Legendary songwriter John Parr contributes "forgotten" masterpiece to new rock musical Eternal Love

Singer/songwriter John Parr – who wrote and performed the million-selling Eighties hit single St Elmo’s Fire – is among the musical geniuses contributing original rock compositions to the ground-breaking score of brand-new musical theatre spectacular Eternal Love… debuting at Buxton Opera House in the coming months. Tickets are now on sale.
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Eagerly-awaited rock musical Vampires Rock - Eternal Love is coming to town, opening in the coming months, with tickets for its nationwide tour selling fast. And, Grammy-nominated John’s contribution – Everything They Said Was True – will be among 21 original songs featured.

Eternal Love producer/director/performer Steve Steinman (pictured with John), says: “As a result of John Parr coming to see me perform in one of our stage shows, I was kindly gifted the song. It was included on my first, number one album Leap of Faith, and subsequently released as a single – topping the Amazon Rock and iTunes charts in its own right.

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Like all other numbers included in the Eternal Love score, Everything They Said Was True is a song with a story to tell: dealing with the angst of a troubled relationship.

John Parr, of St Elmo's Fire fame (right) with producer of Eternal Love Steve SteinmanJohn Parr, of St Elmo's Fire fame (right) with producer of Eternal Love Steve Steinman
John Parr, of St Elmo's Fire fame (right) with producer of Eternal Love Steve Steinman

“John wrote the song with Meat Loaf way back in 1982,” says Steve. “He was staying at Meat Loaf’s home at the time.

“It’s an incredible song, but its roots are firmly in the Seventies guitar rock era. For a time in the Eighties, rock music transformed to a more synthesizer and drum machine-led format, and for that reason, Everything They Said Was True was overlooked, and was never recorded."

When John met Steve backstage at the Hull Arena, Steve had just embarked on his own recording career. Subsequently, Steinman has taken six singles and two albums to the top of the Amazon Music and iTunes charts.

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“John was very complimentary about my debut single Leap of Faith, and agreed to allow me to record Everything They Said Was True,” says Steve. “He said it deserved to be heard, and encouraged me to ‘go and get it out there’.

Eternal Love: The Musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusiveEternal Love: The Musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusive
Eternal Love: The Musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusive

“Which I did – and I took it to the top of the charts!

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Steve says that he is thrilled to include the song in the score for Eternal Love – the third tranche of the madly popular Vampires Rock trilogy: "Featuring a completely original script and score, Everything They Said Was True features along with 20 other truly superb, equally authentic rock numbers, written by composers boasting incredible songwriting pedigree.”

Among the esteemed songwriters contributing to the rock musical’s score are Steve Womack and Steve Etherington.

Steve Womack has written songs for many well-known recording artists, most recently contributing several songs for Bonnie Tyler’s latest album, including a duet with Cliff Richard. Bonnie says of Steve’s songwriting: “the magic I hear from my favourite Bruce (Springsteen) and Rod (Stewart) songs.”

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Eternal Love: a brand-new musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusiveEternal Love: a brand-new musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusive
Eternal Love: a brand-new musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusive

While Steve Etherington has featured in chart-topping groups and co-written the music for two hit musicals previously.

“Importantly, all the songs performed in Eternal Love feature the art of storytelling,” says Steve Steinman. “They’re all outstanding songs in their own right and won’t have to rely on the musical for their popularity.”

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Two thirds of the score is comprised of numbers from Steve’s two albums. The remainder is made up from brand-new songs, specifically written for the musical.

“They’re all in the can, composed and ready to go,” he says.

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Eternal Love: the vampire musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusiveEternal Love: the vampire musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusive
Eternal Love: the vampire musical is coming to Buxton Opera House 6 to 8 Feb 25 inclusive

Eternal Love promises production values to match any West End spectacular, a cast of 20 supremely talented performers, choreography and costumes of the very highest calibre, and that score.

It confidently bills itself as ‘the first rock musical championing an original score since the Rocky Horror Show’.

“Eternal Love: The Musical establishes a brand-new vision for the genre of musical theatre,” says Steve.

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“In addition to possessing everything you’d expect from a West End musical, on occasions it unashamedly breaks the fourth wall, ensuring that the fast-paced humour - which has earnt the Vampires Rock franchise its cult following - persists.”

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To borrow from the famed lyrics of Saint Elmo’s Fire, Steve Steinman is a man in motion, a man who can see a new horizon for the future of rock musicals, a man set to be flying higher and higher.

Thirty-five performances are already on sale for the UK tour of Eternal Love: The Musical. Tickets are available from: EternalLoveTheMusical.com

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