Believe it or not, I used this video to help me teach my daughter about dating, boys, expectations, false promises, and instant regret. The rock opera is a perfect example of a single moment in time, bad decisions, and long term consequences. Thank you, Meatloaf and rest in peace.
Yeah, you'd be amazed what people are willing to say in the heat of the moment. Confused emotions plus raging hormones usually don't lead to good decisions. And you don't get do overs or to take it back after it's happened.
I was 15... a young guy and it was the complete opposite in my case . My girlfriend used this song and made it completely clear she wanted to be rid of her virginity . I remember her talking about this song again and again and talking about my coming drivers license and how I should put a mattress in the camper shell on my truck . Problem was she would not get any type of birth control . When you have a father that says ( as his sex talk and this is all ) " you get her pregnant you are out of here " you think twice . The only type of birth control available to me was a condom at the time and I didn't trust them . Besides I knew he would do much more than kick me out . She really pressed me and I finally broke up with her and it was tough because my friends and schoolmates did nothing but give me crap . As I say this I bet you women are thinking what a loser ( It's not your daughter right ) and THERE IS YOUR DOUBLE STANDARD ! So don't pretend the guys are the bad ones in this situation . It wasn't even a year later that my best friend got his girlfriend pregnant and her parents and his parents made them get married AT 17 YEARS OLD ! Girls are just as bad at that age and really bad at birth control . So warn your sons as well . PK
@@DavidHall-d8q girls are in that age more bad than boys... as i got my first car with 18 i had every day minimum 1 card behind my carwindow from girls who "love" me... it was awful... after a few weeks i parked my car far away from school, so i didnt had longer this problem, because i had a girlfriend long a time before my first car and she was very angry about all that cards and i dont wanted longer this problems... for luck more of my classmates got cars and then they bercame that sort of cards and i had less problems...^^
I was fortunate enough to meet Meat Loaf at a convention in Sept 2021 a few months before he passed. He did a panel discussion where he explained: "I'm not a singer. I can't sing. I'm an actor and some of the characters I play can sing."
He was a great singer as everyone acknowledges, but he was underrated as an actor. Fortunately we have Jack Black carrying the torch! (Who I think is an underrated singer!) :)
He starred in an under appreciated movie called Roadie with some other great 70’s musicians. Blondie, Hank Jr, Roy Orbison, Alice Cooper. Don Cornelius and Art Carney are also in it. If you’ve ever been in a band, or are or know a Texan, this is a must-see, Saturday afternoon movie.
Jim was an amazing singer in his own right and commercially released a few of his songs but collaborating with Meatloaf and releasing those songs + adding to the repertoire for a few albums made both of their careers! Not to mention the amazing female vocalists that added to the songs…Ellen Foley in this case. ❤
@@Cyannah117 "thats where the gold is where the adventure lies waiting" the steinman quote was used on a creepy tik tok video, he was climbing over a huge tree limb in his path, suddenly hears a sound that spooks him and back over the limb in the direction he came lol
@@DGemme1000karaoked this at my wedding in 92. 2 pissed off mother in laws, 2 father in laws just pissin in laughter at their own wives. Best night of my life
A long time ago (1990s) someone at work either quoted this song or mentioned something about it, so I just sang the single line, "So now I'm prayin' for the end of time, to hurry up and arrive," and he busted out laughing. Apparently, the song is so long his concentration had always drifted and he never really listened to how it ended. I've rather enjoyed things like that over the years, because I always seem to be one of the few in the group who knows the lyrics to whatever song we're talking about. I love a good turn of phrase especially in music that's great by itself (Meatloaf, Deep Purple, etc).
To those of you appreciating this song now, I fully understand but man oh man, you have now idea how fantastic this was at the time. What a wonderful song from a wonderful artist from a wonderful time.
I can remember that in rapid succession we got Hotel California, The Cars, Boston, Bat Out Of Hell. Lots more but those albums were all different, all stunning, and all still selling good numbers today. We got the best of everything musically.
@davedempsey5282 Oh, that first Boston album was really something. It was like nothing else. I loved it! It was a special time in music. Creativity and innovation were building within the musicians. They created a new kind of depth.
Anytime my wife and I went to a wedding, this song invariably came on at some point in the reception. We could never resist acting it out, the level of flamboyance increasing depending on exactly *when* in the celebrations it was played. We'd clear the dance floor and got so good that at one point a few people who didn't know us well asked if our marriage was OK. Never better over 35 years of marriage. Rest In Peace, my love.
We did the same, in college our co-ed fraternity had three songs that were always played at our parties, this being one of them. Lots of us dated and eventually married, we all would line up and act this song out..... This was way back in the mid 90s..... Still Some of the best memories of my life. Later on, hubby and I did this at a company Christmas party and people legitimately asked if everything was ok, lol.
Meatloaf and Freddie mercury were the 2 most operatic singer’s in rock n roll!! This is as good as it gets, nobody tops them 😊❤. May they both rest in peace…….❤
That "terrified" look on his face when she's giving him the ultimatum has always been the best part of this whole video for me. His acting in that scene with his eyes all bugged out while he's about to chew his nails has always cracked me up.
Please note that the woman in the video is Karla DeVito, who is a great singer on her own but did not sing on Meat Loaf’s album or videos. Ellen Foley is most famous for playing a lawyer on the early seasons of the original “Night Court”, a comedy series from the 1980s. It was felt that Karla had a better look for the video than Ellen.
My understanding is that Ellen Foley declined to tour with Meatloaf, as she had other responsibilities. Karla DeVito is married to former teen heartthrob Robby Benson (shows how old I am).
As a 16 year old in 1978 when I first heard this album, I loved this song particularly, and always took it as the cautionary tale it was. Now, as a 60 year old grandmother, I still own the album on vinyl, and it is still one of my favourite albums ever. RIP Meatloaf and thank you for being such a huge part of my coming of age.
It is about a couple in their 40’s who look back in time to when they were 16 years old! And how one beautiful night parking by the lake, ruins their lives! And according to Jim (RIP) it is Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan) looking back in time!
One of the greatest songs ever written and performed.👍 BTW Ellen Foley did the vocals on the LP but for the video and tour it was Karla DeVito - she appears in this video on top of Foley’s original vocal.
@@pinkstarphoenix6182 But if you dig a bit you can find a nice recent duet with Ellen and Karla called happy to be here. Oh and never forget that Mick Jones wrote Should I Stay or Should I Go about their time as a couple in the UK.
@MrDportjoe If you dig around, you can find some videos of Karla performing with Meat. She toured with him a fair bit and jokes about being his stage wife in one interview.
This was the first song I danced to with my wife, the very first night we met. It was about 1989, maybe 1990. Lulu's Roadhouse in Kitchener Ontario. They very often played this song there. All the guys would form a line on one side of the dance floor, all the girls on the other side. You acted out your parts across the floor to your partner, singing every word. It was great. We just had our 32nd wedding anniversary. We still both love this song, and if it comes on the radio or something, we still sing the whole thing out loud to each other. Thanks for posting this!
His ability to annunciate is what got him the roll of Eddie in Rocky Horror. They tried various singers who could get most of the song but all stumbled at various points. They were thinking of taking several takes and editing them together in hopes of getting one version. Meatloaf sang it and afterwards essentially shrugged and asked what was so hard? Between that and his ability to be an over the top presence made them immediately pick him.
Of course it helped that he played Eddie in the original US production in LA (and Dr. Scott) which brought the show to the awareness of the movie's eventual producers
Jim Steinman, the composer behind Meatloaf's biggest songs, was an ambitious songwriter. He never shirked at a challenge or a complicated vocal arrangement. These musical numbers were breathtaking in their day and were the secret of Meatloaf's enduring appeal. Meatloaf was a great singer with a ton of stagecraft, but without Jim Steinman to push him to the limit, we might never have witnessed his genius. Great reaction, Elizabeth!
Yes. Steinman said about this song, that it was about car sex that ruins lives. He had such great sense of humour in his writings and he brought out the best in Meatloaf in my opinion
Steinman and Meatloaf were just made for each other. Nobody else has performed Jim's songs as well as Meat, and all of Meat's absolute standout performances were written by Steinman. Thank the gods of rock that they found each other.
Hi Elizabeth. This song is one of the most iconic songs of the late 70’s - in fact the Album that it came from “Bat Out Of Hell” is a total Masterpiece. There are only 7 songs on the album & each song is pure genius in its lyrics, music & vocal performance. “2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad” always pulls on the heart strings.
And even though "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is nine minutes long, it is actually the third-longest of the seven. Both "Bat Out of Hell" and "For Crying Out Loud" are longer. This is a Jim Steinman (songwriter) trademark--his songs were usually so long that entire verses had to be removed to get radio play. Some DJ's, though, would play the whole songs because it gave them time to use the restroom and/or smoke a cigarette while the song was playing.
@@timcarr4673 We were having "the talk" you end up having when you marry the day your girl turns 18 in defiance of her alcoholic parents. Sitting in my Chevy van, "Bat out of Hell" cassette playing on my JVC deck turned down low and "Two out of Three" plays she reached over and turned it up, laughing faintly through our tears and says "perfect timing", kissed my cheek and let herself out of my life.
Thank you so much for paying appropriate attention to the female part and for calling this a duet. Meatloaf could have dominated so many singers, but Ellen Foley stands up to his power and owns her part.
Thank you! Yes! Ellen Foley is an absolute star. Why did she get replaced on this vid and also in Night Court? I loved Billie! Maybe she was hard to work with??? I don't' get it. She's amazing.
Reportedly a record executive, hearing the "Bat Out of Hell" demos for the first time, asked songwriter Jim Steinman if he had ever actually listened to a rock album before.
The charisma of the protagonists is so overwhelming that it's easy to overlook how powerful the band is! Let's give a shout out to Todd Rundgren playing guitar, Rundgren's Utopia bandmates Kasim Sulton on bass and Roger Powell on synthesizer, and Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band on piano and drums, respectively.
Someone should convince her to listen to All Coming Back to Me Now feat Marion Raven it almost felt like Ballad or Operatic is that a word or did I just make that up?
I wish someone would react to For Crying Out Loud. Everyone does Paradise and Bat, but For Crying Out Loud is Meat’s vocal tour de force and one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.
Jim Steinmann was a musical genius. His compositions and song craft was so good. He was also brilliant at encapsulating human behavior and putting it eloquently into rhyme within his songwriting. Paradise by the dashboard light is a perfect example the thought process of the two main characters being a barely seventeen year old girl and boy and there end goals are perfectly written as if they were written and expressed by teenagers. And putting the baseball reference as an interlude, so unique and perfect. Beautifully performed from Meat, Ellen and Karla in the video. R.I.P Jim and Meat.
In 1984, Lloyd Webber asked JS to write the lyrics of Phantom of the Opera. JS was busy with a Bonnie Tyler album but the composers kept in touch, and 10 years later, Lloyd Webber suggested another collaboration. They have been working on Whistle Down the Wind, on and off, ever since, and JS has also had time to squeeze in another project: he was commissioned by Roman Polanski to compose a musical based on his classic horror-comedy, The Fearless Vampire Killers. Dance of the Vampires opened in Vienna October 1997, and was probably the biggest show in Europe. "Bigger than Phantom," JS smiles. "I'm actually the first person in history to have done this, to do music for one show and lyrics for the other in one year. Probably a dubious achievement."
@kevinmichael9482 "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply, "Tonight is What it Means to be Young" from Streets of Fire, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion, and "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. If it was an unusually long song (seven minutes, plus), with a great instrumental, word play in the lyrics, rumbling drums, falsetto echos by the background singers, fantastic crescendos, and plays off repeated phrases ("Turn around"/"Every now and then I...", "I know just how to...", "If you ... me like this, and if you ... me like that"), Jim Steinman probably wrote it. More than anyone else, I can listen to a song I'd never really listened to before and know immediately that Steinman wrote it (including both "Tonight is What it Means to be Young" and "Nowhere Fast" from Streets of Fire when I watched it in my 30s, having last seen it in the theater when I was 12).
I’ve been to SO MANY weddings where this was played, requested by the bride or groom, in jest. You have to have an awesome sense of humor to have this played at your wedding.🙌👏😆
Nah... You would REALLY have to have an awesome sense of humour if you had this ( ruclips.net/video/TinPcg9U_L8/видео.html ) played at your wedding. The Big Bopper died in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.
I've always appreciated the triple entendre of the Baseball part. 1. The use of thinking about baseball for the guy to last longer has been a long standing distraction technique. 2. The excellent play on words that has a very sophomoric value 3. The possible car radio playing baseball coverage providing an excuse to sit in the car for a while.
