On the one hand, we have to ask how this became a number one single. How did this outrageous, eight-minute long, barnstorming rock-opera push past the dance and all the Take That to become the biggest seller of the year?
I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), by Meat Loaf (his 1st and only #1)
7 weeks, from 17th October – 5th December 1993
On the other, we have to ask ‘how could it not?’ What would be the point of a song this huge getting stuck at #23? You put this much time, and money, this many power chords, that many prosthetics on Meat Loaf’s face, then you have to aim for the top. Then there is the fact that it was the lead single from ‘Bat Out of Hell II’, Meat Loaf’s first album in almost a decade, and follow-up to one of the best-selling albums of all time. Maybe the demand and the interest was there…? Or, if we had an imaginary third hand, do we decide not to care why, and just give thanks that it did? The dramatic build-up, the soaring chorus, the sledgehammer duet, the fun innuendo in the title…
It tells the story of a frustrated lover, who would do anything for love, you know it’s true and that’s a fact. Except, for one thing. One thing that turns out to be vital. ‘That’. Many suggestions have been offered as to what ‘that’ is: some philosophical, some slightly more sexual… There’s even a Wikipedia entry on the ‘perceived ambiguity of ‘that’’. The video, directed by Michael Bay with a budget that would be the envy of many a feature film, pads the story out a bit more. Meat Loaf plays a monster, Dana Patrick plays a sexy siren, miming along to lines originally sung by Lorraine Crosby. It’s part ‘Beauty and the Beast’, part Channel 5 soft porn. At the end, the pair escape an approaching police squad on a motorbike. It’s every bit as fun, and as confusing, as the song itself, and I’d suggest a large factor in its success.
Speaking of the female vocalist, she has to wait a while before coming in, but when she does she makes the most of it. Will you cater to every fantasy I’ve got, Will you hose me down with holy water, If I get too hot? Hot! has to be one of the greatest lines ever in a number one single. It’s reminiscent of Meat Loaf’s other epic duets: with Cher on ‘Dead Ringer for Love’ and with Ellen Foley on ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’. Sadly, Crosby – like many of Loaf’s female partners – didn’t get a credit, or any royalties, for her part in the song.
Do we list this as the ‘90s version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? It’s every bit as epic, though not as genre-hopping. Or is it just a power ballad – possibly the ultimate power ballad? – the likes of which have been popping up at the top of the charts for a decade. The fun had started to fade, with bloated and boring turns by Bryan Adams and Whitney Houston, so Meat Loaf arrives just in time to inject some much needed OTT silliness to the genre. It was, of course, a creation of Jim Steinman, who also had a hand in another contender for best power-ballad ever: ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’.
My only complaint is that it doesn’t build to a crescendo, rather a more gentle finish as the woman lists the ways he’s going to break her heart and he, to my ears anyway, grudgingly agrees. But that’s a minor quibble about a song that has so many soaring peaks over the course of its epic runtime. The UK single edit comes in at 7mins 48s, making this the longest number one single ever at the time, beating ‘Hey Jude’s twenty-five year record. There’s a more manageable five and a half minute edit, and a frankly ridiculous twelve minute version on the album. Meanwhile, following on from Lulu, Meat Loaf becomes the second consecutive forty-something to top the charts (he was forty-six when this made it to the summit).
‘I Would Do Anything for Love’ is glorious, but I don’t think it quite hits the heights of some of the ‘Bat Out of Hell’ tunes. I was raised on that album as a child, and could quite probably sing all seven songs (plus ‘Dead Ringer’ on the deluxe version) word for word. But it did what none of those songs could do, and gave Meat Loaf a number one single… In twenty-eight countries, no less. It was only his second UK Top 10 hit, but he’d go on to have several more in the years that followed, including a #8 for a re-released ‘Bat Out of Hell’ in the wake of this. I saw him in concert in 2007 and, while it was a lot of fun, it was clear that his best days were behind him by then. He continued recording and performing well into his seventies, despite various health issues, remaining a larger than life presence on stage and in interviews, until his death from Covid-19 complications last year.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
It’s way over the top but that is what we expect from him. It’s a hell of lot more interesting than a dance track. Tracks like this either make it huge or flop bad…I’m glad for him it hit. I wish they would have invited Ellen Foley to sing the part…which would have made the circle complete.
