Jim Steinman was brilliant. He also wrote "It's All coming back to me now" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" huge hits for Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler.
Karla DeVito sang the song on tour and appears in the video. Ellen Foley sang the song in the studio. Ellen did a lot of studio work in NYC in the 70's and 80's.
And that is Ellen's voice you hear in this video. This whole filmed performance is synced to the album version. It is not a live performance, but it is fantastic.
@@knavehart Meat considered himself an actor who could do musical theater. He was in a touring group of Hair in his early career. It's likely they met each other in musical theater.
Patricia Russo probably sang the female part more than anyone. She toured with him for many, many years. Late in his touring his daughter Pearl joined the chorus and did one or two female parts on sometimes.
Karla DeVito is the singer in the video. The video was synced to the original studio recording of the song. So while neither of them are lip syncing as they were actually singing, the voices you hear aren’t from that performance. Karla is a fantastic vocalist as well.
@@scrumsie yes. They took footage from a live performance and matched it with the studio recording. So Karla isn’t technically lip syncing even though you don’t hear her voice. Just like Meatloaf is singing but you are hearing a different recording of him singing in the studio.
This song was recorded in 1976. Forty years later - in 2016 - Meat Loaf released the album "Braver than we are". There's a song on the album called "Going all the way (A song in 6 movements)". It's 11 minutes and 28 seconds and features BOTH Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito as well as Meat!
This truly was "Rock Opera" and at its best, there was never one before it or after that could equal it. Their voices, performances, the piano, guitar and drums were spectacular.
Bat Out of Hell was one of those albums from that era that just about everyone had it seemed. Boston's first album, Frampton Comes Alive, Rumours and Bat Out of Hell....such a classic.
That is spot on. During COVID i started getting back into vinyl and those albums were some of my first purchases… Like i needed the proper vinyl foundation to start my collection.
I grew up listening to Meat loaf and this track from taken from the Bat Out Of Hell album was probably well worn out I played it so much aged 17. Fast forward 12 years or so and I toured for one week with him and his entourage on a U.K. tour filming for MTV back in the day. He was a true entertainer and always was fun to be around. I was truly blessed to have that week working along side him. He really knew how to direct and film, and he never ever belittled a young cameraman who was in his early days of his craft.
This song to this day still make me want to get up and dance... The vocals in this song, just amazing. The whole album was a musical masterpiece!! R.I.P. Meat Loaf!!
Meatloaf was first and foremost a storyteller. That's why his voice changes during the performance - he's acting out the different feelings of the character as the story progresses. A masterclass in songwriting. A masterclass in stage performance. A masterclass in video production. This one has it all... :)
I am a 1971 baby and I grew up with meatloaf, and I absolutely positively love him and his songs! I followed him up until his death a few years before he died. He was on ghost adventures, and I absolutely absolutely loved him. He he loved going ghost 🎉hunting with Zach.
The entire album is an absolute masterpiece. A masterpiece of songwriting and performance, as well as an emotional rollercoaster. The applicable superlatives have yet to be invented that would adequately describe the album in general, and this song in particular. Well done.
It's brilliant. I didn't realize until decades later that it's basically Eddie from ROCKY HORROR, songs and piano from Jim Steinman, and a combination of the E Street Band and Utopia. :)
There is only one Meatloaf and there will only be one .... EVER......RIP There is no middle road....you either love or hate his unique voice and performances. I love him and his voice...energetic and powerful...always melodious and dare I say ALWAYS passionate. Good songwriting and good production.... GREAT REACTION BETHANY ❤
Cannot get through this performance, like you, without grinning my fool head off the WHOLE WAY!!! SUCH great vocals and the energy level is CRAZY and SO GOOD!!! Thanks for listening to this one!! 😍😍😍😍😍
Jim Steinman is one of the best songwriters ever. He has written so many of our favorite bops but when combined with the vocal abilities of Meat Loaf you have something generational. One of the top five albums ever. Thank you for your authentic reaction to this.
He was behind an all-female band called Pandora's Box that did one album called "Original Sin" that isn't very well known but it's very typical Jim Steinman and worth a listen if you can find it. He also wrote a couple of song's for the Soundtrack of a movie called Street's of Fire that were performed by another female band called Fire Inc, one of those songs "Nowhere Fast" was also performed by Meat Loaf later.
Saw him later in his career and was absolutely stunned by the energy they generated on the stage. I was exhausted by the end of the concert just from listening.
One of the things that always amazed me about Meatloaf was his ability to sing a very quick vocal tempo and still be able to enunciate clearly. For example, in _Paradise..._ the line, "...glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife". Meatloaf played Eddie the delivery driver (and Dr. Scott) in the original play of _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ and just Eddie in the movie, but I had heard that the reason Meatloaf sang 'Hot Patootie' in the movie was he was the only one that could sing at such a fast tempo and still be clear. He was an amazing talent!
I always thought it was funny and cool how in the cast recording of “Time Warp” you can clearly pick out Meat Loaf in the background vocals. It’s probably 10-12 people arranged around microphones and his voice just sticks out.
Ellen Foley recorded the vocals for this in one take with Meatloaf in the room so she could get the emotion of the song right. As impressive as Meat’s voice always was that bit of trivia has always been the most impressive thing about this song.
Karla doing the best lip sync battle EVER! Always love the facial reactions to the baseball analogy. There are live versions of this song with Karla singing, she is not just an actress.
This video is from a live concert. She wasn’t lip syncing. The recording from the concert wasn’t good enough quality for the video so they dubbed the studio version over the concert footage.
@ameyer1970.I'm sorry that you are incorrect. This was the official video for the song and simulates a live concert - or actually more simulates a live musical theatrical performance. There is no audience beyond those involved in the performance and the production crew. The actress Karla Devito toured with Meat Loaf and performed this with him in live concert and both sang --but not here. This is a studio creation and she is lip-synching to Ellen Foley's original studio recording with Meatloaf.