...and American baseball has connotations of innocence lost after the "olden days", like someone no longer a virgin a la Springsteen's, Glory Days or Don McLean's, American Pie...lol...I never actually thought about 1 & 3 in that context (Though I've heard of both techniques), but it makes total sense, kudos!
Too much??? There is never enough Meatloaf!My uncle was his understudy for R.H.P.S. I met him when I was five or six year old.I called him Uncle Mark .As I got older and mtv came around I realized who he was! I heard him and my uncle sing and saw them perform many times .But ,they were just my uncles too me .What a shock I got when I seen him on mtv and vh1 .Hes a marvelous man and way too talented for one person .Iam very blessed to have known him .
What state was this? I wonder? (TN?) and the year? First album I bought was Bat Out of Hell. Saved my money for months. It was 1981, I was 10 or 11 years old. I bought it because of the album cover. I was so happy the music was great as well.
Like many have said, you really need to listen to the album all the way through, start to finish. Its a concept album so every song ties into the rest and tells a full story. Amazing writing, amazing singing, and todd rundgren on guitars, it has everything you could want.
I was in my late 30s in a club in Indianapolis the first time I heard this song. The dance floor was packed. There was a girl dancing with a deaf boy and signing the words of the song while he held her hips and rocked with the rhythm of her movement. It was magical to watch the connection between them while being overwhelmed by the power of this song. I will never forget it.
I was "barely" 13 when I begged for this album at Xmas77. My Mom didn't approve of "Meatloaf" or the album cover, lol. But, when I un-wrapped it and played it (immediately), she was hooked. As in, She had the cassette version in her car before New Years of that year.
First time I heard it was on Saturday Night Live, late 1977 or 78. The meaning didn’t land on me as I was about 12. No worries, it hit me like a ton of bricks a few years later.
"For Crying Out Loud" is the most underrated song on the entire Bat out of Hell album. From my point of view, it has the most feeling and still draws the most tears from my eyes. A love song for eternity
Totally agree, ending the album with "for crying out loud" was definitely the reason Bat out of hell is in the top 10 of the best selling albums in history. I believe the last 3 times Meatloaf performed "for crying out loud" Live was in 1978, 2004, and in 2013 with the most recent two times, well the song always hit him hard emotionally so I'd recommend a 78' or earlier live performance.
Bat Out of Hell and Paradise really grabbed me and drew me into the whole album... but when you really get into the album For Crying Out Loud I feel is one of the best lyrically and vocally... so theatric, powerful and yet sensitive... has been my favorite track for many years off this record...
Totally agree! Crying Out Loud is soooooo good! I hope she can review it! I’m going to listen to it now. The piano, timing, his voice! It’s my favorite!❤
There isn't a bad song on that album. Meatloaf and Steinman created a true masterpiece. "For Crying Out Loud" is a less known song on the album but a total epic vocal performance - give it a listen.
Absolutely agree, For Crying out Loud is the best song on the album but she has got to give that a listen. Saying that wouldn't complain if she did Heaven Can Wait.
Honestly, if you listen to the whole album front to back you’ll find that it is a story of the main character’s life (the singer), it starts at the end of his life in the first song then jumps back and takes you through his trials and tribulations. It was an amazing piece of writing by Jim Steinman and performed perfectly by Meatloaf.
Indeed, Steinman wrote it as a musical or rock opera. However, since he couldn’t find anyone to finance the production he decided to at least bring it out as an album. He auditioned for lead singers and meat loaf won the audition… many years later it was actually produced as a musical and you can go and see it in London, now!
Jim said, that he wanted a tall muscular and blond singer to sing his songs in a very masculine manner. (He didn't like the almost drag queenish rock singers of the time, you know who I'm talking about) but as he heard Meats singing he was totally blown away and said that's him! We are doing this... So the big muscle guy is just shown on the covers of the albums they've made! R.i.p greatest duo ever!
The difference between Meatloaf and other singers is that he always gives 110%. You could be in the audience with 25000 people like the Forum in Montreal or with 750 people in a large bar in Massachusetts and he would still give 110%. One of a kind with that dynamic voice.
Saw him twice, live. It was a show...period. To go along with him giving 110%, when the opening act couldn't go on, they went on 40 minutes early, but didn't finish 40 minutes early . . . They ADDED 40 minutes to their show. It made that night so awesome.
Definitely a classic! And let's not forget the unsung hero of this album - producer, Todd Rundgren. Every label in the country had passed on this work, but Todd got it immediately. He financed the recording, arranged the vocals, played the guitars and even recruited members of his own band, Utopia, as well as Springsteen's E Street Band to play Jim Steinman's amazing songs.
Steinman wanted the sound of a motorbike revving on the title track, and Todd Rundgren said that he would arrange it. The recording was pretty well done, and Jim still didn't have his motorbike and apparently he was hassling Todd. So according to Jim, finally Todd picked up his guitar and they did another take with Todd creating the motorbike sound on his guitar and in a single take going straight into the guitar part without pausing. Todd is a great guitarist, multi-instrumentalist , writer, producer and innovator.
There's a great video about the making of this album where Jim, Meat, and Todd are all interviewed for it. Todd amazed me by calling the harmonies in "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" 'Eagles harmonies'. Then he turned down everything but the vocals and you could almost swear it was the Eagles.
You should check out some of Meat's ballads like "Two out of three ain't bad", "Heaven can wait" and especially "For crying out loud". Him and Steinman have created something truly epic there.
@@darricshhh Exactly. Unfortunately, in public it never became what it should have been. One of the most beautiful love ballads of all time. But hey, their loss.
@@craigf6277 I would’ve loved to have heard Meat cover a few tunes by The Who. Baba O’Riley, We Won’t Get Fooled Again and Getting in Tune would’ve been perfect.
For those unclear - this is the album studio track with Ellen Foley singing and a bunch of session singers singing backups - with film shot to match as though it was a live performance to make the video. By the time the video was created Karla had joined Meatloaf for the live shows, so for the filming Meatloaf and Karla performed as they were already doing when they performed live.(Edit: Thanks to those who added something new to my comment. For everyone else who simply restated what I said differently but yet told me I was wrong or not quite right... sigh... Learn to comprehend what you read. Splitting hairs is pointless - the end result - this is an edited film which basically has a studio audio track - and since Ellen Foley sang it in the studio then that is who we are hearing on this version. How exactly the shoot was conducted and the assembly was accomplished was not detailed in my post, but since I have made music videos, appeared in music videos back in the 80s and now - and I teach film making and am a professional composer, songwriter and audio engineer - I have some concepts about what it took in the 80s to create a music video. This was shot on film. Film was then edited together. Meatloaf even acknowledges the camera and looks directly at it and basically winks. At 35:30 Meat starts to come back in and does not have a mic in front of his face but yet you hear him and then he pops the mic up for the "Let me sleep on it" line. It takes effort to edit film, and to sync it up once edited, and to accomplish this, they would have to listen to the actual audio to be used when filming and I am sure they are singing as they are being filmed to accomplish the most believable performance, but we do not hear what they are singing in the final product, only a mix of the studio track. ADDITIONAL TRIVIA: I spent a day on set shooting and being shot and escorting Meatloaf to and from set as he had just had surgery - for Meatloaf's last video for "Braver Than We Are You". Sadly we were all cut and cropped out from the final version of the video - though can still barely see my props in the final edit and the hair of the actress playing "Ellen" barely coming into frame!)
@@mdhofstee. They all lip sync’d…it was a video shoot and not really live. lol And, @sams, Ellen was ‘asked’ to leave before the video was even conceptualized. She didn’t fit the ‘visual vibe’ and Karla did. Both were great singers.
What I love about this song is it so nicely encapsulates the tensions around adolescence and sex. The struggle between satisfying the physical need and being mindful of consequences. Your analysis is wonderful.
Did anyone notice that they were singing each other's parts on the outro? All through the song, Meatloaf was singing about how he "saw paradise by the dashboard light". But on the outro, Ellen/Karla was singing that part, and Meatloaf was singing about how "it never felt so good, it never felt so right". Also note how those parts were always sang separately during most of the song but layered over each other during the outro. Among other things, that means they had to be written to synch with each other and be in tune with each other, but that wasn't revealed until the outro. This is the sort of trick you'd use when writing a fugue!
Elizabeth, you are now ready to experience Meatloaf's best song (IMHO), Two Outta Three Ain't Bad. It's a sad song for sure, but it has some of the best emotional singing you will ever hear. Bring a box of tissues for that reaction for sure.
Written by Jim Steinman, who was a song writing god back then. Jim had the number 1 and number 2 hits at the same time in the 1980's, Making Love Out of Nothing At All by Air Supply and Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. He was such a powerhouse in this era writing for a number of HUGE acts. He is a National Treasure. Yet, the only successful song I know that he performed himself was the original release of Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through, which Meatloaf did a cover of more than a decade later with an entirely different tone.
He also wrote "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," which was a huge hit for Celine Dion ,though a Meat Loaf version does exist too. Funnily enough, I had never heard Meat Loaf's version until years later, but when I first heard Celine's version my thought was "this sounds like something Meat Loaf would sing!" I've actually learned to recognize Jim Steinman songs using that logic. I'm never wrong lol.
Steinman's own album, Bad For Good (and there isn't a bad track on it) was originally written for Meat Loaf. Unfortunately, Meat Loaf was down for the count with a vocal injury that he was taking ages to recover from and said "You take the band and YOU do the album..." And he did. Not the same kind of powerhouse as Meat Loaf but he made a damn creditable showing of it!
Meatloaf was a PERFORMER.. from every angle. I saw him in a small venue in the late 80’s…. He was just as powerful in person…. And we were so “close” to the stage….. we were actually hit with his flying sweat!!! I don’t go to many concerts… as most are blasted so loud that it ends up being a horrible experience for me… but his concert.. and this song in particular… was a memory I will never forget. Thank you for allowing me to “relive it”!! It was so fun to hear your take on it all!! Thanks again!!
12:36 Karla Devito is the woman in the video and it is video from an actual live performance. However, the song was recorded with Ellen Foley on vocals. Foley didn't want to do the touring, so DeVito took her spot live.
I was born in '91, so this was my dad's generation of music. He would listen to it on road trips when I was growing up and I got SO into it. Bat Out of Hell is one of the greatest albums ever. Anyway, I didn't always know what the song was about, but I knew, at 7 or 8 years old, when it was reaching its crescendo, and would get SO annoyed when my dad would change the station to a baseball game right in the middle of it. Little did I know.
He should of just let it play through, I was born in '81 and at about the same age and I asked my Dad what the song was about and he said 'A guy dying on his motorcycle, road bikes are dangerous'.
My 2 daughters are around your age and had to suffer the same thing you did, the pleasure I have now is occasionally we get together put RUclips on and play them all loud with a few drinks. Turned out the be a wonderful thing for a father.
Elizabeth The Baseball Analogu Refers to Sex 1st Base is Kiss 2nd is touching Breast 3rd base Getting Undressed & She Stops him Safe at 3rd to ask Question
How you got me to watch 45 minutes is the real trick. I was 17 years old when this song came out, and I LOVED it. Meatloaf was the best- one of my favorites. I was going to give you 2 minutes, and ended up watching the whole thing. Great job breaking it down!
I don't think most people have any idea how HUGE this album was for at least two years straight. I fell in LOVE with two out of three Ain't bad but then the whole album caught me on fire and I was only 11 or 12.
I totally get you. When I saw the runtime for this video, I made a conscious decision to watch the whole thing. But that’s only because I have some time today, sitting t home recovering from a gigantic panic attack this morning. Strangely, both this song and the analysis don’t seem to affect me negatively. On the contrary, it just pulls me in!
It is worth watching the 1978 live version from the Old Grey Whistle Test. You get to hear Karla's vocal and watch the great theatrics between the two.
The baseball commentary is absolute genius. Steinman was a strange guy but a bit of a crazy genius. The story telling in his songs is excellent. And Meat's voice at this point was incredible. Seeing him live in 1987 was still one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
The whole Bat Out Of Hell album is phenomenal. It's operatic, it's dramatic, it's powerful, it's cynical, it's sooo emotional - and the performances he puts on are timeless. Someone else mentioned "For Crying Out Loud" from the album - yes - you NEED to listen to that too. It BEHOOVES you. Honestly, I'd sit and listen to the whole album - in order - because "Heaven Can Wait" is another heart-wrenching, chill-causing, amazing song. For vocalists like us, I truly believe that album is one of, if not THE, best vocal album of the 70s. There will never be another like Meat Loaf.
