Lost in France

"Lost in France"

Cover of the German single
Single by Bonnie Tyler
from the album The World Starts Tonight
B-side "Baby I Remember You"
Released September 1976[1]
Format 7" single
Genre Pop rock
Length 4:03
Label RCA Victor
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Certification Silver (BPI)
Bonnie Tyler singles chronology
"My! My! Honeycomb" (1976) "Lost in France"
(1976)		 "More Than a Lover"
(1977)

"Lost in France" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released as a single in September 1976 by RCA Records, written by her producers and songwriters Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe. "Lost in France" was Tyler's second single and first chart hit in her career, which featured on her debut album The World Starts Tonight (1977). The lyrics depict Tyler in a daze due to love.

The song was praised by critics, though some preferred her follow-up single "More Than a Lover" for its controversial nature. "Lost in France" was a commercial success, certified Silver by the BPI for selling over 250,000 units. It peaked highest at number two in South Africa, and was also a Top 20 hit in a further six countries.

Background

Bonnie Tyler was spotted by talent scout Roger Bell in The Townsman Club, Swansea, singing the Ike & Tina Turner song "Nutbush City Limits" in 1975. She was invited to London to record some demo tracks.[1] After months had passed, Tyler received a phone call from RCA Records, who offered her a recording contract.[1]

"My! My! Honeycomb" was released as a single in the UK in April 1976, but failed to chart. Four months later, "Lost in France" was released as a follow-up single. Soon after the song's release, Tyler underwent an operation to remove nodules from her vocal cords. She failed to follow the six-week rest period instructed by her doctor and was left with a permanent, distinct raspy quality.[2]

Composition

"Lost in France" is a country pop song with a length of three minutes and 54 seconds.[3] It is set in common time and has a moderate tempo of 118 beats per minute.[4] It is written in the key of B-flat major and Tyler's vocals span one octave and a semitone, from A3 to B-flat4.[4]

Chart performance

On the week ending 30 October 1976, "Lost in France" entered the UK Singles Chart weeks after its initial release. Two weeks later, the song reached the Top 40, reaching number twenty-two.[5] "Lost in France" continued to rise until it reached number nine on 27 November, maintaining the position for two weeks.[6][7] The single's gradually dropped following its peak, spending a total of ten weeks on the UK Singles Chart.[8] The single was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments exceeding 250,000 copies.[9]

Critical reception

The Sydney Morning Herald described the song as the "stand-out track" from The World Starts Tonight.[10]

Live performances

Tyler's first television promotion for "Lost in France" took place on Top of the Pops on 4 November 1976.

Tyler performed "Lost in France" live in Zaragosa, Spain, in 2005. The performance was recorded and released on Tyler's album Bonnie Tyler Live (2007) and the accompanying DVD Bonnie on Tour (2007).[11][12]

Track listing

7" single[13]
  1. "Lost in France" — 4:03
  2. "Baby I Remember You" — 3:19

Charts and certifications

Chart (1976) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 18
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] 12
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 21
Germany (Media Control Charts)[17] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 20
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[19] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 13
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 9

Year–end charts

Chart (1977) Position
Germany (Jahreshitparade)[22] 14

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 250,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hendriks, Phil (2009). "The World Starts Tonight". In The World Starts Tonight (pp. 2–4) [CD booklet]. London: Cherry Red Records.
  2. ↑ "Bonnie Tyler: 'Forget being a star - do it for the love of it'". The Observer. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "The World Starts Tonight – Bonnie Tyler". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Digital sheet music – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". Musicaneo.com. Universal Music Publishing.
  5. ↑ "1976 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - 13th November 1976". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "1976 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - 27th November 1976". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "1976 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - 4th December 1976". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bonnie Tyler - Artist - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "British single certifications – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 November 2014. Enter Lost in France in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Click Search
  10. ↑ "How Luck Changed for Bonnie". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). 24 July 1977. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Bonnie Tyler – Live". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Bonnie Tyler – Bonnie on Tour". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  13. ↑ Lost in France (7-inch single). Bonnie Tyler. RCA Records. 1976. RCA 2734.
  14. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  15. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Bonnie Tyler > Lost in France – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bonnie Tyler search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (T)". Rock.co.za. John Samson. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  21. ↑ "Archive Chart: 19761030" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "Deutschland 1977". Jahreshitparade. KillerSoft. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "British single certifications – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Lost in France in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  24. ↑ "Kikki Danielsson – Fri". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  25. ↑ "Chris Conti – Lost in France". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.

External links