I've always thought Ellen Foley was underappreciated as a singer. She has a great bit in Ian Hunter's We Gotta Get Out of Here, and had a minor hit of her own with Young Lust. (She also sang on a couple of Clash songs while in a relationship with Mick Jones and was the inspiration for The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go?)
Did you blush on the kissing scene? Awesome reaction. Meat Loaf is a national treasure. When you hear "one of a kind" he is it. He is absolutely unmistakable when you hear him. And I had a crazy crush on the female singer when I was a teenager. Thank you.
Meat Loafs performance on this song made him an immortal. This one song and performance that has never left my mind since first hearing it the very day I heard it on the radio. So long as he is remembered he is still with us. This song as well as his others in my opinion has made him an immortal, a Titan in the performing arts.
Thanks for reviewing this great song and performance. The energy and intensity is overwhelming. I love the layering of the lead singers with each other and then the backup singers adding context and raising the impact of the vocals and instruments. Whew! I’m sweating just thinking about it. I really enjoy how involved you get with the songs you review. I love that you put into words the emotions I have with these pieces. I just saw The Warning’s VMA performance of Evolve and was blown away by their energy and ability. Perhaps you would do a show about them if you agree. Thanks again.
the Original studio album was Ellen but on stage Karla was singing cause Ellen did not go on tour, this was later synced for the record and clip, so the singing is real in concerts but on the clip is the voice of Ellen.
So I've seen them in concert and I'll tell you if you see it live, you will never want to see it like this studio or whatever video I don't know, the band is awesome too its not just him and the lady the band they're so good. I was like front row before he passed. May he rest in peace Meatloaf? So so good since high school. I loved him and his band!! So much talent they are unbelievable🥰 Thank you for your show. I love it and you too. God bless Rock On.😇🤘🫶
This was the soundtrack that we would clean the house to every Saturday morning. We would use brooms and feather dusters for microphones. It always takes me back to that time.
This starts out with the best song title ever, and then just gets better. The performance, the lyrics and the music are total perfection. Today's music is like cold oatmeal compared to this.
Her acting in this is so underrated, she is the 17 year-old girl in the front seat of the car protecting her virginity, kind of. So great, just the subtle things she does throughout the song.
It's great watching her watch the video. She looks like she is having so much fun. She picks great music to listen to and I learn something new every time.
Meatloaf came form the theater. So everything he did had that flair of a performance. as he used to say "im not a singer, im an actor playing a singer"
Ellen Foley, who sang on the album, declined to be on the Bat Out Of Hell tour, and Karla DeVito assumed live performance responsibilities, so the music video was created by syncing the video of DeVito's performance to the audio of Foley's vocals. -- Wikipedia
Just to let you know, Ellen Folley did not tour as she was busy taping the T.V. show of Night Court at this time but she did have time to do the recording for the album. And during the live concerts, Karla did the singing.
Steinman wrote stories for a lot of the songs; Bat Out of Hell, Paradise By the Dashboard Light, etc. The lyrics combined with the music composition, Meat Loaf's vocals, the stage performances pushing it into theater rock opera, put him into a category few bands/artists ever could get into. The entire Bat Out of Hell album is pure gold. Paradise By the Dashboard Light is an epic story of young lust, something every high school kid at the time could relate to, and it ends with reality hitting them and the listener; marriage isn't built on lust. As for the stage "acting" during the baseball game part... they did that on stage. She commented that she was shocked when Meat Loaf shoved his tongue down her throat during it, but, it was a performance so, yeah... they did that for the concerts.
Your reactions are priceless! Not only do you share knowledge and insights on voice/music, but your facial expressions and body language give us a glimpse into your soul. You are moved by music, sometimes to to your glowing smile - other times to tears...but it is always honest, open, and natural. How would I know? I feel music in a very similar way. The vibration of music resonates with my entire body an speaks to my heart...It's a birth right. You are a treasure. Your bright, expressive countenance shines light on more souls than you know. Keep being you. You make the world a much better place.🙏
I've listened to loads of Meat Loaf bootlegs, and one of the fastest ways to see if it's going to be a great performance is to go to the last part of this song, and the line "I swore, I would love you to the end of time." On nights where he's really firing on all cylinders, he will rip through that line and reach much higher. Even in shows where his voice isn't the best (which, with a voice as sensitive as his, happened a bit) when he's really in the groove he will chase that line and deliver it even better than on the record. He was a very gifted performer as well as a great vocalist, which is why some of my favourite recordings of him aren't necessarily the ones where his voice was at its best, but the ones where he gave it his all anyway.
The way it was explained in one of the many interviews over the years , was that the audio quality of this performance didn't match the visual quality . So they dubbed the album over this video . The reason it worked so well, was the amount of rehearsals that Meatloaf insisted on before going out on tour . The timing is almost impeccable .
Ellen Foley also was girlfriend of Mick Jones of the Clash and sang on some Clash songs and got some songwriting credits,too. Jones was lead guitar and singer on songs such as Train in Vain, the Card Cheat, Should I Stay or Should I go,, Rudy Can’t Fail, Stay Free…wrote and sang some of the best Clash songs
Todd Rundgren, my favorite artist, is the guy who produced this album "Bat Out Of Hell". Todd also did a lot to push this album along until it finally caught on. When I was in Bosnia a few years ago, one day we were singing this song & laughing about it because, in Bosnian, the word paradajz (pron. paradize) is their word for "tomato"..haha..Thanks Bethany..Great choice!!
Speaking for myself, I'll never tire of listening to the songs from Jim Steinman, they affect me in a way that no other songwriter comes close. I love this performance with Karla DeVito. I know that Ellen Foley sang the original version but I think Karla deserves a lot of credit for this performance. With her side glances, mouthing the word "Let Me Sleep On It" and wiping her nose with the back of her hand she brings so much more to her performance, I know that Meat Loaf gets most of the credit for this song but we needed the genius of Jim and the stage presence of Karla to help make it the masterpiece that the video is.
I’ve attended more than 2,000 sporting events in my life and far & away the greatest national anthem was Meatloaf at the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.