There's a reason it's the #3 best selling album of all times. According to the quick search I did. I know it's up there by any metric. Ahh yes the memories. It's the soundtrack to my teen years and first boyfriend. What a wonderful trip down memory lane. 😊
@@larrykile3190 You're joking, the amount of time she stops and plays a part again sometimes 3 times, it would take *days* to watch an album review. This one-song reaction was over 44 minutes!
As far as the story goes, I love that the first time they are in harmony while singing is when they start singing "So now I'm praying for the end of time." That tells a story in itself.
Meatloaf and Steinman shopped the album around and couldn’t get anyone to bite. Steinman joked that record companies were being created just in order to reject them. Meatloaf nearly had a nervous breakdown. Finally Epic signs them… the album goes 14x platinum. It’s one of the highest selling albums rock history. Currently over 43 million copies sold.
In Flanders, every year there's a public vote on the top 1000 best songs of all time (though all songs are from the last 100 years or so). This song has a consistent cozy spot in the top twenty, among likes of Africa (Toto) and Purple Rain (Prince).
They actually recorded the album without a contract and the producer Todd Rundgren was ultimately responsible for the cost of recording. Then it was sold to a label which was distributed by Epic. Todd got a relatively huge royalty as a result (8% of Meatloaf's royalty I believe) which he sold to Meatloaf in the early 1990s and built a gorgeous house in Hawaii with the proceeds.
Although he is mostly known as a singer, Meat Loaf also came out of a musical theatre background. He was in the cast of "Hair" as well as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" musical and is also in the movie of that name. In a way this stage performance set the tone and was a predecesor to all the music videos we came to enjoy so much in the late seventies and eighties.
I met Meat Loaf when I was working on the local crew (at Old Orchard Beach Ballpark in Maine) for a show on his Bat Out of Hell 2 tour back in the 90's. I wasn't much of a fan till I had a chance to work with him. In one afternoon of getting ready for the show, he earned tons of respect from me. He was a consummate entertainer with much less ego than I had expected. I still consider Paradise by the Dashboard Lights to be his best song ever and your reactions to it are priceless.
I've seen this video maybe 600 times, and I've enjoyed it more with your commentary than I thought possible, thank you. It's nice to see other people experience and appreciate the music you grew up with.
I will never ever not be in awe of the sheer power of Meatloaf's voice and the absolute mastery and control he had over it. A once in a lifetime voice. And I have wondered how he would have fared as a classic Opera singer had a different road been walked. And I have always considered this a modern Opera done in a rock style. The forms are all there. It is a classic. In any case, Thank You so much for your analysis! I learned and heard so much I had never noticed or considered in the song for all the times I've listened to it. And as others have said before - "I don't always listen to Meatloaf. But when I do, the neighbors do also!"
I wonder about that too, what his career might have been as a classically trained opera singer...I can't help but feel if he had gone down that route, whether the singing teachers would have tried to "smooth out" the little inflections and accents in his Voice that made it so unique and distinctive. I might be wrong, of course, but we'll never know. Thank goodness he was too much of a rebel to let anyone tell him how to sing!
GREAT video. As a 60ish man I have watched a lot if reactions to this song. It is so depressing to see folks who miss more than half of the cultural references. Your joy in listening to the vocals as well as understanding the genius of this song was uplifting. Thank you! Meatloaf and Jim Steinman's (spelling?) talent doesn't come along often. They are missed.
To be fair to me as a German in the very early 80s, when I first heard it, any cultural refererences didn't make much sense. Baseball still isn't much a thing here so it took me like 10 years from first hearing the song to understand the bases metaphor. Although we did have the German synchronised version of "Bad News Bears" TV show, that really didn't tell me anything about baseball and given the team are middleschoolers, that other meaning of the bases never came up. But the announcer reporting the game with an ever increasing passion did at least convey to me how the situation is heating up 😉 Also that barely 17 line also didn't really make nuch sense, since you have to be 18 in Germany to get a drivers license, so only one passenger could be barely 17, which would still work out, since the age of consent is 16 (14, if both parties are minor). But the rest made perfect sense for people of the post war generation up til at least the 1990s, because it is like the general western mentality. Maybe even longer before up until now It is a timeless story about passion and regret.
Not only do I love your analysis, but watching you blush and the way you express shock; like with ACDC, Ozzy or Linds Ronstadt is totally worth showing up here regularly for your reactions! You have an amazing show! Thank you for stepping up and bringing us musical and vocal interpretation. Love it! ❤❤❤
I've always known how awesome this song (and the vocals) were, but hearing Elizabeth break it down was particularly special for me... Meatloaf was a HELL of a performer and like Liz said, great vocal range as well. After listening to this, I even further realize how special it was to grow up in the 70s and 80s. This music will never be repeated, so enjoy it while you can, folks.
This song was "Over the top" And that's what makes it great. The first time I heard it way back in the seventies, I was blown away by the amount of power both vocally and instrumentally and how it hits you. And the story is classic. "Stop right there!" A karaoke favorite to this day and hysterical watching drunk people at bars sing it! Thanks for the great reaction Liz. I love your in-depth analysis of all these great rock songs.
My wife and I saw this live and it is even more powerful live and we were in the third row. This is our favorite meatloaf song. It was a real experience and something I won't forget.❤ It is also as high energy as the video appears.
I absolutely love your facial quirks when you catch something in a performance. Your knowledge of vocals helps those of us not educated in the field understand more of why we love some songs.
What I love about this song most though is tht Meatloaf's character honored his vow. He never considered breaking the vow. And, Both characters were regretting their decisions. A true life lesson in many ways!
That is why so much of Boomer humor is about how much they loathe their spouse though. They all made unbreakable vows to the first person they let touch their privates before their brains were even fully developed. My dad thinks the "praying for the end of time" line is the funniest thing ever written. It is sad, not admirable. You are wasting your one life on a person who makes you miserable because you made a poor decision at 17?
@@Glokta4 Plus it's comedy, you can exaggerate stuff like that maybe to let off steam every once in a while and still have a happy relationship. She needs to get her head out of books and see what's around her.
Yes@@bibliophilelady6106 , by all means, generalize and stereotype everyone who is part of the greatest (period) generation (period) ever (PERIOD)! Loathing one's spouse has been a comedic well visited by comedy writers since, I don't know, since maybe Shakespear?? Get a clue kid before you make stupid comments on the internet.
@@bjclensterit's embarrassing to think that any generation is the greatest ever, they all have flaws and merits, to think otherwise is pretty sad tbh. People are all products of their environments, technological advances, social changes, the generations prior to their own etc. People weren't just better before, and if they were then that's partly because of the way the previous generations shaped them and any resulting issues would in part stem from the failures of prior generations to pass down whatever "greatness" they had. So if there is a clearly defined "greatest" generation then that means they were failures to all following generations
This song is so great. Melody, harmony, rhythm, character arc, Phil Rizzuto. It has everything. Also, I don't always listen to Meat Loaf, but when I do, so do the neighbors.
My dad chose to play this at his wedding reception (second marriage) around 15 years ago. I didn't even know he knew this song, he's a life long country listener.
A must vocal performance for every generation to come. Thank you Ellen Foley & Meat and video with Karla D. Jim, it was just as over the top as you intended. You're a Rock Genius.
That is Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto giving the play-by-play in the baseball scene. He was a retired player who had a great post-retirement career in announcing. When he recorded this, they handed him some copy and he read it, without knowing how they intended to use it.
I'm remember Meatloaf telling how fans would approach him and say that this song was exactly the way it was when they were teenagers in the fifties. And then fans who were teenagers in the sixties would tell him the same thing. Seventies teenagers as well. Some things never change. LOL.
As a teenager in the early 80’s, it hadn’t really changed much by then either. I was never coerced into a proposal & unhappy marriage (the unhappy marriage came later, so I can, unfortunately, relate to that as well), but there were many times I was in the car with a girl & we were working on our ‘Night Moves,’ so to speak..
So fun facts, the lady in the video is actually Karla DeVito, she is the now wife of Robbie Benson (The Beast from Beauty and the Beast), but the vocal is actually done by Ellen Foley an actress and singer. Meat Loaf, or Meat as he preferred to be known as was just an amazing singer, the team of him and Jim Steinman was a match made in heaven. Literally everything he sang was a masterpiece and a story all its own. He was also a famous actor and was in so many hit shows and his love for the Paranormal was known far and wide. I loved his guest appearances with Ghost Hunters. But above all he was just a beautiful human being that I am so grateful I got to hear and he never knew it but his music shaped my childhood. RIP Meat, and I would highly recommend his song Sailor To A Siren, it's not one of his best known but is my all time favorite, the music, the lyrics, everything about it is stunning.
Did you see the proof? I heard him tell the story that he and a friend were at Love Field when JFK landed, but nothing about cars. I think Meatloaf told a few whoppers in his life.😊
Of course I have no proof I am a Meat Loaf fan not family or close friend. However the story is WELL documented here on RUclips in interviews he gave and several news articles. I tend to believe him, he was always a pretty solid guy. @@Caperhere
The mix of subtle nuance and over-the-top/in-your-face camp, twists and drama in this song and video are just brilliant. It's relatable and cathartic, especially that last line... although my wife divorced me, so I was let off easy. I always smile at that bit. Meat Loaf was one-of-a-kind.
Holy cow! Getting Phil Rizzuto, NY Yankees hall-of-fame shortstop and long-time Yankees sportscaster, to deliver the baseball sequence was like having Vincent Price narrate in Michael Jacksons' Thriller. An epic cameo.
Yes sir. Takes me back to my childhood hearing call Yankee games. I was a die hard Boston fan and hated the Yankees but I still watched their games because of him.
From what I remember hearing, Rizzuto was tricked into doing this. He was very old school and he would never think of doing something that had to do with sex. There was a mutual friend that talked him into doing this for the song, but when he found out, he was very upset.
This song really is a great example of everything that is missing from todays music. The commitment to every note, the lyrical imagery, the harmonic emphasise and the way it tells a full story of what sounds like 30 years of life in just 8 and a half minutes. And its never boring.
I think it’s important for art in general to Move in and out of minimal and maximal phases to sort of move the art forward. I would say today’s music is very minimal similar to how honky tonk or blues is.
I would like someone to do a break down of this verses Imagine by John Lennon which I consider the most over rated song of all time. Without the socialist message (which Lennon didn't actually buy into) I don't think it would get the hype it deserves. On the other hand, this is may be sophomoric but it is great. It reminds me of the film Airplane! Which Siskel or Ebert described as sophomoric but funny and entertaining which many of the so called comedies of the time were not.
It's not missing from todays music if you listen to the right music. the Avantasia super project (can't call it a band since the only fixed member is Tobias Sammet) has two entire albums that are literally titled "The Metal Opera" and the song "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" was written FOR Meatloaf to sing unfortunately he got sick just before they were scheduled to record, although Tobias did a remarkable enough job emulating his vocal style that I've had people think it was Meatloaf before they knew better.
@@FirstIsa I will check them out. I think I have heard of "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" but it just might be one of those titles that sounds like something. As modern music goes I lean towards Americana (Paul Thorn, Hayes Carll, Robert Randolph). Sure there is good music being made but what is "popular" is not it.
Thank you; what an abolutely awesome review. Your commentary added so much value and dimension to this song: the cleverness and brilliance of the lyrics, the music and the arrangement. All this music happened before computers - a distant memory of a time of improvisation and experimentation. Bring it back.
Thank you so much for this, Elisabeth. I knew that you would appreciate this piece of musical art. ❤ A little fact aside: Jim Steinman said, that he wanted a tall, muscular and blond singer to sing his songs in a very tough and masculine manner. (He didn't like the almost drag queenish rock singers of the time, you know who I'm talking about) but as he heard Meats singing he was totally blown away and said that's him! We are doing this... So the big muscle guy is just shown on the covers of the albums they've made! R.i.p greatest duo ever!
Meatloaf sang "I'd Love To Be as Heavy as Jesus" for Steinman in an audition. Steinman responded that he thought Meatloaf was as heavy as 2 Jesus's. And thus was borne a legendary collaboration.
The Charismatic Voice, I love Meatloaf and I know all the words to alot of their songs. Watching you point out all the techniques and observations gives me new reasons to love Meatloaf's performances! Thank you and keep up the good work:)
Started watching your videos and look at music in a new way. I'm 68 and love all kinds of music and look at most music in a new way. can't sing a lick but enjoy learning new things.
I have been told that Pat Benetar was awful in concert. That her recorded voice is not the same as her live voice. I think i would rather see a Stevie Nicks and Meatloaf duet. Would be very interesting.
@@jaysw9585 There are plenty of Pat Benetar videos of her now and for a lady in her sixties she brings it. I have never heard that about Pat. Of course she double tracked the vocals who didn't back then?
