtrack, soundtrack to the 1984 restoration version of the 1927 German film ''Metropolis (1927 film), Metropolis''. It wa ...
", "
If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)
"If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her 1986 rock album ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire''. It was written by Desmond Child and produced by Jim Steinman. Child has since stated that the son ...
", as well as two tracks from her 1995 ''Free Spirit'' album; "All Night to Know You" and "Driving Me Wild".
Promotion
Singles
The lead single from Simply Believe was released long before the album, due to popular demand from the public. Tyler explained to BBC News that even 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."
"Si demain..." was released on 22 December 2003, in France. The single reached number one in France and remained there for ten weeks running through 2004, and became the fourth best-selling single that year in France.
It also gave Tyler the record of the longest time gap between top ten singles in France. Eighteen years passed between her hit "
If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)
"If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her 1986 rock album ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire''. It was written by Desmond Child and produced by Jim Steinman. Child has since stated that the son ...
" which reached number six in 1986, and the release of "Si demain...".
Following the success of the single, ''Simply Believe'' was released on 13 April 2004. Tyler and Antonn's second duet, "Si tout s'arrête (It' a Heartache)", was released on 7 June 2004 as a follow-up to their first release. It peaked at number 12 in the French singles chart soon after.
Track listing
Notes
* French adaptation of lyrics
Critical reception
The album received a three and a half star review from Rob Theakston of ''Allmusic''. He said that Tyler was "still in fine form two decades (after her musical heyday) later" and that ''Simply Believe'' should "satisfy die-hard fans".
Charts
Year-end charts
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes, and
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. It provides a tailored interface for the service, oriented towards music streaming, allowing users to browse through songs and music videos on YouTube based ...
.
*
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
– lead vocals
* Frédéric Andrews – keyboards,
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
, programming
* Oliver Fox – keyboards
* Benoit Souris – organ
* John Stage – keyboards, bass, backing vocals
* Sébastien Heurtault – guitars
* Kamil Rustam – guitars
* Tom Box – drums
* Guillaume Duval –
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
*
Kareen Antonn
Kareen Antonn (born Kareen Antonopoulou on 24 May 1980 in Nogent-sur-Marne, France) is a French singer of Greek and Spanish origin.
In 2003, she recorded a pair of duets with British singer Bonnie Tyler; " Si demain... (Turn Around)" and "Si Tou ...
– lead vocals , backing vocals
* Bethanee Bishop – backing vocals
* Mélanie Ducret – backing vocals
* Floriane Godebout – backing vocals
* Delphine Goury – backing vocals
* Fanny Llado – backing vocals
* Jean-Nicolas Sombrun – backing vocals
Production
* Lynda Ramdane – executive producer
*
Faouze Barkati – producer
* Krem Barkati – producer
* Wallid Barkati – producer
* Jean Lahcene – engineer
* Bertrand Levet – photography
* Pascal Ratthe – photography
* Nicolas Sautiez – photography
References
{{Authority control
2004 albums
Bonnie Tyler albums
Sony Music albums