My top 3 would be 1) Chris Stapleton. 2) Whitney Houston. 3) Meatloaf. However I am not going to discount your choice of Meatloaf as number one, as the argument can certainly be made that any of those could be at the top spot. It's just a matter of personal preference.
Ellen Foley did the vocals on the album but could not tour with the band. Karla DaVito is the lady in the video, and does a great performance. She was the female vocalist for the tour.
Always love to see someone hearing this song for the first time and how they react when they realize what it's about, or watching the video and seeing how Meat Loaf can perform. With his background in theater, including "Hair" and "The Rocky Horror Show" (later one with "Rocky Horror Picture Show"), he put on theatrical-type rock operas. The baseball announcer recorded his bit without knowing what the song was about.
I only saw Meat once in concert in 1989, here in Orlando at what was back then Pleasure Island Disney, on a outside covered stage. Admission was 10 bucks. Meat sang and performed like this for 2 hours and left his whole heart and sole on the stage. He was one of the best, if not best musical rock and performer of my time. Great Review as always and nice to see that you liked it!!!
Just an interesting sidenote. The announcer for the baseball play by play was Phil Rizzuto, a Hall of Fame shortstop for the New York Yankees and a long time Broadcaster.
This song is a masterpiece, and the rest of the album is amazing, too. I saw Meat Loaf along with Karla at the Agora Balroom in Atlanta in 1981, leaning against the stage. This video is exactly the performance they delivered. Meat Loaf in his prime, in a small setting. Great memories.
Bohemian Rhapsody, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Hotel California, Stairway to heaven ..... all great songs, none like the other. Is it that they all seem to follow a narrative?
Such a brilliant composition, so theatrical that an entire show should have been written around it. Meaty (as Sarah Ferguson used to call him) and Karla just play it to the hilt! The voices match so well, and Ellen got far too little credit to her contributions. Karla was a perfect surrogate for her. Jim Steinman was pure genius, and for the time he and Marvin Aday (Meat Loaf) were not working together, Meaty's career was rather stagnant. When Steinman returned, he brought "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" and the Bat Of Out Hell II album, and Meat Loaf was on another run! "Paradise..." is absolutely one of the greatest compositions ever, it's in my top ten for certain, possibly top five. It was so much fun watching you break-down this brilliant son, Bethany! You always make it so much fun to watch it for the six hundredth time!
This was the first Album I bought. It was a record, Meatloaf Bat out of Hell. I grew up on the edge of the Empire, So when I had a friend from the city take me to The Rocky Horror Picture Show I had a blast. Rice, water guns, standing in front of the screen and acting with the actors. Nothing like it now days, that I know.
One of the very first concerts i ever went to was Meat Loaf in Edinburgh in the early 80s. The whole concert was a blast as he was such a great showman, but this song in particular was an experience when he did it live.
I’m enjoying your analysis a whole bunch! Yes Ellen did the vocals here, both are lip syncing. There is a fully live concert version where we hear Karla and she rocks, too!
I was fortunate enough to see this performed live with the vocal pairing shown in the video. Absolutely unforgettable! This song brings back so many sweet memories. The video is "pasted" over the studio recording. The amazing Carla, shown here, is NOT lip-syncing. Trust me. She can SANG!!
The woman in the video is Carla Devito who was the lead singer for Orchestra Luna, a smallish band which also included Rick Berlin as an eventual member. She had a stunning voice and actually went on tour with Meatloaf for this album. I was fortunate enough to have seen Orchestra Luna several times in a small bar in Nashua, NH and even more fortunate to have had the band sit at our table during a break. We were are every show they did in the location, so they kind of knew who we were. Never once thought Carla and Rick would become who they did.
The music of Jim Steinman is genius. Meat Loaf brought the lion share of Jim’s music to life. Seems like we lost them both within a year of each other. Another fine analysis. Brava!
I have always loved everything about this song. I listen to it on my headphones every time I mow the lawn and sing along with every part so no one can hear my awful voice over the lawn mower. I enjoy your insightful observations and enthusiasm.
THANK YOU!!! You are one of the only ones that have reacted to this video/song that's openly acknowledged the interplay meaning. Your smile during that part was worth everything that makes this song great.
r.i.p. Meat Loaf, what a great voice, this reminds me what a great sense of humor he had (Fight Club comes to mind) Love your reactions/analysis, you're so cute!.
Your breakdown takes me back to 1983 and having a vocal coach walk our show choir through this with many of the points you brought up. He knew we couldnt do this type of song back then. But he wanted us to be performing like we were Broadway babies. He was one of those coaches who really taught us so much and changed young lives.
One of the great rock anthems in the last fifty years. Outstanding composition and the vocals are out of this world. Never gets old and a timeless song
I saw him in Thunder Bay many years ago, the concert started around 7:30 and went till after midnight. I myself grew up on stage singing in musicals and this was an incredible production. Brought me back to my time on stage, but Meatloaf was incredible and was blessed to see him live
Hey! Did you know that Ellen Foley, the original singer of this song was also one of the original cast members on the TV sit-com "Nightcourt"??? It's true!!
Great review, both Meat and Jim were superb at their craft. My favourite song by the duo was one of the hidden gems called 'I'll Kill You if You Don't Come Back'. Jam packed with typical Steinman lyrics: Go on and take all your stuff, don't even bother to pack In every way I want you out of my life But I'll kill you if you don't come back, I'll kill you if you don't come back And again, it's one of those tracks where the song changes pace halfway though and we get that smooth tone that only Meat can bring to the party. Well worth checking out if it's one you haven't listened to before!
Accomplished actor in addition to great singer makes for one heck of a performance. His asthma often left him laid out on the floor with oxygen in order to recover. Yet he always gave everything he had in every performance. RIP Meatloaf. 😊
I was at the Bottom Line in NYC way back in 1977 to see Meatloaf with Karla DeVito. I stayed for both shows that night and left there amazed. I had seen many shows at the Bottom Line, both prior to and after this one. But this one stands out as one of the most incredible live shows I have ever seen. Thank you Bethany for reacting to this very special performance. Next I'm going to watch your Janis Joplin video. I saw Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Singer Bowl in Queens NYC in 1968. That was one of my first live rock concerts. What a night. Opening act, The Soft Machine. Next, The Chambers Brothers. Then Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company and finally the headlining act, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. That night changed my life forever to this day. I love live music. And another thing I love is your UA-cam Channel Bethany. When I watch you get excited about a performance, I enjoy it so much. Thank you again and I hope you keep providing us with the great videos!