@@patriottex4813 Ye, I cant speak first hand on this. I was like 8 years old when she was in her prime. I had a co-worker who did a lot with some of these pop singers. He was personal friends with Pink. He told me the worse concert he ever attended was a Pat Benatar concert.
This whole album is such a classic, not a bad track in the bunch. I grew up listening to it, although as a kid this was 'the baseball song' to me 😄 I never got why my dad laughed so much at it.
My mother was embarrassed when I was seven years old loudly singing that cool song about fireworks ("Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band... The skyrockets in flight had nothing to do with the fourth of July).
i bet you say that to all the boys, lol. This album hit the shelves during junior high and was still going strong throughout my high school years and yes it left a powerful message to all us young kids.
I can't believe this is the first time you've watched this video, which tells me, you're not very old! I'm 68 and love all types of music and have listened to and watching literally thousands of music videos , it's incredible to me that you haven't seen this video already and your analysis of it! I enjoyed your analysis of this video! Keep doing that thing you do Red... ( I called you Red because I don't know your name and you have Red hair!
Thank you for this trip down memory lane. This was a song of my teenage years in the 80s. I have fond memories of my friends and me singing along with this song. I couldn't help myself and found myself singing along (very poorly) during your video. Even with the stops and starts and going back, these lyrics are etched into my subconscious. One of the things I love about your videos is you're not just reacting to the videos you watch, but you are sharing your knowledge as well as your opinions. You educate your audience about what they are seeing and hearing.
Jim said, that he wanted a tall muscular and blond lead singer to sing his songs for his peter pan style rock opera back in the days in a very masculine manner. (He didn't like the almost drag queenish rock singers of the time, you know who I'm talking about) but as he heard Meats singing he was totally blown away and said that's him! We are doing this... So the big muscle guy is just shown on the covers of the albums they've made! R.i.p greatest duo ever!
THANK YOU for this. The scope of his gift was unrecognized. That ability to annunciate got him his break on Broadway. When Meat auditioned for "Rocky Horror Picture Show," writer Richard O'Brien says he had no expectation of finding a voice that could sing "Hot Patootie" at all until Meat miraculously sang and annunciated every word. The storytelling epic is Jim Steinman's signature songwriting style, and Meat Loaf's voice is how epic 5-10 minute-long rock operas on mainstream radio came to be accepted by the stations. Would dearly love to see an elite vocal athlete's reaction to his RHPS movie performance of "Hot Patootie."
You said, "The storytelling epic is Jim Steinman's signature songwriting style, and Meat Loaf's voice is how epic 5-10 minute-long rock operas on mainstream radio came to be accepted by the stations." What such rock operas got accepted by mainstream radio stations as a result of this song?
@@Ken5244 for example, all of Meat's work with Steinman, Total Eclipse of The Heart (another Steinman epic sung by Bonnie Tyler), Queen, Prince, et al.
@@JourneyAlee In what alternate reality is "Total Eclipse of the Heart" a "5-10 minute rock opera"? And what Queen or Prince "5-10 minute rock operas" got "accepted by mainstream radio stations"? Prince never recorded any such song. And Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" preceded Bat Out of Hell by two years.
I'm a 52 year old music lover and I'm still amazed at how much I'm moved and the feelings that get stirred listening to this and watching this video, even with the pauses from reaction channels. Really enjoyed your take on it.
Given the content, theme, and ending of the story, it's hilarious that this has been played - to a FULL and rowdy dance floor - at every wedding I've ever attended. I've seen wedding DJs line up the guys and ladies facing each other and go down the middle with the mic so we can all do the "love me forever"/"sleep on it" bit together. I've seen happy, loving couples sing the "if I gotta spend another minute with you" part *to each other's faces* and then walk off the dance floor holding hands, because even in a great relationship you sometimes have those moments where you drive each other crazy.
Meatloaf was the first ever live concert I went to. And I was hoarse for a week after! I sang (bawled) my way through the lot. It was an incredible introduction to live concerts.
I'm spending 44mins listening to a song I have enjoyed since the day of its release, and thanks to your analysis it is as if I am hearing the song for the first time ever! Tears of enjoyment in my eyes. Thanks, Elizabeth!
I was a disk jockey in the 70's and 80's in the days before computer automation. When we had to go to the bathroom, smoke, or leave the booth for any reason we would play the extended version, I think it was over 22 minutes.
Steinman was one of the great writers of his generation. Anyone who hasn't done it yet needs to listen to the whole first Bat album end to end, headphones on, lights out. It will blow your mind as to how much Meat's performance and Todd.Rundgrens production brings Steinma's songs to life. It's a brilliant album and they were creative heights Meat would never reach again.
This song is actually split into four distinct sections, the third section called "Let Me Sleep On It" is about role reversal. The song starts off with Meatloaf being the masculine man, going all unga-bunga with the pretty girl, but when she asks him if he will be with her until the end of time, she steals all his thunder. She has a powerful voice throughout the entire song, but she takes the more aggressive role from that point and backs Meatloaf into a corner with her demands. All the while, he takes the softer, more timid role as he's trying to get out of it and knows he's in trouble. It's great you mentioned the mic switching, because it's like the "who gets to talk" stick - it's an allegory for the situation as a whole. Throughout the song Meatloaf has been the one in "control" of the mic and by extension the progress of the evening. At first Ellen Foley had her own mic stand, but that was a stand, it's passive. He has a mic in hand, showing he's proactive. In "Let Me Sleep On It" she snatches the mic (the control) away from Meatloaf, and he is on the mic stand. He snatched the mic stand, like he's trying to regain some control, but it's still the more passive submissive symbol. Then in the lead up to part 4 "Praying For The End Of Time", they both have their own hand held mic, it's like they are duelling, neither is giving any ground.... until... There is so much going on in this music video, and most of the time I see people pass it off as *just* a "stage recording". Unquestionably, this is one of the great songs of all time.
Ma'am, a lot of people miss the fact that Meatloaf is also Conducting for his own band. That fist after the intro when the music shifts from left to right as you put it, That's him cuing in other people. He does it a lot with hand flourishes and even when the Girl comes in, he Points to her, the light comes on and she belts out "Well it's Cold and Lonely in the Deep Dark Night" and he's punctuating every word for the musicians in back of him
The thing i love most of this song is the complete story. Cliche, yes, like many a teen love movie, but powerfully done and relatable (hopefully not *too* much so). Well structured and beautifully delivered. Which i think is what Meatloaf is most renowned for.
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife". The way he sings that amazing lyric gives me chills. And this song takes me back to my very last day of High School. I had a date at the drive-in that night and I have no recollection of what was playing.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Believe it or not, I used this video to help me teach my daughter about dating, boys, expectations, false promises, and instant regret. The rock opera is a perfect example of a single moment in time, bad decisions, and long term consequences. Thank you, Meatloaf and rest in peace.
Same here! An unforgettable tale of decision making whilst in the throes of passion. Ah the teenage years…
Yeah, you'd be amazed what people are willing to say in the heat of the moment. Confused emotions plus raging hormones usually don't lead to good decisions. And you don't get do overs or to take it back after it's happened.
@@keithdean9149 exactly! And that’s the point I needed to make with my daughter.
I was 15... a young guy and it was the complete opposite in my case . My girlfriend used this song and made it completely clear she wanted to be rid of her virginity . I remember her talking about this song again and again and talking about my coming drivers license and how I should put a mattress in the camper shell on my truck . Problem was she would not get any type of birth control . When you have a father that says ( as his sex talk and this is all ) " you get her pregnant you are out of here " you think twice . The only type of birth control available to me was a condom at the time and I didn't trust them . Besides I knew he would do much more than kick me out . She really pressed me and I finally broke up with her and it was tough because my friends and schoolmates did nothing but give me crap . As I say this I bet you women are thinking what a loser ( It's not your daughter right ) and THERE IS YOUR DOUBLE STANDARD ! So don't pretend the guys are the bad ones in this situation . It wasn't even a year later that my best friend got his girlfriend pregnant and her parents and his parents made them get married AT 17 YEARS OLD ! Girls are just as bad at that age and really bad at birth control . So warn your sons as well . PK
@@DavidHall-d8q girls are in that age more bad than boys... as i got my first car with 18 i had every day minimum 1 card behind my carwindow from girls who "love" me... it was awful... after a few weeks i parked my car far away from school, so i didnt had longer this problem, because i had a girlfriend long a time before my first car and she was very angry about all that cards and i dont wanted longer this problems... for luck more of my classmates got cars and then they bercame that sort of cards and i had less problems...^^
I was fortunate enough to meet Meat Loaf at a convention in Sept 2021 a few months before he passed. He did a panel discussion where he explained: "I'm not a singer. I can't sing. I'm an actor and some of the characters I play can sing."
And here I am gawking that Meatloaf was in ...the movie he was in. No spoilers...and natural, too!
He was wrong, he could sing his ass off, one of the best ever rip.
Wish I couldn't sing like that😒
He was a great singer as everyone acknowledges, but he was underrated as an actor. Fortunately we have Jack Black carrying the torch! (Who I think is an underrated singer!) :)
He starred in an under appreciated movie called Roadie with some other great 70’s musicians.
Blondie, Hank Jr, Roy Orbison, Alice Cooper.
Don Cornelius and Art Carney are also in it.
If you’ve ever been in a band, or are or know a Texan, this is a must-see, Saturday afternoon movie.
“If you don’t go over the top, you’ll never see what’s on the other side.” - Jim Steinman
Jim was an amazing singer in his own right and commercially released a few of his songs but collaborating with Meatloaf and releasing those songs + adding to the repertoire for a few albums made both of their careers! Not to mention the amazing female vocalists that added to the songs…Ellen Foley in this case. ❤
"If you have a very vivid imagination and never see what's on the other side, you'll never be disappointed" - skabuoy
True.
@@skabuoy cringe
@@Cyannah117 "thats where the gold is where the adventure lies waiting" the steinman quote was used on a creepy tik tok video, he was climbing over a huge tree limb in his path, suddenly hears a sound that spooks him and back over the limb in the direction he came lol
The transition from "I'll love you til the end of time" to "Now I'm praying for the end of time" is true to reality
That makes this one of the funniest songs of all time; It basically deconstructs the "cock rock" genre of the 70s and 80s.
I told my wife that, as we were picking songs out for our wedding. I had the idea to pick songs like that, as a theme.
@@DGemme1000karaoked this at my wedding in 92. 2 pissed off mother in laws, 2 father in laws just pissin in laughter at their own wives. Best night of my life
But in the end, he says, I'll never break my promise or forget my vows, that means they've been together since and having an argument!
A long time ago (1990s) someone at work either quoted this song or mentioned something about it, so I just sang the single line, "So now I'm prayin' for the end of time, to hurry up and arrive," and he busted out laughing. Apparently, the song is so long his concentration had always drifted and he never really listened to how it ended. I've rather enjoyed things like that over the years, because I always seem to be one of the few in the group who knows the lyrics to whatever song we're talking about. I love a good turn of phrase especially in music that's great by itself (Meatloaf, Deep Purple, etc).
To those of you appreciating this song now, I fully understand but man oh man, you have now idea how fantastic this was at the time.
What a wonderful song from a wonderful artist from a wonderful time.
actually i think some do;) its alive n well 'til today.>you have now idea how fantastic this was at the time. ahead of its time essentially.
I can remember that in rapid succession we got Hotel California, The Cars, Boston, Bat Out Of Hell. Lots more but those albums were all different, all stunning, and all still selling good numbers today. We got the best of everything musically.
I was in high school when this came out. The whole album is absolutely amazing. It was revolutionary, brand new.
@davedempsey5282 Oh, that first Boston album was really something. It was like nothing else. I loved it! It was a special time in music. Creativity and innovation were building within the musicians. They created a new kind of depth.
@@feelinguru-vywiththepaingu9808 i played it so much i made myself sick of it.
Anytime my wife and I went to a wedding, this song invariably came on at some point in the reception. We could never resist acting it out, the level of flamboyance increasing depending on exactly *when* in the celebrations it was played. We'd clear the dance floor and got so good that at one point a few people who didn't know us well asked if our marriage was OK. Never better over 35 years of marriage. Rest In Peace, my love.
And I thought a friend of mine's wedding playing "Red Red Wine" was bad... (A song about getting drunk because your woman left you...)
My condolences. Up until the last part, that could have been my wife and me.
Condolences, been 35 years meeting my wife and 28 married. I'll do my best to honor the dream we both have had. Peace.
We did the same, in college our co-ed fraternity had three songs that were always played at our parties, this being one of them. Lots of us dated and eventually married, we all would line up and act this song out..... This was way back in the mid 90s..... Still Some of the best memories of my life. Later on, hubby and I did this at a company Christmas party and people legitimately asked if everything was ok, lol.
