It's a Heartache

"It's a Heartache"
Single by Bonnie Tyler
from the album Natural Force
B-side	"It's About Time"
Released	November 1977
Genre	Rock, country rock, soft rock
Length	3:31
Writer(s)	Ronnie Scott & Steve Wolfe
Producer(s)	David Mackay
Certification	Platinum (SNEP) Gold (BPI, Music Canada, RIAA)
Bonnie Tyler singles chronology
"Heaven" (1977) "It's a Heartache" (1977) "Here Am I" (1978)

"It's a Heartache" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her second studio album, Natural Force (1978). The song was recorded in the same year by Juice Newton as a standalone single. It was written by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, Tyler's at-the-time managers, and produced by David Mackay.

Tyler's version received positive reviews from music critics. The song reached number three in the United States and number four in the United Kingdom. With physical sales in excess of 6 million copies, Tyler's version is one of the best-selling singles of all time.^[1] Tyler has re-recorded the song several times, most notably as a bilingual duet with French singer Kareen Antonn in 2004.

Juice Newton's version of "It's A Heartache" was released on select foreign editions of her Come to Me album. When released as a single in Mexico in 1977, the song garnered a gold record. Newton's version was released in the United States the following year and peaked at number 86.

Critical reception

The release of "It's a Heartache" had music critics comparing Tyler's voice to Rod Stewart's.^[2] Carol Wetzel from Spokane Daily Chronicle complimented Tyler's voice on "It's a Heartache", stating that her previous big hit, "Lost in France", is "no big deal, probably because it was made before her voice changed."^[3]

Other versions

Si Tout S'Arrête

"Si tout s'arrête (It's a Heartache)"
Single by Bonnie Tyler and Kareen Antonn
from the album Simply Believe
Released	7 June 2004
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:25
Writer(s)	Ronnie Scott & Steve Wolfe
Producer(s)	John Stage
Bonnie Tyler singles chronology
"Si demain... (Turn Around)" (2003) "Si tout s'arrête (It's a Heartache)" (2004) "Vergiß Es (Forget It)" (2004)

Tyler's most notable re-recording of the song appeared on her album Simply Believe (2004). It was recorded as a French/English bilingual track with Kareen Antonn and released as a single on 7 June 2004.^[4] The song was a hit in Belgium, France and Switzerland.

Chart performance

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5]	7
France (IFOP)[6]	12
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[7]	25

Track listing

Digital download and CD single^[4]

1. "Si Tout S'Arrête (It's a Heartache)" — 3:25
2. "Rock Theme (Single Version)" — 3:49

The second track is an instrumental rock track.

Other covers

Since 1977, this song has been covered numerous times. It appeared on the 1978 live album by David Johansen of the New York Dolls, The David Johansen Group Live. Country rock group Dave & Sugar released a cover in 1981, reaching #32 on the country charts with it. Trick Pony covered it on the album R.I.D.E., and released its version in 2005, peaking at #22 on the same chart. A version of the song appears on Arab Strap's Ten Years of Tears. Gene Pitney recorded a version on his 2003 album, Blue Angel - The Bronze Sessions. Rod Stewart has been covering the song live since recording it on his 2006 album Still the Same… Great Rock Classics of Our Time. In 2009, Jill Johnson recorded the song on the cover album Music Row II.^[8]

There is also a German version called "Lass mein Knie, Joe", sung by Norwegian female singer Wencke Myhre in 1978.

A Spanish version was recorded by the Chilean group Frecuencia Mod in 1978, by the tile "¡Oh! Qué pena".^[9][10]

In Italy, Patty Pravo recorded a version called "Notti bianche" in 1978.

A French version was recorded by Eva (a German singer), under the title "Et je m'en vais".

The Argentinian band Fun People recorded a punk version for the single "Middle Of The Rounds", in 1999.

In 1979, Czech singer Karel Gott made cover version "Jen se hádej".

In 1992, Country singer Lorrie Morgan recorded the song on her album Watch Me.

In 2014, Country group Little Big Town recorded the song with modified lyrics as Girl Crush from their album Pain Killer.

Charts and certifications

Bonnie Tyler Charts Chart (1977-1978) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 3 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[13] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 3 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 10 US Billboard Rock Singles[16] 2 Canada (RPM 50 Singles)[17] 1 Canada (RPM Adult Contemporary)[18] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 1 France (SNEP)[20] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[21] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] 3 Ireland (IRMA)[23] 3 Norway (VG-lista)[24] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 1 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[26] 2 Spain 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 3 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29] 4 Sales and certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Canada (Music Canada)[30] Gold 75,000^^ France (SNEP)[31] Platinum 1,107,000[32] United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 500,000^^ United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 1,000,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone Juice Newton Chart (1978) Peak position Canada (RPM 50 Singles)[35] 91 US Billboard Hot 100[36] 86 Dave & Sugar Chart (1982) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 32 Canadian RPM Country Tracks 37 Trick Pony Chart (2005) Peak position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[37] 22 References "Bonnie Tyler : People.com". People. 1996-06-17. Retrieved 2012-08-21. van Matre, Lynn (29 July 1978). "Bonnie Tyler's Career Took Years to Build". Evening Independent. Retrieved 17 December 2014. Wetzel, Carol (1 June 1978). "DISCritique". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Cowles Publishing Company). Retrieved 17 December 2014. "Si tout s'arrête (It's a Heartache) by Bonnie Tyler & Kareen Antonn". iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 6 November 2014. "Ultratop.be – Kareen Antonn / Bonnie Tyler – Si tout s'arrête (It's A Heartache)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 November 2014. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Bonnie Tyler" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 6 November 2014. "Swisscharts.com – Kareen Antonn / Bonnie Tyler – Si tout s'arrête (It's A Heartache)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 November 2014. Information at Svensk mediedatabas Frecuencia Mod (in Spanish) Oh Que Pena 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. "Austriancharts.at – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Bonnie Tyler – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Bonnie Tyler. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Bonnie Tyler – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Bonnie Tyler. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Bonnie Tyler – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Bonnie Tyler. Retrieved 5 November 2014. Billboard magazine - 1 July 1978. New York City: Nielsen Business Media. 1978. p. 44. "Volume 29, No. 15, 8 July 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Adult Contemporary – Volume 29, No. 14, 1 July 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Bonnie Tyler: It's a Heartache" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Lescharts.com – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Musicline.de – Bonnie Tyler Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bonnie Tyler search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 3 November 2014. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Charts.org.nz – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (T)". Rock.co.za. John Samson. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Swedishcharts.com – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Swisscharts.com – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Archive Chart: 19771203" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 November 2014. "Canadian single certifications – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". Music Canada. "French single certifications – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BONNIE TYLER and click OK "Les Singles Platine :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 21 August 2012. "British single certifications – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". British Phonographic Industry. Enter It's a Heartache in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search "American single certifications – Bonnie Tyler – It's a Heartache". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 August 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH "Volume 29, No. 5, April 29, 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 December 2014. "Juice Newton – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Juice Newton. Retrieved 16 December 2014. "Trick Pony – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Trick Pony. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics