Bonnie Tyler (real name Gaynor Sullivan) is a Welsh singer. She is known fo… Read Full Bio ↴Bonnie Tyler (real name Gaynor Sullivan) is a Welsh singer. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and soulful pop-rock repertoire.

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.

Stand Up
Bonnie Tyler Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some days you don't understand
All the world looks upside down
When you're trying to be strong
Nothing ever falls in place

Don't give up and let your shadows swallow up your mind
No, that's no way to treat yourself - just leave your doubts behind

Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - just don't take anymore
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for my friends
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - some things you can't ignore
Stand proud - for what your fightin' for my friends
Oh, oh!

When accusations put you down
And people talk behind your back
Turn your head and walk away
Never let them see you frown

Don't give up and let your shadows swallow up your mind
No, that's no way to treat yourself - just leave your doubts behind

Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - just don't take anymore
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for my friends
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - some things you can't ignore
Stand proud - for what your fightin' for my friends

Don't give up and let your shadows swallow up your mind
No, that's no way to treat yourself - just leave your doubts behind

Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - just don't take anymore
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for my friends
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - some things you can't ignore
Stand proud - for what your fightin' for my friends

Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - just don't take anymore
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for my friends
Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Stand up - some things you can't ignore
Stand proud - for what your fightin' for my friends

Stand up
Stand up

Stand proud
Stand up

Overall Meaning

"Stand Up" is a song by Bonnie Tyler that speaks to the strength and courage needed to face life's difficulties. In the first stanza, Bonnie sings that there are days when the world seems upside down and that despite trying to remain strong, things don't seem to fall into place. However, the second stanza encourages listeners not to give up and let negative thoughts and doubts swallow up their minds. The song then moves into a chorus where Bonnie sings about standing up for what you're fighting for and not taking anymore. The repeated lines urge us to stand up, stand proud, and fight for what we believe in.

This song is an inspirational call to action to stand up to the challenges in our lives and to never let anyone make us feel small or powerless. It speaks to anyone who has ever felt downtrodden or overwhelmed by life's struggles. To "stand up" means to be resilient, confident, and to continue fighting for our dreams and beliefs.

Overall, "Stand Up" is a song intended to inspire and empower listeners to take action in the face of adversity. Its lyrics evoke a sense of strength and determination, and its simple but powerful message resonates with listeners all over the world who need a boost of confidence and a reminder of their own worth and capabilities.

Line by Line Meaning

Some days you don't understand
It's hard to comprehend life sometimes

All the world looks upside down
Things seem to be going in the opposite direction

When you're trying to be strong
Even when you’re trying to keep it together

Nothing ever falls in place
Things don't always work out as planned

Don't give up and let your shadows swallow up your mind
Don't get consumed by negative thoughts

No, that's no way to treat yourself - just leave your doubts behind
It's not healthy to constantly doubt yourself. Believe in yourself

Stand up - for what you're fightin' for
Fight for what you believe in, don't back down

Stand up - just don't take anymore
Don't let anyone or anything bring you down

Stand up - for what you're fightin' for my friends
Encouraging others to fight for their cause

When accusations put you down
When people make false statements about you

And people talk behind your back
When people gossip about you