@codyfrisch4378 Wow... That is wretched!
Meatloaf and Freddie mercury were the 2 most operatic singer’s in rock n roll!! This is as good as it gets, nobody tops them 😊❤. May they both rest in peace…….❤
Freddy Mercury loved opera and even did a duet with a legendary opera singer Monserrat Caballe
Roy Orbison set the stage.
Add Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, and Bruce Dickinson to the list as well.
I don't agree, sort of. Meat was less operatic and more thespian. He was made to do musicals. Freddie was pure opera. Both great, but different.
100% aggree, my two favorites Meatloaf and Freddy
That "terrified" look on his face when she's giving him the ultimatum has always been the best part of this whole video for me. His acting in that scene with his eyes all bugged out while he's about to chew his nails has always cracked me up.
Please note that the woman in the video is Karla DeVito, who is a great singer on her own but did not sing on Meat Loaf’s album or videos. Ellen Foley is most famous for playing a lawyer on the early seasons of the original “Night Court”, a comedy series from the 1980s. It was felt that Karla had a better look for the video than Ellen.
My understanding is that Ellen Foley declined to tour with Meatloaf, as she had other responsibilities.
Karla DeVito is married to former teen heartthrob Robby Benson (shows how old I am).
Karla toured with Meat Loaf
@Carjamrac
I was going to mention Robby Benson too. 😊
Karla was great in this video, even if she was just lipsyncing.
Ellen's solo career started kicking on. A couple of good albums with Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter so she didn't want to tour with Meat.
As a 16 year old in 1978 when I first heard this album, I loved this song particularly, and always took it as the cautionary tale it was. Now, as a 60 year old grandmother, I still own the album on vinyl, and it is still one of my favourite albums ever. RIP Meatloaf and thank you for being such a huge part of my coming of age.
At 17 I thought oh, that's a cute pop song and as time goes on I enjoy it more and more.
It is about a couple in their 40’s who look back in time to when they were 16 years old! And how one beautiful night parking by the lake, ruins their lives! And according to Jim (RIP) it is Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan) looking back in time!
So right !
I was 15 when it came out in 77, so 16 in 78 but I'm 62.
I was 18 in 1978 this record talked to me
One of the greatest songs ever written and performed.👍 BTW Ellen Foley did the vocals on the LP but for the video and tour it was Karla DeVito - she appears in this video on top of Foley’s original vocal.
Glad to see this brought up. Who we see is NOT who we hear
@@pinkstarphoenix6182 But if you dig a bit you can find a nice recent duet with Ellen and Karla called happy to be here. Oh and never forget that Mick Jones wrote Should I Stay or Should I Go about their time as a couple in the UK.
@MrDportjoe If you dig around, you can find some videos of Karla performing with Meat. She toured with him a fair bit and jokes about being his stage wife in one interview.
Also, Ellen played Billie for a season in the 2nd year of TV’s Night Court in the mid 80’s.
The video was shot, though, during the tour, so Karla s in fact singing. But, yes, the voice you hear is Ellen.
This was the first song I danced to with my wife, the very first night we met. It was about 1989, maybe 1990. Lulu's Roadhouse in Kitchener Ontario. They very often played this song there. All the guys would form a line on one side of the dance floor, all the girls on the other side. You acted out your parts across the floor to your partner, singing every word. It was great. We just had our 32nd wedding anniversary. We still both love this song, and if it comes on the radio or something, we still sing the whole thing out loud to each other. Thanks for posting this!
Congratulations on 32 years of marriage.
May you have another 32 happy years together.
💖💙🎵☮️
His ability to annunciate is what got him the roll of Eddie in Rocky Horror. They tried various singers who could get most of the song but all stumbled at various points. They were thinking of taking several takes and editing them together in hopes of getting one version. Meatloaf sang it and afterwards essentially shrugged and asked what was so hard? Between that and his ability to be an over the top presence made them immediately pick him.
Of course it helped that he played Eddie in the original US production in LA (and Dr. Scott) which brought the show to the awareness of the movie's eventual producers
A mountain of a man riding in on that motorcycle! Just larger than life, all the time.
-Shawn
i played eddie 3 years in college production
I love Meatloaf, that being said, I always thought Glen Danzig would've been a great Eddie.
Don't forget to his role in the cult classic Roadie.
Jim Steinman, the composer behind Meatloaf's biggest songs, was an ambitious songwriter. He never shirked at a challenge or a complicated vocal arrangement. These musical numbers were breathtaking in their day and were the secret of Meatloaf's enduring appeal. Meatloaf was a great singer with a ton of stagecraft, but without Jim Steinman to push him to the limit, we might never have witnessed his genius. Great reaction, Elizabeth!
True. His albums without Steinman was not in the same league.
Steinman also wrote Bonnie Tyler's best. @@T1hitsTheHighestNote
Yes. Steinman said about this song, that it was about car sex that ruins lives. He had such great sense of humour in his writings and he brought out the best in Meatloaf in my opinion
Steinman and Meatloaf were just made for each other. Nobody else has performed Jim's songs as well as Meat, and all of Meat's absolute standout performances were written by Steinman.
Thank the gods of rock that they found each other.
@@elliotcohen6652 Lot of truth there, although I think Bonnie Tyler, Barry Manilow, Celine Dion, Air Supply all did well with his songs also.
Best description I've heard. The voice of an angel, plugged into a Marshall Stack Amp.
Your reaction when the baseball play by play starts is so awesome. For me, waiting to see your reaction is like waiting to open a present.
I want to go back in time to the early 80s when I got to 2nd base with three girls while playing truth or dare. I wish I knew what I know now!
Hi Elizabeth. This song is one of the most iconic songs of the late 70’s - in fact the Album that it came from “Bat Out Of Hell” is a total Masterpiece. There are only 7 songs on the album & each song is pure genius in its lyrics, music & vocal performance.
“2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad” always pulls on the heart strings.
I divorced my first wife to that song, don't be sad 2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad.
And even though "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is nine minutes long, it is actually the third-longest of the seven. Both "Bat Out of Hell" and "For Crying Out Loud" are longer. This is a Jim Steinman (songwriter) trademark--his songs were usually so long that entire verses had to be removed to get radio play. Some DJ's, though, would play the whole songs because it gave them time to use the restroom and/or smoke a cigarette while the song was playing.
@@TobyCatVA that’s an unusual one Toby. How did that happen?
@@eauhomme very true, that was Jim’s style. He would take you on a roller coaster ride slowly building up to a magnificent crescendo.
@@timcarr4673 We were having "the talk" you end up having when you marry the day your girl turns 18 in defiance of her alcoholic parents. Sitting in my Chevy van, "Bat out of Hell" cassette playing on my JVC deck turned down low and "Two out of Three" plays she reached over and turned it up, laughing faintly through our tears and says "perfect timing", kissed my cheek and let herself out of my life.
Thank you so much for paying appropriate attention to the female part and for calling this a duet. Meatloaf could have dominated so many singers, but Ellen Foley stands up to his power and owns her part.
I actually think the female part is marginally the better one and Ellen Foley Nails it
That's not Ellen Foley on stage. It's Karla DeVito. They synched Ellen's voice into the video.
@@StephenHooper-p1i I know, it's a shame, right? Not like Ellen didn't have the stage presence for the video, so a definite shame.
Everyone called it a duet snowflake 😂
Thank you! Yes! Ellen Foley is an absolute star. Why did she get replaced on this vid and also in Night Court? I loved Billie! Maybe she was hard to work with??? I don't' get it. She's amazing.
One of the greatest albums of all time he was so tormented by the music industry for not meeting their shallow idea of what a rock star is.
And the "industry" has not changed one bit -- it is even worse if anything.
@@jargraroch3000MTV changed everything. Just look at Christopher Cross.
@@Kylora2112 Yea, made music just as much [if not more] for the eyes as for the ears.
@@Kylora2112 The perfect example. Great musician, but did not look the part at all.
Reportedly a record executive, hearing the "Bat Out of Hell" demos for the first time, asked songwriter Jim Steinman if he had ever actually listened to a rock album before.
The charisma of the protagonists is so overwhelming that it's easy to overlook how powerful the band is!
Let's give a shout out to Todd Rundgren playing guitar, Rundgren's Utopia bandmates Kasim Sulton on bass and Roger Powell on synthesizer, and Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band on piano and drums, respectively.
Meatloaf, Jim Steinman, Todd Rundgren, the convergence that created Bat Out Of Hell, still one of the greatest albums in Rock history.
You got that right!
Hell yes!
Meatloaf. Such a true talent. Life changing music
Indeed! Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg were also key!
Someone should convince her to listen to All Coming Back to Me Now feat Marion Raven it almost felt like Ballad or Operatic is that a word or did I just make that up?
I wish someone would react to For Crying Out Loud. Everyone does Paradise and Bat, but For Crying Out Loud is Meat’s vocal tour de force and one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.
Completely agree!
Definitely an underrated song. The performance and lyrics are beautiful.
Objects in the rear view mirror. His voice is phenomenal in it
Agree! His live version with the Melbourne symphony is awesome. It is decades later and he really gives it his all. Spectacular IMHO.
Thank you! That's my fav Meat song.
Jim Steinmann was a musical genius. His compositions and song craft was so good. He was also brilliant at encapsulating human behavior and putting it eloquently into rhyme within his songwriting. Paradise by the dashboard light is a perfect example the thought process of the two main characters being a barely seventeen year old girl and boy and there end goals are perfectly written as if they were written and expressed by teenagers. And putting the baseball reference as an interlude, so unique and perfect. Beautifully performed from Meat, Ellen and Karla in the video. R.I.P Jim and Meat.
Yes! A genius in understanding the human condition. And MLs ability to convey and manipulate those emotions is just unmatched IMHO.
@@IRHRRetired Meat Loaf considered himself an actor first and a singer second.
"That's no way to treat an expensive musical instrument!" Wasted Youth made me chuckle.
In 1984, Lloyd Webber asked JS to write the lyrics of Phantom of the Opera. JS was busy with a Bonnie Tyler album but the composers kept in touch, and 10 years later, Lloyd Webber suggested another collaboration.
They have been working on Whistle Down the Wind, on and off, ever since, and JS has also had time to squeeze in another project: he was commissioned by Roman Polanski to compose a musical based on his classic horror-comedy, The Fearless Vampire Killers. Dance of the Vampires opened in Vienna October 1997, and was probably the biggest show in Europe. "Bigger than Phantom," JS smiles. "I'm actually the first person in history to have done this, to do music for one show and lyrics for the other in one year. Probably a dubious achievement."
@kevinmichael9482 "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply, "Tonight is What it Means to be Young" from Streets of Fire, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion, and "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler.
If it was an unusually long song (seven minutes, plus), with a great instrumental, word play in the lyrics, rumbling drums, falsetto echos by the background singers, fantastic crescendos, and plays off repeated phrases ("Turn around"/"Every now and then I...", "I know just how to...", "If you ... me like this, and if you ... me like that"), Jim Steinman probably wrote it.
More than anyone else, I can listen to a song I'd never really listened to before and know immediately that Steinman wrote it (including both "Tonight is What it Means to be Young" and "Nowhere Fast" from Streets of Fire when I watched it in my 30s, having last seen it in the theater when I was 12).
I’ve been to SO MANY weddings where this was played, requested by the bride or groom, in jest. You have to have an awesome sense of humor to have this played at your wedding.🙌👏😆
My cousin joked about walking down the aisle to Closer by NIN. She didn't do it though.
@@mikepaulus4766 😂
It's probably better than "2 out of 3 ain't bad."
@@wmason1961 Touché!😂
Nah... You would REALLY have to have an awesome sense of humour if you had this ( ruclips.net/video/TinPcg9U_L8/видео.html ) played at your wedding.
The Big Bopper died in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.
I've always appreciated the triple entendre of the Baseball part.
1. The use of thinking about baseball for the guy to last longer has been a long standing distraction technique.
2. The excellent play on words that has a very sophomoric value
3. The possible car radio playing baseball coverage providing an excuse to sit in the car for a while.
It's not just a baseball metaphor, it's a,baseball metaphor delivered by the Great Phil Rizzuto.
Don't forget that baseball "bases" have been metaphors for various levels/progressions of teenaged petting since long before this song.
...and American baseball has connotations of innocence lost after the "olden days", like someone no longer a virgin a la Springsteen's, Glory Days or Don McLean's, American Pie...lol...I never actually thought about 1 & 3 in that context (Though I've heard of both techniques), but it makes total sense, kudos!
