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.
Where Were You
Bonnie Tyler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To pick you up when you were falling down
Now baby when you were crying the blues
Wasn't I the one that you came crying to?
In all the years gone by
You've never seen me cry
I never let you see the other side of me
Where were you
When I needed somebody to lean on?
Yeah where were you
When I needed a shoulder to cry on?
I always held you close when you were feeling weak
Guess I was walking down a one-way street
I was a fool to think that you'd be there for me
Where were you?
Oh baby when you needed a friend
I stuck beside you girl through thick and thin
Now baby when no-one cared at all
Wasn't I the one that you would always call
I gave away my heart, I knew just where I stood
Till I reached out for you 'cause I thought I could
[Chorus]
Now even more than what I'm going through
The cut that hurts the most is your attitude
You're pretty good at taking what you need
You've got a lot to learn about loyalty
Believe me baby there were times
You drove me crazy I was so blind
Where were you?
I never let you down when you were full of fear
Saved you from drowning in a sea of tears
Why baby why then weren't you ever
There for me?
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Bonnie Tyler's song Where Were You reflect the feeling of betrayal and disappointment for being left alone when in need by someone who was once always there for you. The song addresses the idea of how loyalty should work both ways, and if it doesn't, then there's no point in investing one's emotions and efforts into a one-sided relationship. In the first verse of the song, the singer talks about how she was always there for the other person in their tough times but was never able to reveal her vulnerable side; the other person never saw her crying. The second verse tells how the singer stuck with the other person when no one cared, and when the other person was feeling low, she lent her shoulder for them to cry on. However, later in the song, the singer is asking where the other person was when she needed someone to lean on and when she was in need of a shoulder to cry on.
The chorus repeats the question, "Where were you," and it emphasizes the idea of how the other person was never there for her when she needed someone to confide in. The song talks about the singer's realization that she was a fool to expect the other person to be there for her as she was always there for them. The last verse talks about how the other person was, at times, a source of frustration and how they drove her crazy with their attitude. In conclusion, the song talks about the importance of mutual support and loyalty in a relationship and how it's disheartening when one person invests more effort and emotions than the other.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh baby I was always around
I have always been there for you, no matter what.
To pick you up when you were falling down
I was always there to support you in your tough times.
Now baby when you were crying the blues
When you were feeling down, I was always there to comfort you.
Wasn't I the one that you came crying to?
You always came to me when you had problems.
In all the years gone by
Over all these years that we have been together.
You've never seen me cry
You have never seen me break down or express my emotions in front of you.
I never let you see the other side of me
I never showed you my vulnerable side, the side that needs support and help.
Where were you
Why weren't you there when I needed you?
When I needed somebody to lean on?
I needed someone to support and help me, where were you then?
Yeah where were you
I feel abandoned by you during my tough times.
When I needed a shoulder to cry on?
I was looking for someone to console me and share my grief, where were you then?
I always held you close when you were feeling weak
I always supported you and held you when you were not strong enough to stand on your own.
Guess I was walking down a one-way street
I was naive to believe that you would be there for me when I needed you.
I was a fool to think that you'd be there for me
I trusted you blindly, and that was my mistake.
Oh baby when you needed a friend
When you needed someone to talk to or hang out with.
I stuck beside you girl through thick and thin
I was by your side no matter what happened.
Now baby when no-one cared at all
When you were alone with no one to turn to.
Wasn't I the one that you would always call
I was the one you could rely on in times of trouble.
I gave away my heart, I knew just where I stood
I gave you my heart, and I knew my place in your life.
Till I reached out for you 'cause I thought I could
I tried to get your help, believing you would do the same for me.
Now even more than what I'm going through
The worst part of this is not what I'm dealing with.
The cut that hurts the most is your attitude
It's your behavior towards me that hurts me the most.
You're pretty good at taking what you need
You are very good at receiving help and support when you need it.
You've got a lot to learn about loyalty
You lack loyalty when it comes to supporting me.
Believe me baby there were times
Trust me, there were times.
You drove me crazy I was so blind
Your actions frustrated me and made me realize my naivety.
I never let you down when you were full of fear
I was always there to comfort and support you when you needed help.
Saved you from drowning in a sea of tears
I helped you overcome your sadness and grief.
Why baby why then weren't you ever
Why, during my tough times, weren't you ever there?
There for me?
Why weren't you there for me when I needed you the most?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALBERT LOUIS HAMMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.