Great comment again. A proposal: There are two singers with a typical sound, Peter Gabriel and Mark Knopfler. Would you consider reviews on their songs? Incidentally, Roger Hodgson with his band Supertramp and the song Fool's overture also seems worth a review to me. There's so much in there......
This live performance was synced with the studio recording version of the song. The fact that the live version is so dead on perfect to the original speaks volumes about the professionalism of the performers. Broadway quality. That's entertainment.
Her album 'Spirit of St Louis' is really good... she was dating Mick Jones of the Clash at the time and the Clash are the backing band, with many Strummer/Jones songs included.
The changes in his voice as he aged were purposeful. While touring for Bat 2, he strained his cords and nearly paralyzed them. By Bat 3 and Hang Cool Tedybear he had "reinvented" his range.
The late Jim Steinman is one of the most well-known, but slightly underrated songwriters of his time. Much like the Bee Gees and Burt Bacharach, you can tell if it's a Steinman song within a few bars. The entire "Bat Out of Hell" album is terrifyingly good, but he wrote so many great songs that Meat Loaf did not perform such as "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "Making Love Out of Nothing at All", and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". He composed these amazing intros and soaring choruses that, like a wolf with red roses, grips the listener by the throat, if offered, and doesn't let go. They were like addictive gothic symphonies. "Paradise..." is my ultimate earworm; if I think of it, I have to finish it or it is stuck in my head all day. When I saw you were doing this song, I stopped everything and had to watch. ("Bat Out of Hell" (song) is another earworm which is currently stuck alongside Kate Bush's "Running Up that Hill". *le sigh* it's that addictive gothic feel, dark and tragic, offset by fabulous vocals.)
THIS song so much shows the genius songwriting ability of Jim Steinman. The entire baseball analogy of a young man trying real hard to get the end prize. Just so good.
Strongly recommend taking a listen to Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon. He had (Rip) a seriously unique voice and style that I've not heard from anyone else then or since. No Rain is the obvious go-to.... However the song Change is truly amazing and I think a good representation of his voice and himself via his lyrics. Just thought I'd throw that one out there! I just discovered you the other day and am loving your content! Keep up the amazing work!
Karla was contracted to perform the tour with Meatloaf using Ellen's vocals. Just like when decades later Patti Russo took the position for over 10 years in the final tours and Appearances. Patti however sang live.
This takes me way back. Cruising down the road with my first serious girlfriend. And meatloaf blaring through the speakers in my car. Such great times.
RIP Meat Loaf
RIP Jim Steinman
Jim was master songwriter and Meat Loaf was master performer. The perfect duo
Jim Steinman was brilliant. He also wrote "It's All coming back to me now" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" huge hits for Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler.
And so much more…including “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” for Air Supply…and songs for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals.
Steinman & Meatloaf was such an awesome combination. That being said Steinman's Bad For Good was a fantastic album on it's own too
The world would be a darker and duller place without their music. We're lucky they found each other.
Yes, unfortunately, IIRC, they had a massive falling out, which was part of the reason 'Meatloaf' gave up singing, doing more acting.
Karla DeVito sang the song on tour and appears in the video. Ellen Foley sang the song in the studio. Ellen did a lot of studio work in NYC in the 70's and 80's.
She also did Night Court Tv series.
Ellen didn't want to tour, as she was also working on Broadway a lot at the time
And that is Ellen's voice you hear in this video. This whole filmed performance is synced to the album version.
It is not a live performance, but it is fantastic.
@@knavehart Meat considered himself an actor who could do musical theater. He was in a touring group of Hair in his early career. It's likely they met each other in musical theater.
Patricia Russo probably sang the female part more than anyone. She toured with him for many, many years. Late in his touring his daughter Pearl joined the chorus and did one or two female parts on sometimes.
Karla DeVito is the singer in the video. The video was synced to the original studio recording of the song. So while neither of them are lip syncing as they were actually singing, the voices you hear aren’t from that performance. Karla is a fantastic vocalist as well.
But isnt it Ellen Foleys voice ?
It's Ellen Foley on the studio recording, Karla Devito only lip sync in the video ✌️
@@scrumsie yes. They took footage from a live performance and matched it with the studio recording. So Karla isn’t technically lip syncing even though you don’t hear her voice. Just like Meatloaf is singing but you are hearing a different recording of him singing in the studio.
Karla is the the wife of Actor Robbie Benson, married for over 21 years.
@@scrumsie Yeah, it's Foley's voice here, but Carla was the one who went on tour and sing with meatloaf.
This song was recorded in 1976. Forty years later - in 2016 - Meat Loaf released the album "Braver than we are". There's a song on the album called "Going all the way (A song in 6 movements)". It's 11 minutes and 28 seconds and features BOTH Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito as well as Meat!
Thank you sooo much for mentioning this song. I had never heard it before. Damn it was fun!!!!!!
STILL the 6th best selling album of all time. Bat Out of Hell is truly an experience.
Yep we wore out our LP
One of one
I'm pretty sure every song was a Top 40 hit
Had the 8-track
This truly was "Rock Opera" and at its best, there was never one before it or after that could equal it. Their voices, performances, the piano, guitar and drums were spectacular.
I think The Who's "Tommy" and " Quadrophenia" was released well before this and every bit as much the equal.
Bat Out of Hell was one of those albums from that era that just about everyone had it seemed. Boston's first album, Frampton Comes Alive, Rumours and Bat Out of Hell....such a classic.
That is spot on. During COVID i started getting back into vinyl and those albums were some of my first purchases… Like i needed the proper vinyl foundation to start my collection.