Too much??? There is never enough Meatloaf!My uncle was his understudy for R.H.P.S. I met him when I was five or six year old.I called him Uncle Mark .As I got older and mtv came around I realized who he was! I heard him and my uncle sing and saw them perform many times .But ,they were just my uncles too me .What a shock I got when I seen him on mtv and vh1 .Hes a marvelous man and way too talented for one person .Iam very blessed to have known him .
What a story! Sounds like you were doubly blessed!
What state was this? I wonder? (TN?) and the year?
First album I bought was Bat Out of Hell. Saved my money for months. It was 1981, I was 10 or 11 years old.
I bought it because of the album cover. I was so happy the music was great as well.
Like many have said, you really need to listen to the album all the way through, start to finish. Its a concept album so every song ties into the rest and tells a full story. Amazing writing, amazing singing, and todd rundgren on guitars, it has everything you could want.
I saw this live in 1978...thank you for recognising their artistry. I've seen a number of your videos recently. You are a delight to listen to/ watch.
I was in my late 30s in a club in Indianapolis the first time I heard this song. The dance floor was packed. There was a girl dancing with a deaf boy and signing the words of the song while he held her hips and rocked with the rhythm of her movement. It was magical to watch the connection between them while being overwhelmed by the power of this song. I will never forget it.
what a great memory. now you've got me curious about which club that was in this fine city of ours ... lol
I was "barely" 13 when I begged for this album at Xmas77.
My Mom didn't approve of "Meatloaf" or the album cover, lol.
But, when I un-wrapped it and played it (immediately), she was hooked.
As in, She had the cassette version in her car before New Years of that year.
First time I heard it was on Saturday Night Live, late 1977 or 78. The meaning didn’t land on me as I was about 12. No worries, it hit me like a ton of bricks a few years later.
WOW
Let me guess...the girl was blind?
Others have said it, but "For Crying Out Loud" is THE song. Check it out, the emotion he pours into every line is incredible.
"For Crying Out Loud" is the most underrated song on the entire Bat out of Hell album. From my point of view, it has the most feeling and still draws the most tears from my eyes. A love song for eternity
Totally agree, ending the album with "for crying out loud" was definitely the reason Bat out of hell is in the top 10 of the best selling albums in history. I believe the last 3 times Meatloaf performed "for crying out loud" Live was in 1978, 2004, and in 2013 with the most recent two times, well the song always hit him hard emotionally so I'd recommend a 78' or earlier live performance.
It is perhaps the one I like the best but, is often overlooked unfortunately.
Bat Out of Hell and Paradise really grabbed me and drew me into the whole album... but when you really get into the album For Crying Out Loud I feel is one of the best lyrically and vocally... so theatric, powerful and yet sensitive... has been my favorite track for many years off this record...
Totally agree! Crying Out Loud is soooooo good! I hope she can review it! I’m going to listen to it now. The piano, timing, his voice! It’s my favorite!❤
There isn't a bad song on that album. Meatloaf and Steinman created a true masterpiece. "For Crying Out Loud" is a less known song on the album but a total epic vocal performance - give it a listen.
My favorite song on the album.
For Crying Out Loud would definitely be his best vocals on the album.
I have been trying to get Her to review FCOL here for about 2 or 3 years now. I just gave up.😶
Absolutely agree, For Crying out Loud is the best song on the album but she has got to give that a listen. Saying that wouldn't complain if she did Heaven Can Wait.
Please please do this one. My favourite meat loaf song of all time
You can tell how he amplifies the drama of his singing through his mannerisms, and how he echoes Elvis in those mannerisms.
Ah yes he does! Good observation eh
I like your profile photo. I am a big fan of Bloom County, I really miss it.
Honestly, if you listen to the whole album front to back you’ll find that it is a story of the main character’s life (the singer), it starts at the end of his life in the first song then jumps back and takes you through his trials and tribulations. It was an amazing piece of writing by Jim Steinman and performed perfectly by Meatloaf.
Indeed, Steinman wrote it as a musical or rock opera. However, since he couldn’t find anyone to finance the production he decided to at least bring it out as an album. He auditioned for lead singers and meat loaf won the audition… many years later it was actually produced as a musical and you can go and see it in London, now!
Jim said, that he wanted a tall muscular and blond singer to sing his songs in a very masculine manner. (He didn't like the almost drag queenish rock singers of the time, you know who I'm talking about) but as he heard Meats singing he was totally blown away and said that's him! We are doing this... So the big muscle guy is just shown on the covers of the albums they've made! R.i.p greatest duo ever!
The difference between Meatloaf and other singers is that he always gives 110%. You could be in the audience with 25000 people like the Forum in Montreal or with 750 people in a large bar in Massachusetts and he would still give 110%. One of a kind with that dynamic voice.
It’s not Mearloaf. It’s Meat Loaf. Strange but true
you are right it is not Mearloaf. Where did that come from?@@CorePathway
Saw him twice, live. It was a show...period. To go along with him giving 110%, when the opening act couldn't go on, they went on 40 minutes early, but didn't finish 40 minutes early . . . They ADDED 40 minutes to their show. It made that night so awesome.
Definitely a classic! And let's not forget the unsung hero of this album - producer, Todd Rundgren. Every label in the country had passed on this work, but Todd got it immediately. He financed the recording, arranged the vocals, played the guitars and even recruited members of his own band, Utopia, as well as Springsteen's E Street Band to play Jim Steinman's amazing songs.
Steinman wanted the sound of a motorbike revving on the title track, and Todd Rundgren said that he would arrange it. The recording was pretty well done, and Jim still didn't have his motorbike and apparently he was hassling Todd. So according to Jim, finally Todd picked up his guitar and they did another take with Todd creating the motorbike sound on his guitar and in a single take going straight into the guitar part without pausing. Todd is a great guitarist, multi-instrumentalist , writer, producer and innovator.
I know it’s a different song but always thought bat out of hell had some similarities to Bruce’s jungleland.
And Steve Popovich of Cleveland International Records for taking the chance on them!
Todd didn't get it right away. He originally thought it was a comedy album satirizing Bruce Springsteen.
There's a great video about the making of this album where Jim, Meat, and Todd are all interviewed for it. Todd amazed me by calling the harmonies in "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" 'Eagles harmonies'. Then he turned down everything but the vocals and you could almost swear it was the Eagles.
HOLY CRAP BATMAN! I was in 8th grade when this came out in 77. 😮that was almost 50 YEARS AGO!!! I feel so old😪. 😂❤
I was about the same age. One of the most fun songs from that era.
That song was up there with Bohemian Rhapsody for cruising Main st. Yep, I old😅
I was 15, going on 16, and just had a baby. Maybe one of the reasons this song hits me so deep.
You should check out some of Meat's ballads like "Two out of three ain't bad", "Heaven can wait" and especially "For crying out loud". Him and Steinman have created something truly epic there.
Honestly, I think Steinman was the only one out there capable of writing for him.
the entire bat out of hell album was a masterpiece - no chaff whatsoever.
For crying out loud is an amazing piece of music and a tremendous performance from meat
@@darricshhh Exactly. Unfortunately, in public it never became what it should have been. One of the most beautiful love ballads of all time. But hey, their loss.
@@craigf6277 I would’ve loved to have heard Meat cover a few tunes by The Who. Baba O’Riley, We Won’t Get Fooled Again and Getting in Tune would’ve been perfect.
For those unclear - this is the album studio track with Ellen Foley singing and a bunch of session singers singing backups - with film shot to match as though it was a live performance to make the video. By the time the video was created Karla had joined Meatloaf for the live shows, so for the filming Meatloaf and Karla performed as they were already doing when they performed live.(Edit: Thanks to those who added something new to my comment. For everyone else who simply restated what I said differently but yet told me I was wrong or not quite right... sigh... Learn to comprehend what you read. Splitting hairs is pointless - the end result - this is an edited film which basically has a studio audio track - and since Ellen Foley sang it in the studio then that is who we are hearing on this version. How exactly the shoot was conducted and the assembly was accomplished was not detailed in my post, but since I have made music videos, appeared in music videos back in the 80s and now - and I teach film making and am a professional composer, songwriter and audio engineer - I have some concepts about what it took in the 80s to create a music video. This was shot on film. Film was then edited together. Meatloaf even acknowledges the camera and looks directly at it and basically winks. At 35:30 Meat starts to come back in and does not have a mic in front of his face but yet you hear him and then he pops the mic up for the "Let me sleep on it" line. It takes effort to edit film, and to sync it up once edited, and to accomplish this, they would have to listen to the actual audio to be used when filming and I am sure they are singing as they are being filmed to accomplish the most believable performance, but we do not hear what they are singing in the final product, only a mix of the studio track. ADDITIONAL TRIVIA: I spent a day on set shooting and being shot and escorting Meatloaf to and from set as he had just had surgery - for Meatloaf's last video for "Braver Than We Are You". Sadly we were all cut and cropped out from the final version of the video - though can still barely see my props in the final edit and the hair of the actress playing "Ellen" barely coming into frame!)
Yes, Karla is electric. I love her interaction with Meat.
Karla did no the signing in the video rather she lip synced it. It was Ellen Folley who did the signing.
@@mdhofstee Yes, that's what @magicroomstudios said. (See above)
@@OriginalSciGirl ellen quit the tour because she hated the making out with Meatloaf.
@@mdhofstee. They all lip sync’d…it was a video shoot and not really live. lol
And, @sams, Ellen was ‘asked’ to leave before the video was even conceptualized. She didn’t fit the ‘visual vibe’ and Karla did.
Both were great singers.
What I love about this song is it so nicely encapsulates the tensions around adolescence and sex. The struggle between satisfying the physical need and being mindful of consequences. Your analysis is wonderful.
Did anyone notice that they were singing each other's parts on the outro? All through the song, Meatloaf was singing about how he "saw paradise by the dashboard light". But on the outro, Ellen/Karla was singing that part, and Meatloaf was singing about how "it never felt so good, it never felt so right". Also note how those parts were always sang separately during most of the song but layered over each other during the outro.
Among other things, that means they had to be written to synch with each other and be in tune with each other, but that wasn't revealed until the outro. This is the sort of trick you'd use when writing a fugue!
Elizabeth, you are now ready to experience Meatloaf's best song (IMHO), Two Outta Three Ain't Bad. It's a sad song for sure, but it has some of the best emotional singing you will ever hear. Bring a box of tissues for that reaction for sure.
It's really a follow-up to Paradise in a way.
I'll go even further: After she does that sone on its own, she should sit down and listen to the whole album and experience it _as_ a Rock Opera.
Written by Jim Steinman, who was a song writing god back then. Jim had the number 1 and number 2 hits at the same time in the 1980's, Making Love Out of Nothing At All by Air Supply and Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. He was such a powerhouse in this era writing for a number of HUGE acts. He is a National Treasure. Yet, the only successful song I know that he performed himself was the original release of Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through, which Meatloaf did a cover of more than a decade later with an entirely different tone.
🎉
Jim Steinman also wrote the two best songs in the action crime neo-noir film 'Streets of Fire' from 1984.
He also wrote "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," which was a huge hit for Celine Dion ,though a Meat Loaf version does exist too. Funnily enough, I had never heard Meat Loaf's version until years later, but when I first heard Celine's version my thought was "this sounds like something Meat Loaf would sing!" I've actually learned to recognize Jim Steinman songs using that logic. I'm never wrong lol.
@@GaryRPeters - Yes, Steinman had a uniqueness about him. No one else was writing songs the way he was.
Steinman's own album, Bad For Good (and there isn't a bad track on it) was originally written for Meat Loaf. Unfortunately, Meat Loaf was down for the count with a vocal injury that he was taking ages to recover from and said "You take the band and YOU do the album..." And he did. Not the same kind of powerhouse as Meat Loaf but he made a damn creditable showing of it!
Meatloaf was a PERFORMER.. from every angle. I saw him in a small venue in the late 80’s…. He was just as powerful in person…. And we were so “close” to the stage….. we were actually hit with his flying sweat!!! I don’t go to many concerts… as most are blasted so loud that it ends up being a horrible experience for me… but his concert.. and this song in particular… was a memory I will never forget. Thank you for allowing me to “relive it”!! It was so fun to hear your take on it all!! Thanks again!!
When you said…. She really opens her mouth wide..I lost it!! 🤣🤣
… You could not have said that to a better song!
12:36 Karla Devito is the woman in the video and it is video from an actual live performance. However, the song was recorded with Ellen Foley on vocals. Foley didn't want to do the touring, so DeVito took her spot live.
