Usually any mention of Paradise by the Dashboard Light elicits various simulated retching sounds among my so-called 'friends'. Why this seemingly reflexive defense reaction to what is surely the blueprint for teen pop masterpieces everywhere? Well, maybe this has something to do with it:
or this:
Tatu they ain't. But Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf nonetheless created a teen soap melodrama the heights of which not even two faux-lesbians lusting after each other in the rain could attain.
Now I know that some of you must be saying to yourselves "how DARE you! I hate this song because it is the most cheesy, over-the-top aberration ever committed to tape, not because Jim Steinman's jacket is the most cheesy, over-the-top aberration ever committed to leather" (but secretly you love his jacket, don't you). But in the words of the great mullet n' shades man himself: "If you don't go over the top, you can't see what's on the other side."
And what's on the other side? The land of the eight and a half minute pop song. A vast no-man's land between the borders of pop and musicals, where one song can contain roughly 32 emotions, 17 key changes, 5 choruses, 1 legendary yankees baseball announcer and the entire narrative of Grease. This is the land where rock n' roll dreams come through, come and stay a while.
Just in case you still can't overcome the tragic un-hipness of it all, here are some 'cool' facts about Jim n' Meat:
- Jim's first musical was deemed too sexually explicit to be shown on broadway: ROCK N ROLL!!
- Meat Loaf was in Fight Club and The Rocky Horror Picture Show: edgy.
- Meat Loaf's official site, along with his most loyal fanbase, is based in Germany: Hasselhoff factor
Ladies and gentlemen, the young Jim Steinman:
OH MY GOD IT'S THE BEST POP STAR PICTURE EVER!!!!
There. Convinced? Good.
Haha, Genius!
Posted by: Adem IAR | February 09, 2006 at 06:15 AM
can jim steinman listen to a song i have rhank ecorded t
Posted by: elspeth richards | August 03, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Steinman's music hit me over 30 years ago when I was in college. As someone famous said, I don't know much about music but I know what I like and I like just about anything that Steinman writes. His style is distinctive and I can spot a Steinman song from a mile away.
Bat Out of Hell remains one of my favorite albums of all time. I bought Bad For Good when it first came out and it is up there on my list too.
Maybe his music speaks to the teenager stuck inside of every guy. Then again, maybe not. Many of my friends can't stand his music and I think that it is because the complexity of the music and the depth of the lyrics just confuses them.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
Posted by: Gold Winger | November 01, 2009 at 07:00 AM
King genre par excellence the most commonly consumed by the general public, throughout history there have been great exponents who have made a lot through his talent, great blog thanks for sharing.
Posted by: sildenafil | April 27, 2010 at 01:59 AM
I know him, his style is distinctive and I can spot a Steinman song from a mile away.
Kevin
Posted by: pain management emr | July 30, 2010 at 07:07 PM