Don't forget Cheap Trick - Live At Budokan !
@@rogerdaly6326 Yes! How did I forget that one? I just picked that one up on CD at a garage sale last week. It's still great.
@@titusbc Exactly! I think Hotel California might go well on. that list too.
Heart “Little Queen”..
I grew up listening to Meat loaf and this track from taken from the Bat Out Of Hell album was probably well worn out I played it so much aged 17.
Fast forward 12 years or so and I toured for one week with him and his entourage on a U.K. tour filming for MTV back in the day.
He was a true entertainer and always was fun to be around. I was truly blessed to have that week working along side him. He really knew how to direct and film, and he never ever belittled a young cameraman who was in his early days of his craft.
Meat Loaf was the King of Rock Theater!
This song to this day still make me want to get up and dance... The vocals in this song, just amazing. The whole album was a musical masterpiece!! R.I.P. Meat Loaf!!
Meatloaf was first and foremost a storyteller. That's why his voice changes during the performance - he's acting out the different feelings of the character as the story progresses.
A masterclass in songwriting. A masterclass in stage performance. A masterclass in video production. This one has it all... :)
I am a 1971 baby and I grew up with meatloaf, and I absolutely positively love him and his songs! I followed him up until his death a few years before he died. He was on ghost adventures, and I absolutely absolutely loved him. He he loved going ghost 🎉hunting with Zach.
The entire album is an absolute masterpiece. A masterpiece of songwriting and performance, as well as an emotional rollercoaster. The applicable superlatives have yet to be invented that would adequately describe the album in general, and this song in particular. Well done.
Arguably one of the best albums of all time.
It's brilliant. I didn't realize until decades later that it's basically Eddie from ROCKY HORROR, songs and piano from Jim Steinman, and a combination of the E Street Band and Utopia. :)
"For Crying Out Loud" from this album is a vocal masterpiece.
Facts
Yes… It….Is……..
Could not agree more.
Yes. Yes. Yes. My favorite song on the entire album
Greatest love song ever ™
There is only one Meatloaf and there will only be one .... EVER......RIP
There is no middle road....you either love or hate his unique voice and performances.
I love him and his voice...energetic and powerful...always melodious and dare I say ALWAYS passionate. Good songwriting and good production.... GREAT REACTION BETHANY ❤
I saw him in concert twice, he was amazing!
His background in musical theatre really comes through in his 'signature' songs. The Rocky Horror Show did him no harm at all!
His name is Robert Paulson
I love how in the cast recording of "Time Warp" you can easily pick out Meat Loaf among the ensemble singers. It's that loud and penetrating a voice.
@@chetstevensq His name WAS Robert Paulson
Don't forget that Loaf was a Theatre singer who got fame, in the Rocky Horror Picture Show with Hot Potootie
Everyone should experience RHPS at least once.
Cannot get through this performance, like you, without grinning my fool head off the WHOLE WAY!!! SUCH great vocals and the energy level is CRAZY and SO GOOD!!! Thanks for listening to this one!! 😍😍😍😍😍
Jim Steinman is one of the best songwriters ever. He has written so many of our favorite bops but when combined with the vocal abilities of Meat Loaf you have something generational. One of the top five albums ever. Thank you for your authentic reaction to this.
He was behind an all-female band called Pandora's Box that did one album called "Original Sin" that isn't very well known but it's very typical Jim Steinman and worth a listen if you can find it. He also wrote a couple of song's for the Soundtrack of a movie called Street's of Fire that were performed by another female band called Fire Inc, one of those songs "Nowhere Fast" was also performed by Meat Loaf later.
Saw him later in his career and was absolutely stunned by the energy they generated on the stage. I was exhausted by the end of the concert just from listening.
One of the things that always amazed me about Meatloaf was his ability to sing a very quick vocal tempo and still be able to enunciate clearly. For example, in _Paradise..._ the line, "...glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife".
Meatloaf played Eddie the delivery driver (and Dr. Scott) in the original play of _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ and just Eddie in the movie, but I had heard that the reason Meatloaf sang 'Hot Patootie' in the movie was he was the only one that could sing at such a fast tempo and still be clear. He was an amazing talent!
He was a vocal master
I always thought it was funny and cool how in the cast recording of “Time Warp” you can clearly pick out Meat Loaf in the background vocals. It’s probably 10-12 people arranged around microphones and his voice just sticks out.
Ellen Foley recorded the vocals for this in one take with Meatloaf in the room so she could get the emotion of the song right. As impressive as Meat’s voice always was that bit of trivia has always been the most impressive thing about this song.
Ellen is one of very few women that could match his power.
Carla De Vito was the touring singer. Ellen Foley also had an otherwise busy singing and acting career
@@weskaminski8927she declined because she didn’t line the kissing part. She wasn’t acting much when the album was recorded
@@caperboy1169 She was doing "Night Court" That was the reason she didn't tour. Your comment is nothing more than internet speculating.
@@stevenmeyer9674 no, she chose broadway , plus she was disgusted when hearing about the make our session on paradise . I heard the entire interview
Nobody quite writes songs like Jim Steinman did. Always full on stories and almost always some twist ending 😅
They're basically one-song mini musicals
It's called a bohemian style.
Wagnerian Rock
Karla doing the best lip sync battle EVER! Always love the facial reactions to the baseball analogy. There are live versions of this song with Karla singing, she is not just an actress.
Right! She even had a solo career! Cool World, Midnight Confessions or We Are Not Alone are some of her hits...
This video is from a live concert. She wasn’t lip syncing. The recording from the concert wasn’t good enough quality for the video so they dubbed the studio version over the concert footage.
@ameyer1970.I'm sorry that you are incorrect. This was the official video for the song and simulates a live concert - or actually more simulates a live musical theatrical performance. There is no audience beyond those involved in the performance and the production crew. The actress Karla Devito toured with Meat Loaf and performed this with him in live concert and both sang --but not here. This is a studio creation and she is lip-synching to Ellen Foley's original studio recording with Meatloaf.