I was born in '91, so this was my dad's generation of music. He would listen to it on road trips when I was growing up and I got SO into it. Bat Out of Hell is one of the greatest albums ever. Anyway, I didn't always know what the song was about, but I knew, at 7 or 8 years old, when it was reaching its crescendo, and would get SO annoyed when my dad would change the station to a baseball game right in the middle of it. Little did I know.
He should of just let it play through, I was born in '81 and at about the same age and I asked my Dad what the song was about and he said 'A guy dying on his motorcycle, road bikes are dangerous'.
My 2 daughters are around your age and had to suffer the same thing you did, the pleasure I have now is occasionally we get together put RUclips on and play them all loud with a few drinks. Turned out the be a wonderful thing for a father.
Elizabeth The Baseball Analogu Refers to Sex 1st Base is Kiss 2nd is touching Breast 3rd base Getting Undressed & She Stops him Safe at 3rd to ask Question
@kingcosworth2643 the baseball game is part of the song sir
How you got me to watch 45 minutes is the real trick. I was 17 years old when this song came out, and I LOVED it. Meatloaf was the best- one of my favorites. I was going to give you 2 minutes, and ended up watching the whole thing. Great job breaking it down!
I don't think most people have any idea how HUGE this album was for at least two years straight. I fell in LOVE with two out of three Ain't bad but then the whole album caught me on fire and I was only 11 or 12.
I totally get you.
When I saw the runtime for this video, I made a conscious decision to watch the whole thing. But that’s only because I have some time today, sitting t home recovering from a gigantic panic attack this morning. Strangely, both this song and the analysis don’t seem to affect me negatively. On the contrary, it just pulls me in!
It is worth watching the 1978 live version from the Old Grey Whistle Test. You get to hear Karla's vocal and watch the great theatrics between the two.
The baseball commentary is absolute genius. Steinman was a strange guy but a bit of a crazy genius. The story telling in his songs is excellent. And Meat's voice at this point was incredible. Seeing him live in 1987 was still one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
The whole Bat Out Of Hell album is phenomenal. It's operatic, it's dramatic, it's powerful, it's cynical, it's sooo emotional - and the performances he puts on are timeless. Someone else mentioned "For Crying Out Loud" from the album - yes - you NEED to listen to that too. It BEHOOVES you. Honestly, I'd sit and listen to the whole album - in order - because "Heaven Can Wait" is another heart-wrenching, chill-causing, amazing song. For vocalists like us, I truly believe that album is one of, if not THE, best vocal album of the 70s. There will never be another like Meat Loaf.
I would love to see her do the entire album in one video, maybe even as a live stream.
Great Great album. So powerful.
There's a reason it's the #3 best selling album of all times. According to the quick search I did. I know it's up there by any metric.
Ahh yes the memories. It's the soundtrack to my teen years and first boyfriend. What a wonderful trip down memory lane. 😊
@@larrykile3190 You're joking, the amount of time she stops and plays a part again sometimes 3 times, it would take *days* to watch an album review. This one-song reaction was over 44 minutes!
Bat Out of He'll 1 and 2 are still some of my favorite albums of all time
As far as the story goes, I love that the first time they are in harmony while singing is when they start singing "So now I'm praying for the end of time." That tells a story in itself.
Thanks for the patrons who chose this song for you.
It was a delight seeing you there ! 🙂
Meatloaf and Steinman shopped the album around and couldn’t get anyone to bite. Steinman joked that record companies were being created just in order to reject them. Meatloaf nearly had a nervous breakdown. Finally Epic signs them… the album goes 14x platinum. It’s one of the highest selling albums rock history. Currently over 43 million copies sold.
And still to this day Still Selling Albums. That's crazy staying power.
In Flanders, every year there's a public vote on the top 1000 best songs of all time (though all songs are from the last 100 years or so). This song has a consistent cozy spot in the top twenty, among likes of Africa (Toto) and Purple Rain (Prince).
They actually recorded the album without a contract and the producer Todd Rundgren was ultimately responsible for the cost of recording. Then it was sold to a label which was distributed by Epic. Todd got a relatively huge royalty as a result (8% of Meatloaf's royalty I believe) which he sold to Meatloaf in the early 1990s and built a gorgeous house in Hawaii with the proceeds.
It’s still to this day the highest selling album in Australia.
@@Lttlemoi Aren't all songs from 100 years ago? 🤣
Although he is mostly known as a singer, Meat Loaf also came out of a musical theatre background. He was in the cast of "Hair" as well as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" musical and is also in the movie of that name. In a way this stage performance set the tone and was a predecesor to all the music videos we came to enjoy so much in the late seventies and eighties.
Also starred in "Fight Club" too, among others. 👍
I met Meat Loaf when I was working on the local crew (at Old Orchard Beach Ballpark in Maine) for a show on his Bat Out of Hell 2 tour back in the 90's. I wasn't much of a fan till I had a chance to work with him. In one afternoon of getting ready for the show, he earned tons of respect from me. He was a consummate entertainer with much less ego than I had expected. I still consider Paradise by the Dashboard Lights to be his best song ever and your reactions to it are priceless.
I've seen this video maybe 600 times, and I've enjoyed it more with your commentary than I thought possible, thank you. It's nice to see other people experience and appreciate the music you grew up with.
I will never ever not be in awe of the sheer power of Meatloaf's voice and the absolute mastery and control he had over it. A once in a lifetime voice. And I have wondered how he would have fared as a classic Opera singer had a different road been walked.
And I have always considered this a modern Opera done in a rock style. The forms are all there. It is a classic. In any case, Thank You so much for your analysis! I learned and heard so much I had never noticed or considered in the song for all the times I've listened to it.
And as others have said before - "I don't always listen to Meatloaf. But when I do, the neighbors do also!"
I wonder about that too, what his career might have been as a classically trained opera singer...I can't help but feel if he had gone down that route, whether the singing teachers would have tried to "smooth out" the little inflections and accents in his Voice that made it so unique and distinctive. I might be wrong, of course, but we'll never know. Thank goodness he was too much of a rebel to let anyone tell him how to sing!
This is just pure Jim Steinman. His signature sound and instantly recognizable.❤
GREAT video. As a 60ish man I have watched a lot if reactions to this song. It is so depressing to see folks who miss more than half of the cultural references. Your joy in listening to the vocals as well as understanding the genius of this song was uplifting. Thank you! Meatloaf and Jim Steinman's (spelling?) talent doesn't come along often. They are missed.
To be fair to me as a German in the very early 80s, when I first heard it, any cultural refererences didn't make much sense. Baseball still isn't much a thing here so it took me like 10 years from first hearing the song to understand the bases metaphor. Although we did have the German synchronised version of "Bad News Bears" TV show, that really didn't tell me anything about baseball and given the team are middleschoolers, that other meaning of the bases never came up. But the announcer reporting the game with an ever increasing passion did at least convey to me how the situation is heating up 😉
Also that barely 17 line also didn't really make nuch sense, since you have to be 18 in Germany to get a drivers license, so only one passenger could be barely 17, which would still work out, since the age of consent is 16 (14, if both parties are minor).
But the rest made perfect sense for people of the post war generation up til at least the 1990s, because it is like the general western mentality. Maybe even longer before up until now It is a timeless story about passion and regret.
Not only do I love your analysis, but watching you blush and the way you express shock; like with ACDC, Ozzy or Linds Ronstadt is totally worth showing up here regularly for your reactions! You have an amazing show! Thank you for stepping up and bringing us musical and vocal interpretation. Love it! ❤❤❤
I've always known how awesome this song (and the vocals) were, but hearing Elizabeth break it down was particularly special for me... Meatloaf was a HELL of a performer and like Liz said, great vocal range as well. After listening to this, I even further realize how special it was to grow up in the 70s and 80s. This music will never be repeated, so enjoy it while you can, folks.
This song was "Over the top"
And that's what makes
it great. The first time I heard it way back in the seventies, I was blown away by the amount of power both vocally and instrumentally and how it hits you. And the story is classic. "Stop right there!"
A karaoke favorite to this day and hysterical watching drunk people at bars sing it!
Thanks for the great reaction Liz. I love your in-depth analysis of all these great rock songs.
My wife and I saw this live and it is even more powerful live and we were in the third row. This is our favorite meatloaf song. It was a real experience and something I won't forget.❤ It is also as high energy as the video appears.
I absolutely love your facial quirks when you catch something in a performance. Your knowledge of vocals helps those of us not educated in the field understand more of why we love some songs.
Great comment....totally agree.....looks cute too....😏
If you haven't yet done Meatloaf's "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" it's a terrific song and performance, a heartbreaking ballad.
That one and "For Crying Out Loud". That one always gets me. His emotion is so powerful in that one.
What I love about this song most though is tht Meatloaf's character honored his vow. He never considered breaking the vow. And, Both characters were regretting their decisions. A true life lesson in many ways!
That is why so much of Boomer humor is about how much they loathe their spouse though. They all made unbreakable vows to the first person they let touch their privates before their brains were even fully developed. My dad thinks the "praying for the end of time" line is the funniest thing ever written. It is sad, not admirable. You are wasting your one life on a person who makes you miserable because you made a poor decision at 17?
@@bibliophilelady6106 At least in this case both regret it. Too often it's depicted as only the guy being miserable.
@@Glokta4 Plus it's comedy, you can exaggerate stuff like that maybe to let off steam every once in a while and still have a happy relationship. She needs to get her head out of books and see what's around her.
Yes@@bibliophilelady6106 , by all means, generalize and stereotype everyone who is part of the greatest (period) generation (period) ever (PERIOD)! Loathing one's spouse has been a comedic well visited by comedy writers since, I don't know, since maybe Shakespear?? Get a clue kid before you make stupid comments on the internet.
@@bjclensterit's embarrassing to think that any generation is the greatest ever, they all have flaws and merits, to think otherwise is pretty sad tbh. People are all products of their environments, technological advances, social changes, the generations prior to their own etc. People weren't just better before, and if they were then that's partly because of the way the previous generations shaped them and any resulting issues would in part stem from the failures of prior generations to pass down whatever "greatness" they had. So if there is a clearly defined "greatest" generation then that means they were failures to all following generations
This song is so great. Melody, harmony, rhythm, character arc, Phil Rizzuto. It has everything.
Also, I don't always listen to Meat Loaf, but when I do, so do the neighbors.
Oh you mean the guy from The Money Store ads?😂
My dad chose to play this at his wedding reception (second marriage) around 15 years ago. I didn't even know he knew this song, he's a life long country listener.
😊😊😊
Excellent tag, I genuinely laughed out loud
@garthbigelow My hometown had TMS Hq. Risotto was saved down my throat between that and TWIB.
A must vocal performance for every generation to come. Thank you Ellen Foley & Meat and video with Karla D. Jim, it was just as over the top as you intended. You're a Rock Genius.
That is Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto giving the play-by-play in the baseball scene. He was a retired player who had a great post-retirement career in announcing. When he recorded this, they handed him some copy and he read it, without knowing how they intended to use it.
I'll Add that he got really mad when he found out how it was used
I’m sure Phil cashed the check
Rirruto?
I had no idea.... Do you remember the Phil Rizzuto from the money store commercials??? This is hilarious...
Rooby Roo!!
@@brightnshiney7
I'm remember Meatloaf telling how fans would approach him and say that this song was exactly the way it was when they were teenagers in the fifties. And then fans who were teenagers in the sixties would tell him the same thing. Seventies teenagers as well. Some things never change. LOL.
And 80's
As a teenager in the early 80’s, it hadn’t really changed much by then either. I was never coerced into a proposal & unhappy marriage (the unhappy marriage came later, so I can, unfortunately, relate to that as well), but there were many times I was in the car with a girl & we were working on our ‘Night Moves,’ so to speak..
I was a teenager in the '70s. Can confirm
80s here. Yeah...that's it.
Except for today teens because most can't drive. It's hard to see paradise by the dashboard lights when your parents are hauling you around.
So fun facts, the lady in the video is actually Karla DeVito, she is the now wife of Robbie Benson (The Beast from Beauty and the Beast), but the vocal is actually done by Ellen Foley an actress and singer. Meat Loaf, or Meat as he preferred to be known as was just an amazing singer, the team of him and Jim Steinman was a match made in heaven. Literally everything he sang was a masterpiece and a story all its own. He was also a famous actor and was in so many hit shows and his love for the Paranormal was known far and wide. I loved his guest appearances with Ghost Hunters. But above all he was just a beautiful human being that I am so grateful I got to hear and he never knew it but his music shaped my childhood. RIP Meat, and I would highly recommend his song Sailor To A Siren, it's not one of his best known but is my all time favorite, the music, the lyrics, everything about it is stunning.
