Like a Bat Out of Hell: Meatloaf

In 1971 Meatloaf teamed up with female vocalist Shaun (Stoney) Murphy to release a ’soul’ album called ‘Stoney & Meatloaf’. It was released on the Rare Earth label, which was a subsidiary label of Motown. The album did nothing. And in terms of a music career Meatloaf disappeared.

But in 1977 Meatloaf was back like a Bat Out Of Hell! Teaming up with Jim Steinman, Meatloaf took the rock world by storm with the release of the album Bat Out Of Hell and the world was never the same again. Current sales records put it as the 5th biggest worldwide selling albums of all time:

1. Michael Jackson – Thriller
2. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
3. AC/DC – Back In Black
4. Whitney Houston/Various Artists – The Bodyguard OST
5. Meatloaf – Bat Out Of Hell

The Bat Out Of Hell may be one of the best selling albums of all time, but when it came to releasing singles from the album a whole different story emerges. First up was You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth which hit a peak of number 39 in the US and number 33 in the UK. The same year, 1978, Paradise By The Dashboard Light hit number 39 in the US. Next up came Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, which hit a peak of number 32 in the UK and number 11 in the US. In 1979 title track Bat Out Of Hell was released, reaching number 15 in the UK but failing to chart in the US.

Cover of Bat Out of Hell

Sure, the album was a huge success, and would continue to sell well, but in terms of singles there was really nothing amazing about it. Having said that, surely things would only get better. It was time to get back to the drawing board and build on the success of Bat Out Of Hell!
In 1981 Meatloaf released the album Dead Ringer – again penned by Jim Steinman. The first single released from the album was I’m Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us. It did not sell well, only making number 62 in the UK charts and number 84 in the US. It would be the last Meatloaf single to hit the US charts for more than a decade.
Throughout the 1980’s Meatloaf would release 3 more albums – Midnight At The Lost And Found, Bad Attitude and Blind Before I Stop – but none of them saw any singles hit the US charts, although a few did hit the UK charts. Songs Midnight At The Lost And Found and Modern Girl both hit a peak of number 17 in the UK charts and Rock And Roll Mercenaries hit a peak of number 31, but over all it was nothing to write home about.
As the 1980’s turned in to the 1990’s how many people even remembered Meatloaf. The music world had changed dramatically since Bat Out Of Hell. Yet, in 1993 Meatloaf was to stage a comeback of epic proportions with a song that would break records all over the world!