I've always thought Ellen Foley was underappreciated as a singer. She has a great bit in Ian Hunter's We Gotta Get Out of Here, and had a minor hit of her own with Young Lust. (She also sang on a couple of Clash songs while in a relationship with Mick Jones and was the inspiration for The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go?)
Ellen is stil working and even with Karla de Vito ua-cam.com/video/Kh9QXC5SpuQ/v-deo.html
Did you blush on the kissing scene? Awesome reaction. Meat Loaf is a national treasure. When you hear "one of a kind" he is it. He is absolutely unmistakable when you hear him. And I had a crazy crush on the female singer when I was a teenager. Thank you.
Your enthusiasm is infectious! Great vid.
Meatloaf was always brilliant at telling stories with his songs and the videos for them. This and "More than you deserve" are both hilarious.
"More than you deserve" hilarious? I think not.
Meat Loafs performance on this song made him an immortal. This one song and performance that has never left my mind since first hearing it the very day I heard it on the radio. So long as he is remembered he is still with us. This song as well as his others in my opinion has made him an immortal, a Titan in the performing arts.
One of the greatest songs ever written and performed.
R.I.P. Meat you are missed
Thanks for reviewing this great song and performance. The energy and intensity is overwhelming. I love the layering of the lead singers with each other and then the backup singers adding context and raising the impact of the vocals and instruments. Whew! I’m sweating just thinking about it.
I really enjoy how involved you get with the songs you review. I love that you put into words the emotions I have with these pieces.
I just saw The Warning’s VMA performance of Evolve and was blown away by their energy and ability. Perhaps you would do a show about them if you agree.
Thanks again.
the Original studio album was Ellen but on stage Karla was singing cause Ellen did not go on tour, this was later synced for the record and clip, so the singing is real in concerts but on the clip is the voice of Ellen.
So I've seen them in concert and I'll tell you if you see it live, you will never want to see it like this studio or whatever video I don't know, the band is awesome too its not just him and the lady the band they're so good. I was like front row before he passed. May he rest in peace Meatloaf? So so good since high school. I loved him and his band!! So much talent they are unbelievable🥰 Thank you for your show. I love it and you too. God bless Rock On.😇🤘🫶
This was the soundtrack that we would clean the house to every Saturday morning. We would use brooms and feather dusters for microphones. It always takes me back to that time.
This starts out with the best song title ever, and then just gets better. The performance, the lyrics and the music are total perfection. Today's music is like cold oatmeal compared to this.
Meat loaf in his younger days…could belt it out. When you went on concert it was the music, the story the theatrics. It was a true show.
Her acting in this is so underrated, she is the 17 year-old girl in the front seat of the car protecting her virginity, kind of. So great, just the subtle things she does throughout the song.
I always get a kick out of her doing the Snoopy dance in celebration after she gets her way with his agreement to love her forever
Her Bettie Boop demure looks of innocence are perfect
She looks a little bruised by life.
It's great watching her watch the video. She looks like she is having so much fun. She picks great music to listen to and I learn something new every time.
Meatloaf came form the theater. So everything he did had that flair of a performance. as he used to say "im not a singer, im an actor playing a singer"
Ellen Foley, who sang on the album, declined to be on the Bat Out Of Hell tour, and Karla DeVito assumed live performance responsibilities, so the music video was created by syncing the video of DeVito's performance to the audio of Foley's vocals. -- Wikipedia
I'm glad i found you. You are so fun.
and YOU lady vocalyst, are so much fun to watch and listen to..thank YOU
Just to let you know, Ellen Folley did not tour as she was busy taping the T.V. show of Night Court at this time but she did have time to do the recording for the album. And during the live concerts, Karla did the singing.
Steinman wrote stories for a lot of the songs; Bat Out of Hell, Paradise By the Dashboard Light, etc. The lyrics combined with the music composition, Meat Loaf's vocals, the stage performances pushing it into theater rock opera, put him into a category few bands/artists ever could get into. The entire Bat Out of Hell album is pure gold.
Paradise By the Dashboard Light is an epic story of young lust, something every high school kid at the time could relate to, and it ends with reality hitting them and the listener; marriage isn't built on lust.
As for the stage "acting" during the baseball game part... they did that on stage. She commented that she was shocked when Meat Loaf shoved his tongue down her throat during it, but, it was a performance so, yeah... they did that for the concerts.
I hope kids today learn of Meatloaf/Steinman.
I saw them in concert around 1977. Yes, they did all of this on stage.
Your reactions are priceless! Not only do you share knowledge and insights on voice/music, but your facial expressions and body language give us a glimpse into your soul. You are moved by music, sometimes to to your glowing smile - other times to tears...but it is always honest, open, and natural. How would I know? I feel music in a very similar way. The vibration of music resonates with my entire body an speaks to my heart...It's a birth right.
You are a treasure. Your bright, expressive countenance shines light on more souls than you know. Keep being you. You make the world a much better place.🙏
Meatloaf was one of a kind for sure, RIP.
I've listened to loads of Meat Loaf bootlegs, and one of the fastest ways to see if it's going to be a great performance is to go to the last part of this song, and the line "I swore, I would love you to the end of time." On nights where he's really firing on all cylinders, he will rip through that line and reach much higher. Even in shows where his voice isn't the best (which, with a voice as sensitive as his, happened a bit) when he's really in the groove he will chase that line and deliver it even better than on the record. He was a very gifted performer as well as a great vocalist, which is why some of my favourite recordings of him aren't necessarily the ones where his voice was at its best, but the ones where he gave it his all anyway.
The way it was explained in one of the many interviews over the years , was that the audio quality of this performance didn't match the visual quality . So they dubbed the album over this video . The reason it worked so well, was the amount of rehearsals that Meatloaf insisted on before going out on tour . The timing is almost impeccable .
Ellen Foley also was girlfriend of Mick Jones of the Clash and sang on some Clash songs and got some songwriting credits,too. Jones was lead guitar and singer on songs such as Train in Vain, the Card Cheat, Should I Stay or Should I go,, Rudy Can’t Fail, Stay Free…wrote and sang some of the best Clash songs
Bat Out of Hell is a true rock opera, and their stage performance was so intense and engulfing that I left there completely soaked.