Did you see the proof? I heard him tell the story that he and a friend were at Love Field when JFK landed, but nothing about cars. I think Meatloaf told a few whoppers in his life.😊
Of course I have no proof I am a Meat Loaf fan not family or close friend. However the story is WELL documented here on RUclips in interviews he gave and several news articles. I tend to believe him, he was always a pretty solid guy. @@Caperhere
Ellen Foley was not available when they shot the video. All you need to do is look at the liner notes and you'll see Ellen Foley's name. @@Caperhere
Ellen decided against joining the tour, after providing vocals for the track. In the video Karla is lip-synching to Ellen's vocals.
@@CineSoaryou are 100% correct on that.
I absolutely love the way you take this song so literally. Too funny! You are a precious soul.
The mix of subtle nuance and over-the-top/in-your-face camp, twists and drama in this song and video are just brilliant. It's relatable and cathartic, especially that last line... although my wife divorced me, so I was let off easy. I always smile at that bit. Meat Loaf was one-of-a-kind.
Holy cow! Getting Phil Rizzuto, NY Yankees hall-of-fame shortstop and long-time Yankees sportscaster, to deliver the baseball sequence was like having Vincent Price narrate in Michael Jacksons' Thriller. An epic cameo.
Yes sir. Takes me back to my childhood hearing call Yankee games. I was a die hard Boston fan and hated the Yankees but I still watched their games because of him.
From what I remember hearing, Rizzuto was tricked into doing this. He was very old school and he would never think of doing something that had to do with sex. There was a mutual friend that talked him into doing this for the song, but when he found out, he was very upset.
This NY girl is a Mets fan, but Scooter was so fun in this. RIP to Meat, Scooter, and Tim McCarver.
This song really is a great example of everything that is missing from todays music. The commitment to every note, the lyrical imagery, the harmonic emphasise and the way it tells a full story of what sounds like 30 years of life in just 8 and a half minutes. And its never boring.
I think it’s important for art in general to
Move in and out of minimal and maximal phases to sort of move the art forward. I would say today’s music is very minimal similar to how honky tonk or blues is.
Meatloaf IS Rock and Roll
I would like someone to do a break down of this verses Imagine by John Lennon which I consider the most over rated song of all time. Without the socialist message (which Lennon didn't actually buy into) I don't think it would get the hype it deserves. On the other hand, this is may be sophomoric but it is great. It reminds me of the film Airplane! Which Siskel or Ebert described as sophomoric but funny and entertaining which many of the so called comedies of the time were not.
It's not missing from todays music if you listen to the right music. the Avantasia super project (can't call it a band since the only fixed member is Tobias Sammet) has two entire albums that are literally titled "The Metal Opera" and the song "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" was written FOR Meatloaf to sing unfortunately he got sick just before they were scheduled to record, although Tobias did a remarkable enough job emulating his vocal style that I've had people think it was Meatloaf before they knew better.
@@FirstIsa I will check them out. I think I have heard of "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" but it just might be one of those titles that sounds like something. As modern music goes I lean towards Americana (Paul Thorn, Hayes Carll, Robert Randolph). Sure there is good music being made but what is "popular" is not it.
Thank you; what an abolutely awesome review. Your commentary added so much value and dimension to this song: the cleverness and brilliance of the lyrics, the music and the arrangement. All this music happened before computers - a distant memory of a time of improvisation and experimentation. Bring it back.
Thank you so much for this, Elisabeth. I knew that you would appreciate this piece of musical art. ❤
A little fact aside: Jim Steinman said, that he wanted a tall, muscular and blond singer to sing his songs in a very tough and masculine manner. (He didn't like the almost drag queenish rock singers of the time, you know who I'm talking about) but as he heard Meats singing he was totally blown away and said that's him! We are doing this... So the big muscle guy is just shown on the covers of the albums they've made! R.i.p greatest duo ever!
Meatloaf sang "I'd Love To Be as Heavy as Jesus" for Steinman in an audition. Steinman responded that he thought Meatloaf was as heavy as 2 Jesus's. And thus was borne a legendary collaboration.
The Charismatic Voice, I love Meatloaf and I know all the words to alot of their songs. Watching you point out all the techniques and observations gives me new reasons to love Meatloaf's performances! Thank you and keep up the good work:)
The way Meatloaf would absolutely throw himself into a song was amazing.
Started watching your videos and look at music in a new way. I'm 68 and love all kinds of music and look at most music in a new way. can't sing a lick but enjoy learning new things.
Your analysis is so perfect! You explain exactly why we feel what we feel, when we listen.
Could you imagine if Meatloaf and Pat Benetar had ever collaborated on this song? Could any venue contain that type of vocal power?
omfg stop teasing me with this dream that can never be! :'(
If civilization is still around in ten years you'll prolly be able to ask some AI to do that for you@@felixhenson9926
I have been told that Pat Benetar was awful in concert. That her recorded voice is not the same as her live voice. I think i would rather see a Stevie Nicks and Meatloaf duet. Would be very interesting.
@@jaysw9585 There are plenty of Pat Benetar videos of her now and for a lady in her sixties she brings it. I have never heard that about Pat. Of course she double tracked the vocals who didn't back then?
@@patriottex4813 Ye, I cant speak first hand on this. I was like 8 years old when she was in her prime. I had a co-worker who did a lot with some of these pop singers. He was personal friends with Pink. He told me the worse concert he ever attended was a Pat Benatar concert.
This whole album is such a classic, not a bad track in the bunch. I grew up listening to it, although as a kid this was 'the baseball song' to me 😄 I never got why my dad laughed so much at it.
My mother was embarrassed when I was seven years old loudly singing that cool song about fireworks ("Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band... The skyrockets in flight had nothing to do with the fourth of July).
i bet you say that to all the boys, lol. This album hit the shelves during junior high and was still going strong throughout my high school years and yes it left a powerful message to all us young kids.
I can't believe this is the first time you've watched this video, which tells me, you're not very old! I'm 68 and love all types of music and have listened to and watching literally thousands of music videos , it's incredible to me that you haven't seen this video already and your analysis of it! I enjoyed your analysis of this video! Keep doing that thing you do Red... ( I called you Red because I don't know your name and you have Red hair!
Thank you for this trip down memory lane. This was a song of my teenage years in the 80s. I have fond memories of my friends and me singing along with this song. I couldn't help myself and found myself singing along (very poorly) during your video. Even with the stops and starts and going back, these lyrics are etched into my subconscious.
One of the things I love about your videos is you're not just reacting to the videos you watch, but you are sharing your knowledge as well as your opinions. You educate your audience about what they are seeing and hearing.
was a classic to sing along with others. usually we'd choose the boy or the girl role lol..
Meatloaf was one of the only ones who could sing Steinman songs the way he wanted them to be sung and they made such a wonderful pair
Meatloaf and Bonnie Taylor.
@@jeffersonian000Also Celine Dion, Barry Manilow and Air Supply
Jim said, that he wanted a tall muscular and blond lead singer to sing his songs for his peter pan style rock opera back in the days in a very masculine manner. (He didn't like the almost drag queenish rock singers of the time, you know who I'm talking about) but as he heard Meats singing he was totally blown away and said that's him! We are doing this... So the big muscle guy is just shown on the covers of the albums they've made! R.i.p greatest duo ever!
THANK YOU for this. The scope of his gift was unrecognized. That ability to annunciate got him his break on Broadway. When Meat auditioned for "Rocky Horror Picture Show," writer Richard O'Brien says he had no expectation of finding a voice that could sing "Hot Patootie" at all until Meat miraculously sang and annunciated every word. The storytelling epic is Jim Steinman's signature songwriting style, and Meat Loaf's voice is how epic 5-10 minute-long rock operas on mainstream radio came to be accepted by the stations. Would dearly love to see an elite vocal athlete's reaction to his RHPS movie performance of "Hot Patootie."
Jim Steinman was a musical genius.
And Hot Patootie is the best song in Rocky Horror, in my humble opinion.
You said, "The storytelling epic is Jim Steinman's signature songwriting style, and Meat Loaf's voice is how epic 5-10 minute-long rock operas on mainstream radio came to be accepted by the stations."
What such rock operas got accepted by mainstream radio stations as a result of this song?
Not only did I actually laugh at this, I LOVE it. It would be a super interesting watch.
@@Ken5244 for example, all of Meat's work with Steinman, Total Eclipse of The Heart (another Steinman epic sung by Bonnie Tyler), Queen, Prince, et al.
@@JourneyAlee In what alternate reality is "Total Eclipse of the Heart" a "5-10 minute rock opera"? And what Queen or Prince "5-10 minute rock operas" got "accepted by mainstream radio stations"? Prince never recorded any such song. And Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" preceded Bat Out of Hell by two years.
47 years since this classic came out! Thank you Elizabeth and the entire charismatic voice team!!!! You definitely made some old people happy! 😊!
I'm a 52 year old music lover and I'm still amazed at how much I'm moved and the feelings that get stirred listening to this and watching this video, even with the pauses from reaction channels. Really enjoyed your take on it.
Given the content, theme, and ending of the story, it's hilarious that this has been played - to a FULL and rowdy dance floor - at every wedding I've ever attended. I've seen wedding DJs line up the guys and ladies facing each other and go down the middle with the mic so we can all do the "love me forever"/"sleep on it" bit together. I've seen happy, loving couples sing the "if I gotta spend another minute with you" part *to each other's faces* and then walk off the dance floor holding hands, because even in a great relationship you sometimes have those moments where you drive each other crazy.
What an absolute treasure Meatloaf was. So many of our lives would be less magical if Meat and Jim Steinman had never met.
Meatloaf was the first ever live concert I went to. And I was hoarse for a week after! I sang (bawled) my way through the lot. It was an incredible introduction to live concerts.
I'm spending 44mins listening to a song I have enjoyed since the day of its release, and thanks to your analysis it is as if I am hearing the song for the first time ever! Tears of enjoyment in my eyes. Thanks, Elizabeth!
I was a disk jockey in the 70's and 80's in the days before computer automation. When we had to go to the bathroom, smoke, or leave the booth for any reason we would play the extended version, I think it was over 22 minutes.
"smoke"
This one, and Slow Ride...
Or Dire Straits' Telegraph Road.
Rare Earth's version of "Get Ready", the album cut.
Rush 2112> 20 min or the Fountain of Lamneth is like a second shy of 20, cygnus-x-1> 18 min
Steinman was one of the great writers of his generation. Anyone who hasn't done it yet needs to listen to the whole first Bat album end to end, headphones on, lights out. It will blow your mind as to how much Meat's performance and Todd.Rundgrens production brings Steinma's songs to life. It's a brilliant album and they were creative heights Meat would never reach again.
This song is actually split into four distinct sections, the third section called "Let Me Sleep On It" is about role reversal. The song starts off with Meatloaf being the masculine man, going all unga-bunga with the pretty girl, but when she asks him if he will be with her until the end of time, she steals all his thunder. She has a powerful voice throughout the entire song, but she takes the more aggressive role from that point and backs Meatloaf into a corner with her demands. All the while, he takes the softer, more timid role as he's trying to get out of it and knows he's in trouble.
It's great you mentioned the mic switching, because it's like the "who gets to talk" stick - it's an allegory for the situation as a whole. Throughout the song Meatloaf has been the one in "control" of the mic and by extension the progress of the evening. At first Ellen Foley had her own mic stand, but that was a stand, it's passive. He has a mic in hand, showing he's proactive. In "Let Me Sleep On It" she snatches the mic (the control) away from Meatloaf, and he is on the mic stand. He snatched the mic stand, like he's trying to regain some control, but it's still the more passive submissive symbol.
Then in the lead up to part 4 "Praying For The End Of Time", they both have their own hand held mic, it's like they are duelling, neither is giving any ground.... until...
There is so much going on in this music video, and most of the time I see people pass it off as *just* a "stage recording".
Unquestionably, this is one of the great songs of all time.
Ma'am, a lot of people miss the fact that Meatloaf is also Conducting for his own band. That fist after the intro when the music shifts from left to right as you put it, That's him cuing in other people. He does it a lot with hand flourishes and even when the Girl comes in, he Points to her, the light comes on and she belts out "Well it's Cold and Lonely in the Deep Dark Night" and he's punctuating every word for the musicians in back of him
Thank you.
The thing i love most of this song is the complete story. Cliche, yes, like many a teen love movie, but powerfully done and relatable (hopefully not *too* much so). Well structured and beautifully delivered. Which i think is what Meatloaf is most renowned for.
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife". The way he sings that amazing lyric gives me chills.
And this song takes me back to my very last day of High School. I had a date at the drive-in that night and I have no recollection of what was playing.
You make these old songs from so long ago and make them special again, probably more than ever! Thank you