Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
So this brave new year of 2022 has barely started, and already too much of the news is bad news. Today’s sad news is about a famed Rock Singer with the unlikely name of “Meat Loaf,” passing at the age of 74.
He was/is one of my favorite “Classical Rock” performers. A trailblazer in his art who built a place among the great musicians of our era.
His Story
Meat Loaf was recognized as a larger than life figure who lived large, and lived loud. His music was as unique as he was. His greatest music hits include “Bat out of Hell,” “I’d Do Anything for Love,” and the absolutely wild “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.” He also performed in movies, with his appearance in the cult-classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show” probably his best known.
From the ever-wonderful Wikipedia;
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), better known as Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. His Bat Out of Hell trilogy—Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose—has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. More than four decades after its release, the first album still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually and stayed on the charts for over nine years, making it one of the best-selling albums in history.
After the commercial success of Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and earning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song “I’d Do Anything for Love”, Meat Loaf nevertheless experienced some difficulty establishing a steady career within the United States. This did not stop him from becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 100 million records. The key to this success was his retention of iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the United Kingdom, where he received the 1994 Brit Award for best-selling album and single, appeared in the 1997 film Spice World, and ranked 23rd for the number of weeks spent on the UK charts in 2006. He ranks 96th on VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”.
Aday appeared in over 50 films and television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. His film roles include Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and Bob Paulson in Fight Club (1999). His early stage work included dual roles in the original Broadway cast of The Rocky Horror Show, and he also appeared in the musical Hair, both on-and off-Broadway.
Wikipedia: Meat Loaf, The American Singer
His Greatest Hit
It’s a hard choice for me to pick my favorite Meat Loaf song. I can do a awesome Karaoke performances of “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” and the all-time greatest teenage morality song “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.” At least, I can do great Karaoke performances in the safety of my at-home den.
But I’d have to come down on “Paradise…” as my favorite. So, as a tribute to this great musician and performer, I present a YouTube video of Meat Loaf performing “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” live in concert. And just how much does a person need to make out with a beautiful lady on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans – knowing he’s going to get rejected? Amazing.
I’m sure he’ll have an entirely new audience to perform for. But, we know that good girls to to heaven, so where do the bad girls – and boys – go?