Jim Steinman (the writer) is brilliant. Heaven Can Wait on the same album really shows off Meatloaf's vocals
Heaven Can Wait ... Amazing song. You know it.
Todd Rundgren, my favorite artist, is the guy who produced this album "Bat Out Of Hell". Todd also did a lot to push this album along until it finally caught on. When I was in Bosnia a few years ago, one day we were singing this song & laughing about it because, in Bosnian, the word paradajz (pron. paradize) is their word for "tomato"..haha..Thanks Bethany..Great choice!!
Speaking for myself, I'll never tire of listening to the songs from Jim Steinman, they affect me in a way that no other songwriter comes close. I love this performance with Karla DeVito. I know that Ellen Foley sang the original version but I think Karla deserves a lot of credit for this performance. With her side glances, mouthing the word "Let Me Sleep On It" and wiping her nose with the back of her hand she brings so much more to her performance, I know that Meat Loaf gets most of the credit for this song but we needed the genius of Jim and the stage presence of Karla to help make it the masterpiece that the video is.
One of the best, most dynamic songs ever. The emotions are just amazing.
I’ve attended more than 2,000 sporting events in my life and far & away the greatest national anthem was Meatloaf at the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.
My top 3 would be 1) Chris Stapleton. 2) Whitney Houston. 3) Meatloaf. However I am not going to discount your choice of Meatloaf as number one, as the argument can certainly be made that any of those could be at the top spot. It's just a matter of personal preference.
i'm sure reactors pick this song because it will get them views, but the fact is Meat Loaf had MANY songs that deserve this kind of attention.
Yeah but 2 out of 3 ain't bad ❤
Lol 😂 true
Ellen Foley did the vocals on the album but could not tour with the band. Karla DaVito is the lady in the video, and does a great performance. She was the female vocalist for the tour.
As Ellen told it, she "couldn't tour" because she was missing some of the "assets" Karla had.
Always love to see someone hearing this song for the first time and how they react when they realize what it's about, or watching the video and seeing how Meat Loaf can perform. With his background in theater, including "Hair" and "The Rocky Horror Show" (later one with "Rocky Horror Picture Show"), he put on theatrical-type rock operas. The baseball announcer recorded his bit without knowing what the song was about.
I only saw Meat once in concert in 1989, here in Orlando at what was back then Pleasure Island Disney, on a outside covered stage. Admission was 10 bucks. Meat sang and performed like this for 2 hours and left his whole heart and sole on the stage. He was one of the best, if not best musical rock and performer of my time. Great Review as always and nice to see that you liked it!!!
Just an interesting sidenote. The announcer for the baseball play by play was Phil Rizzuto, a Hall of Fame shortstop for the New York Yankees and a long time Broadcaster.
Rizzuto didn't know what his part was really about and apparently got upset when it was explained to him.
Constantly played on the track bus for my school back in the day by the 2 choir girls on the team. Nobody complained because it's a great song
This song is a masterpiece, and the rest of the album is amazing, too. I saw Meat Loaf along with Karla at the Agora Balroom in Atlanta in 1981, leaning against the stage. This video is exactly the performance they delivered. Meat Loaf in his prime, in a small setting. Great memories.
Bohemian Rhapsody, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Hotel California, Stairway to heaven ..... all great songs, none like the other. Is it that they all seem to follow a narrative?
Such a brilliant composition, so theatrical that an entire show should have been written around it. Meaty (as Sarah Ferguson used to call him) and Karla just play it to the hilt! The voices match so well, and Ellen got far too little credit to her contributions. Karla was a perfect surrogate for her. Jim Steinman was pure genius, and for the time he and Marvin Aday (Meat Loaf) were not working together, Meaty's career was rather stagnant. When Steinman returned, he brought "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" and the Bat Of Out Hell II album, and Meat Loaf was on another run! "Paradise..." is absolutely one of the greatest compositions ever, it's in my top ten for certain, possibly top five. It was so much fun watching you break-down this brilliant son, Bethany! You always make it so much fun to watch it for the six hundredth time!
This was the first Album I bought. It was a record, Meatloaf Bat out of Hell.
I grew up on the edge of the Empire, So when I had a friend from the city take me to The Rocky Horror Picture Show I had a blast. Rice, water guns, standing in front of the screen and acting with the actors.
Nothing like it now days, that I know.
One of the very first concerts i ever went to was Meat Loaf in Edinburgh in the early 80s. The whole concert was a blast as he was such a great showman, but this song in particular was an experience when he did it live.
The baseball metaphors were a great addition to the iconic song and performance.
"He drove into second".
He is like a Vaudeville performer…stage presence, great vocals 👍🏻
I’m enjoying your analysis a whole bunch! Yes Ellen did the vocals here, both are lip syncing. There is a fully live concert version where we hear Karla and she rocks, too!
I was fortunate enough to see this performed live with the vocal pairing shown in the video. Absolutely unforgettable! This song brings back so many sweet memories. The video is "pasted" over the studio recording. The amazing Carla, shown here, is NOT lip-syncing. Trust me. She can SANG!!
The woman in the video is Carla Devito who was the lead singer for Orchestra Luna, a smallish band which also included Rick Berlin as an eventual member. She had a stunning voice and actually went on tour with Meatloaf for this album. I was fortunate enough to have seen Orchestra Luna several times in a small bar in Nashua, NH and even more fortunate to have had the band sit at our table during a break. We were are every show they did in the location, so they kind of knew who we were. Never once thought Carla and Rick would become who they did.
The music of Jim Steinman is genius. Meat Loaf brought the lion share of Jim’s music to life. Seems like we lost them both within a year of each other. Another fine analysis. Brava!
Meatloaf, I first saw him in the rock opera movie "Rocky Horror Picture Show"
I have always loved everything about this song. I listen to it on my headphones every time I mow the lawn and sing along with every part so no one can hear my awful voice over the lawn mower. I enjoy your insightful observations and enthusiasm.
