1977 Bonnie Tyler – The World Starts Tonight

The World Starts Tonight is the debut studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, released in February 1977 by RCA Records. Most of the songs were written by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who worked as her managers while she was signed to RCA. They also produced the album alongside David Mackay. Musically, the album features country and pop songs.

Two singles were released from the album. The first, “Lost in France”, was certified silver by the BPI for sales of over 250,000 copies. “More Than a Lover” was also a hit, but failed to make progress in the UK Singles Chart after the BBC banned the song for its controversial lyrical content. Shortly after recording the album, Tyler had surgery to remove nodules from her vocal folds. The operation left Tyler with a permanently raspy voice.

The World Starts Tonight was received positively by contemporary critics, who praised Tyler for releasing a “promising debut”. The album was hugely popular in Sweden, where it reached number two. Despite this, it failed to chart in any other country.