Born in Skewen, South Wales, Tyler rose to prominence with her first hit single "Lost in France" in 1976. She signed a management deal with British songwriters Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who wrote and co-produced Tyler's first four studio albums between 1977 and 1981. "It's a Heartache" became Tyler's first US hit, with worldwide sales in excess of 6 million.
In 1982, Tyler signed with CBS/Columbia and began working with producer-songwriter Jim Steinman. He wrote her biggest career hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and produced its parent album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night" (1983), and the follow-up, "Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire" (1986). Both albums were noted for their bombastic pop-rock production and melodramatic lyrics. Tyler's next album, "Hide Your Heart" (1988), was produced by Desmond Child and included several tracks that later became hits for other artists, including "The Best" for Tina Turner and "Save Up All Your Tears" for Cher.
Tyler leaned further into a commercial pop sound in the 1990s. She signed with Hansa Records and recorded her next album, "Bitterblue" (1991), with an assortment of producers including Giorgio Moroder, Roy Bittan and Dieter Bohlen. Her subsequent albums "Angel Heart" (1992)" and "Silhouette in Red" (1993) were recorded almost exclusively with Bohlen.
Towards the end of the 90s, Tyler moved to East West Records and recorded the albums "Free Spirit" (1995) and "All in One Voice" (1998). She continued to experiment with cross-genre sounds in the 2000s, recording the covers album "Heart Strings" (2003) with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2004, Tyler began recording in Paris with producer Jean Lahcène, beginning with a re-recording of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" which topped the charts in France and Belgium. Tyler promoted her subsequent albums "Simply Believe" (2004) and "Wings" (2005) with a world tour and the release of her first concert film Bonnie on Tour.
Tyler spent the following eight years concentrating on her live work before returning to the studio for "Rocks and Honey" (2013). The album includes her UK Eurovision entry "Believe in Me". In 2018, Tyler reunited with David Mackay, who produced Tyler's first two albums in the 1970s, for her latest releases "Between the Earth and the Stars" (2019) and "The Best Is Yet to Come" (2021).
Tyler has contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most notable recording is "Holding Out for a Hero" which featured in Footloose, and has since become synonymous with action sequences, having later appeared in Shrek 2, Loki, and in numerous movie trailers. In 1984, Tyler sang the track "Here She Comes" for Giorgio Moroder's restoration of Fritz Lange's Metropolis, a recording which led to Tyler's third Grammy nomination.
Little Superstar
Bonnie Tyler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Threw off my stilettos, trying to get away.
I live in the building that was crumbling
In a desperate loveless ghetto where you don't go out to play
Oh so now you've found your way through the broken glass and endless days,
Discovered where I've lived
And oh there must be some divide because you are just in time to save me
So goodbye little superstar
So goodbye, you know who you are
So goodbye, little rocking queen
So goodbye you know what I mean
You know what I mean
My change the bridges that I've crossed
No one would believe me well now the kerosene
That day, I knew that I was lost
I was begging for forgiveness and the mirror said to me
Oh so now you've found your way through the broken glass and endless days,
Discovered where I've lived
And oh there must be some divide because you are just in time to save me
From myself
So goodbye little superstar
So goodbye, you know who you are
So goodbye, little rocking queen
So goodbye you know what I mean
You know what I mean
You know what I mean
You know what I mean! Oh
You know what I mean, little superstar, little superstar
The lyrics of Bonnie Tyler's "Little Superstar" describe a desperate situation where the singer is trying to escape from a "desperate loveless ghetto" and the person who is trying to save her. She runs as fast as she can, throwing off her stilettos, and eventually finds herself in a building that is crumbling. The lyrics suggest a sense of hopelessness, that she has reached rock bottom and has nowhere else to go.
As the song progresses, the singer seemingly finds a savior in the "little superstar," who has discovered where she has lived and has come to save her from herself. The chorus repeats "So goodbye little superstar" several times, implying that the singer has to let go of this savior and the idea of being saved from her situation. The line "you know what I mean" is repeated throughout the chorus, suggesting that there is a shared understanding between the singer and the little superstar, even though they ultimately must part ways.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation and could be seen as speaking to themes of redemption, hopelessness, and the idea that no one can truly save another person from their own problems. The song's somber tone and lyrics suggest a sense of finality and resignation, as the singer seems to have accepted her situation and the fact that she must move on without the help of others.
Line by Line Meaning
I ran as fast as I could run
I sprinted as hastily as possible
Threw off my stilettos, trying to get away.
I removed my high-heeled shoes, endeavoring to escape.
I live in the building that was crumbling
I reside in an edifice that was deteriorating
In a desperate loveless ghetto where you don't go out to play
In a forlorn and deprived locality that one doesn't venture out to enjoy
Oh so now you've found your way through the broken glass and endless days,
Oh, now you've discovered the path through the shattered glasses and infinite days
Discovered where I've lived
Found out where I dwell
And oh there must be some divide because you are just in time to save me
There should be some separation as you arrived at the perfect time to rescue me
From myself
From my inner self
So goodbye little superstar
So long, my dear luminary
So goodbye, you know who you are
Farewell, you recognize yourself
So goodbye, little rocking queen
So long, petite sovereign of rock
So goodbye you know what I mean
Thus, adieu! You apprehend what I imply
My change the bridges that I've crossed
My transformation altered the bridges I've traversed
No one would believe me well now the kerosene
Nobody would trust me but now here's the gasoline
That day, I knew that I was lost
At that moment, I was cognizant that I was astray
I was begging for forgiveness and the mirror said to me
I pleaded for absolution, and the mirror answered me
You know what I mean!, little superstar, little superstar
You apprehend what I mean! Dear luminary, dear luminary
Contributed by Isaac N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Philip Kassabian
on Straight From The Heart
Yet another excellent Bonnie Tyler song.
Philip Kassabian
on Holding Out for a Hero
A great and fantastic song by Bonnie Tyler.