THANK YOU!!! You are one of the only ones that have reacted to this video/song that's openly acknowledged the interplay meaning. Your smile during that part was worth everything that makes this song great.
r.i.p. Meat Loaf, what a great voice, this reminds me what a great sense of humor he had (Fight Club comes to mind)
Love your reactions/analysis, you're so cute!.
Great reaction and analysis Bethany!
Your breakdown takes me back to 1983 and having a vocal coach walk our show choir through this with many of the points you brought up. He knew we couldnt do this type of song back then. But he wanted us to be performing like we were Broadway babies. He was one of those coaches who really taught us so much and changed young lives.
I would add that lip synch gets a bad rap . Thank you for acknowledging her performance.
One of the great rock anthems in the last fifty years. Outstanding composition and the vocals are out of this world. Never gets old and a timeless song
I saw him in Thunder Bay many years ago, the concert started around 7:30 and went till after midnight. I myself grew up on stage singing in musicals and this was an incredible production. Brought me back to my time on stage, but Meatloaf was incredible and was blessed to see him live
Hey! Did you know that Ellen Foley, the original singer of this song was also one of the original cast members on the TV sit-com "Nightcourt"??? It's true!!
No, she was only on season 2.
@@NewBritainStationYes, she replaced Paula Kelley (Liz) after the first season.
Great review, both Meat and Jim were superb at their craft. My favourite song by the duo was one of the hidden gems called 'I'll Kill You if You Don't Come Back'. Jam packed with typical Steinman lyrics:
Go on and take all your stuff, don't even bother to pack
In every way I want you out of my life
But I'll kill you if you don't come back, I'll kill you if you don't come back
And again, it's one of those tracks where the song changes pace halfway though and we get that smooth tone that only Meat can bring to the party. Well worth checking out if it's one you haven't listened to before!
Accomplished actor in addition to great singer makes for one heck of a performance. His asthma often left him laid out on the floor with oxygen in order to recover. Yet he always gave everything he had in every performance. RIP Meatloaf. 😊
I was at the Bottom Line in NYC way back in 1977 to see Meatloaf with Karla DeVito. I stayed for both shows that night and left there amazed. I had seen many shows at the Bottom Line, both prior to and after this one. But this one stands out as one of the most incredible live shows I have ever seen. Thank you Bethany for reacting to this very special performance. Next I'm going to watch your Janis Joplin video. I saw Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Singer Bowl in Queens NYC in 1968. That was one of my first live rock concerts. What a night. Opening act, The Soft Machine. Next, The Chambers Brothers. Then Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company and finally the headlining act, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. That night changed my life forever to this day. I love live music. And another thing I love is your UA-cam Channel Bethany. When I watch you get excited about a performance, I enjoy it so much. Thank you again and I hope you keep providing us with the great videos!
Great comment again. A proposal: There are two singers with a typical sound, Peter Gabriel and Mark Knopfler. Would you consider reviews on their songs? Incidentally, Roger Hodgson with his band Supertramp and the song Fool's overture also seems worth a review to me. There's so much in there......
This live performance was synced with the studio recording version of the song. The fact that the live version is so dead on perfect to the original speaks volumes about the professionalism of the performers. Broadway quality. That's entertainment.
Elen Foley released a solo album called Night Out if you want to check her out some more..
Brilliant album. I actually bought that before I bought Bat out of Hell, having discovered Ellen through Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson.
Her album 'Spirit of St Louis' is really good... she was dating Mick Jones of the Clash at the time and the Clash are the backing band, with many Strummer/Jones songs included.
The changes in his voice as he aged were purposeful. While touring for Bat 2, he strained his cords and nearly paralyzed them. By Bat 3 and Hang Cool Tedybear he had "reinvented" his range.
The late Jim Steinman is one of the most well-known, but slightly underrated songwriters of his time. Much like the Bee Gees and Burt Bacharach, you can tell if it's a Steinman song within a few bars.
The entire "Bat Out of Hell" album is terrifyingly good, but he wrote so many great songs that Meat Loaf did not perform such as "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "Making Love Out of Nothing at All", and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". He composed these amazing intros and soaring choruses that, like a wolf with red roses, grips the listener by the throat, if offered, and doesn't let go. They were like addictive gothic symphonies.
"Paradise..." is my ultimate earworm; if I think of it, I have to finish it or it is stuck in my head all day. When I saw you were doing this song, I stopped everything and had to watch.
("Bat Out of Hell" (song) is another earworm which is currently stuck alongside Kate Bush's "Running Up that Hill". *le sigh* it's that addictive gothic feel, dark and tragic, offset by fabulous vocals.)
Oh yeah, I hear the similarities with Total Eclipse now.
THIS song so much shows the genius songwriting ability of Jim Steinman. The entire baseball analogy of a young man trying real hard to get the end prize. Just so good.
Strongly recommend taking a listen to Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon. He had (Rip) a seriously unique voice and style that I've not heard from anyone else then or since. No Rain is the obvious go-to.... However the song Change is truly amazing and I think a good representation of his voice and himself via his lyrics. Just thought I'd throw that one out there!
I just discovered you the other day and am loving your content! Keep up the amazing work!
Yes!
Love Change. Favorite song off that album.
Soup... Mouthful of Cavities...Toes Across the Floor...the list goes on...and on...and on...and...
Karla was contracted to perform the tour with Meatloaf using Ellen's vocals. Just like when decades later Patti Russo took the position for over 10 years in the final tours and Appearances. Patti however sang live.
Meat Loaf electrified the stage.
Bat Out of Hell is a fgn masterpiece. R.I.P. Meatloaf - an American icon.
This takes me way back. Cruising down the road with my first serious girlfriend. And meatloaf blaring through the speakers in my car. Such great times.
Jim Steinman was a true songwriting genius…and Meat Loaf a perfect vocal talent for him to collaborate with.
great reaction! glad to see you so into it and enjoying the whole performance