Making Love Out of Nothing at All
"Making Love Out of Nothing at All" is a power ballad written and composed by Jim Steinman and first released by the British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply for their 1983 compilation album Greatest Hits (1983 [Air Supply album)|Greatest Hits]. It reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.
The song has been covered and sampled by other artists, such as Tyler in 1995 and rapper Cuban Link in the song "Letter to Pun" from the album Chain Reaction.
Background and recording
The song is a reworking of the main title theme from the 1980 film A Small Circle of Friends, for which Jim Steinman wrote the score. It was first recorded by Air Supply, giving them a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US for three weeks.The song was subsequently released as a new track from their Making Love... [The Very Best of Air Supply|1983 greatest hits album]. The B-side of the single is "Late Again". They have included the song on their greatest hits and live albums, and recorded an acoustic version for their 2005 album The Singer and the Song.
Simultaneously, Steinman offered the song, along with "Total Eclipse of the Heart", to Meat Loaf for his Midnight at the Lost and Found album; however, Meat Loaf's record company refused to pay Steinman for the material so Meat Loaf ended up writing compositions for the album himself.
By 1983, Air Supply had changed much of its classic musician line-up, both in the recording studio and on tour. But Steinman, known for his lavish, rock-opera-ish type productions, used Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band members Roy Bittan on keyboards and Max Weinberg on drums, to musically underscore the recording with like energies. Rick Derringer, who was previously the guitarist for the McCoys and Edgar Winter, provided the electric guitar solo.
Chart performance
The song was most successful in the United States and Canada, reaching numbers two and three, respectively. It also reached the top 30 in Ireland and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, the song was not as successful, peaking at No. 80 on the UK Singles Chart, their fourth highest charting single there overall, after "All Out of Love", "Even the Nights Are Better" and "Goodbye".Music video
Two versions of the music video for "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" were produced. The initial version is a loose homage to the lives of bands on tour life and the long distance relationships they go through during their concert tours. It begins with a couple driving to an airport; the man is "leaving for a tour" and tries to convince the woman to join him:After the man leaves and boards the plane, a Learjet 35, the band flies off to their destination. The remainder of the video intersperses Air Supply onstage with various scenes of the man and woman's relationship. Hitchcock and Russell leave their dressing room for the stage; as they sing with the band, the woman is shown packing to leave. Nevertheless, she changes her mind and does a u-turn on the freeway, and now drives to the airport. She meets Russell at the side of the stage near the end of the song and they embrace. This version was filmed entirely in Los Angeles, with the concert sequences shot at the Forum and the airport scenes done at Van Nuys Airport.
The subsequent official version is set in 1960s New York City and involves a Marine and a young woman and the various challenges they encounter in their relationship, interspersed with scenes of the band singing the song.
Personnel
- Russell Hitchcock - lead vocals
- Graham Russell - backing vocals
- Rick Derringer - electric guitar
- Sid McGinnis - acoustic guitar
- Steve Buslowe - bass
- Bill Linnane - piano
- Roy Bittan - synthesizers, piano and backing vocals
- Eric Troyer, Rory Dodd, Holly Sherwood - backing vocals
- Max Weinberg - drums
Bonnie Tyler version
In 1995, Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler covered "Making Love " on her eleventh studio album, Free Spirit. The track was co-produced by Steinman and Steven Rinkoff, and features samples of Tyler's mother, Elsie Hopkins, singing "Un bel dì vedremo" from Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly. The accompanying music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas.Critical reception
called Tyler's interpretation "fantastic, clocking in at nearly eight minutes, and seems perfectly suited for her voice. version was already great, but hers is awesome." Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Written and produced by Meatloaf's musical director Jim Steinman, Tyler does what few considered possible: singing a big ballad which goes beyond the monumental 'A Total Eclipse of the Heart'."Lyrics
These lines were changed for the Tyler version, and also for the subsequent Karine Hannah version.Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| UK Physical Singles | 87 |