Lost in France

"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.

"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]
Genre	Pop[2]
Length	4:03
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Ronnie Scott Steve Wolfe
Producer(s)	David Mackay Ronnie Scott Steve Wolfe
Bonnie Tyler singles chronology
"My! My! Honeycomb" (1976) "Lost in France" (1976) "More Than a Lover" (1977)

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. 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" with her band Imagination 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, offering her a recording contract.^[1] "My! My! Honeycomb" was to become her first single, released in April 1976. The song failed to chart, only receiving local airplay in Wales. In response to this, RCA increased their promotional efforts for the release of "Lost in France", arranging for Tyler to fly to a château in France to meet with a large number of journalists.^[1]

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.^[3]

Recording

Tyler recorded four demos in London in 1975. "My! My! Honeycomb" was released as her first single with "Got So Used to Loving You" as its B-side,^[4] and "Lost in France" was released with "Baby I Remember You" as its B-side. David Mackay, Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe produced the songs. "Got So Used to Loving You" and "Lost in France" were later chosen to appear on her debut album The World Starts Tonight, which was released in February 1977.

Composition

"Lost in France" is a country pop song with a length of three minutes and 54 seconds.^[5] It is set in common time and has a moderate tempo of 118 beats per minute.^[6] 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.^[6]

Music Video

Tyler is seen singing as she walks through the gardens of a château, inside a cafe, and later singing from an upstairs window.

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.^[7] "Lost in France" continued to rise until it reached number nine on 27 November, maintaining the position for two weeks.^[8][9] The single gradually dropped following its peak, spending a total of ten weeks on the UK Singles Chart.^[10]

Critical reception

The Sydney Morning Herald described the song as the "stand-out track" from The World Starts Tonight, naming it the "most commercial."^[11] Record Mirror favoured the follow-up single "More Than a Lover", though agreed "Lost in France" was the more commercial of the two.^[1]

Live performances

Tyler's first television promotion for "Lost in France" took place on Top of the Pops on 4 November 1976.^{[citation needed]}

Tyler performed "Lost in France" live in Zaragosa, Spain, in 2005. The performance was recorded and released on Tyler's album Bonnie Tyler Live (2006) and the accompanying DVD Bonnie on Tour (2006).^[12][13]

Track listing

7" single^[14]

1. "Lost in France" — 4:03
2. "Baby I Remember You" — 3:19

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1976–77) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[15] 18 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[16] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] 21 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[18] 35 West Germany (GfK)[19] 3 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 24 Netherlands (Dutch Single Top 100)[21] 20 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[22] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 13 UK Singles (OCC)[24] 9

Year–end charts Chart (1977) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[25] 77 Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 8 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[27] 20

Cover versions

• Swedish dansband Wizex covered the song in 1977, featuring Kikki Danielsson on lead vocals. The song was later rereleased on Danielsson's 2001 compilation album Fri.^[28]
• Chris Conti recorded a dance version of "Lost in France" as a single, released in 1995.^[29]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from liner notes of The World Starts Tonight.^[1]

Technical and production

Dave Harris – assistant engineering Ashley Howe – engineering Andrew Hoy – production co-ordination David Mackay – arranging, engineering, producer George Nicholson – engineering Ronnie Scott – producer Simon Wakefield – assistant engineering Steve Wolfe – producer

Sounding Bonnie Tyler – vocal

On instruments Terry Britten – guitar Dave Christopher – guitar Mo Foster – bass guitar Barry Guard – percussion Simon Phillips – drums Alan Tarney – bass guitar, guitar Steve Wolfe – guitar

References

1. Hendriks, Phil (2009). "The World Starts Tonight". In The World Starts Tonight (pp. 2–4) [CD booklet]. London: Cherry Red Records.
2. Molanphy, Chris (16 October 2020). "Turn Around, Bright Eyes Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
3. "Bonnie Tyler: 'Forget being a star - do it for the love of it'". The Observer. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
4. My! My! Honeycomb (7-inch single). Bonnie Tyler. RCA Records. 1976. RCA 2679.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. "The World Starts Tonight – Bonnie Tyler". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
6. "Digital sheet music – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". Musicaneo.com. Universal Music Publishing.
7. "1976 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - 13th November 1976". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
8. "1976 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - 27th November 1976". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
9. "1976 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - 4th December 1976". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
10. "Bonnie Tyler - Artist - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
11. "How Luck Changed for Bonnie". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 24 July 1977. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
12. "Bonnie Tyler – Live". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
13. "Bonnie Tyler – Bonnie on Tour". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
14. Lost in France (7-inch single). Bonnie Tyler. RCA Records. 1976. RCA 2734.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
16. "Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
17. "Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
18. "Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bonnie Tyler" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
21. "Dutch Single Top 100 – 19/02/1977" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
22. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (T)". Rock.co.za. John Samson. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
23. "Bonnie Tyler – Lost in France". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
25. "Kent Music Report No 183 – 26 December 1977 > National Top 100 Singles for 1977". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 13 June 2021 – via Imgur.com.
26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1977". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
27. "South African Rock Lists Website - Hits 1977". Rock.co.za. John Samson. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
28. "Kikki Danielsson – Fri". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
29. "Chris Conti – Lost in France". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 November 2014.