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Bonnie Tyler’s classic hits 1 billion streams – but singer says it earns her nothing
27th January, 2026 08:06 AM
With her instantly recognisable gravelly-voice and big, blonde hair, Gaynor Hopkins became an international sensation as Bonnie Tyler with her 80s hit, Total Eclipse of the Heart.
43 years on, and the song has cemented its place as one of the most famous power ballads of all time by surpassing a billion streams on Spotify.
But despite joining Taylor Swift, The Weekend and Eminem in the exclusive one billion club, Neath-born Tyler says that she’s made “about nothing” in revenue from the classic track.
As the platform’s most-streamed song by a Welsh artist, Tyler “never gets tired” of singing the iconic tune, despite the astronomical streaming numbers not making a dent in her bank account.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in a council house in Neath, Tyler grew up with a love for music before she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a Swansea club.
Tyler released her first single, Lost in France, in 1977, but it was the release of Total Eclipse of the Heart five years later which changed her life
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“The first time I heard it was when Jim Steinman just played it on the piano in New York.
“He sang the song all the way through, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this song is amazing. I can’t believe Jim is giving it to me.’
“When I recorded the song, I thought no one was going to end up playing this because it’s so long.
“The original version is eight minutes long.”
But the four-minute radio version took the world by storm, with the ballad spending two weeks at UK number one, and four weeks in the US.
Now, 43 years on, it’s clear the best of all the years have not gone by, as Tyler shared her delight with fans at receiving a one billion streams plaque from Spotify.
The feat came as a surprise to the singer, who only found out after the streamer contacted her website to send her the “beautiful” disk.
“I’m really happy. When you think about it, there are only 8.3 billion people in the world.
“It’s quite an evergreen song – how many times have you heard it popping up in adverts and movies?
“People just love it.”
As one of the most iconic love songs of all time, the music video has already surpassed 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
But does she ever get a little bit tired listening to it?
“Never, I never get tired of singing it, I love it because everyone can’t wait to sing it.”