It sounds like something lifted from a Broadway show..but most of his songs do.
It’s a shame the female singers rarely got the credit on his big duets…
Why not invite both to do the videos? Yea I never understood that.
Cher got a co-credit, I think, but then no way was she not getting one…!
Oh yes…that benefited them…so yes she got credit.
With Ellen Foley she didnt’ want to go on tour so I get that…but why not at least have her in the video? Same with this hit.
I get the feeling the actress in this video wasn’t picked for any particularly musical reasons…. 🙂
lol
She’d have chewed some ass.
Haha exactly!
That is due to Jim Steinman. All tracks from Bat Out of Hell II and the original were all written by Steinman. Bat Out of Hell III has some Steinman tracks. They collaborated, together, for their last album (Braver Than We Are), before Jim died in 2021 & Meat Loaf in 2022. They fought with each other, a lot…sued each other. They did make very interesting “stage” type music & videos.
Yes they were both contributing to it…but after Bat Out Of Hell…they knew it worked….and it certainly worked on this one.
Queen also was way over the top at times…but it did work.
Steinman was theatrical as hell…very over-the-top. I would have liked Meat Loaf to have brought in Holly Sherwood or Laurie Sargent. Both of those women had incredible voices.
I like reading about Meatloaf after Kennedy was killed….he had an interesting day
I’m not following…
Oh….google Meatloaf and Kennedy…. I don’t usually do this on other peoples blog but it IS interesting.
Holy crap! Talk about stumbling into things. Right place. Right time. The parking log job was funny.
I think Stewart may like that story…Sorry Stewart!
Um…”parking LOT”…geez…
Stewart should be used to us babbling all over his blog.
Yea lol he should.
No that is interesting! It seems to fit with the larger-than-life character of the guy that he’d find himself in the middle of it all…
Glad you liked it Stewart. It was really interesting.
Thought you might want to see this…someone found the footage of a teen Meatloaf at Parkland Hospital.
Wow, that is pretty cool! Thanks for sharing!
I do rather agree on the issue of the female singers being denied a credit. I’m sure Lulu would have insisted if it had been her. That apart, the power ballad to end all power ballads.So over the top that it’s pretty well out of sight, but you’ve got to love Meat Loaf for that sense of overblown drama that he always exuded. It’s easy to see why classical musicians and performers generally have Queen and Meat Loaf at the top of their list when asked for their pop and rock choices.
Yes, it’s a shame that it seems to be that their ‘name’ wasn’t big enough… But then Meat Loaf was hardly a household name when Bat Out Of Hell was released…
I’m usually not a fan of heavy productions, but in Meat Loaf’s case it somehow works. I think your comparison with Bohemian Rhapsody, another ridiculously overproduced yet brilliant song, is spot on.
It doesn’t jump around quite as much as Bo Rap, genre-wise, but in terms of the overall bloody size of the songs they’re definitely from the same family…
“Bat Out of Hell” just is a helluva song! 🙂
Rating: 5/5
What a ridiculous, outrageous, bombastic, ludicrous, campy, cheesy and silly song. God I love it. The original Bat Out of Hell is one of my all-time favourite albums (6/7 tracks are perfect, and the 7th song “For Cryin’ Out Loud” is near-perfect), and while the sequel isn’t as good, it’s still a very fine album.
This was the first Meat Loaf song I heard. I think it’s the first Meat Loaf song anyone born post-1980 hears. And the first music video. Maybe the best thing Michael Bay ever did? It’s an absolutely preposterous song and so unfashionable at this time, but that’s what makes it perfect for the time. I can’t buy this song being so big in Europe and Oceania, but this song doing as well as it did in the US is surprising, given what was happening in music at the time. But I guess you can’t ignore the adult market when people still bought albums/singles.
I love the use of the female singer in this song, providing the context as to what Meat Loaf won’t do. Even though he does tell the listener the things he won’t do.
Yes, it is quite obvious when you listen to the lyrics… And yet, ‘I would do anything for love, but I won’t screw around…’ kind of doesn’t make sense. Obviously you wouldn’t. I think people just wanted to read a dirty meaning into it, which I completely understand!
Well OTT! Pure Steinman, stageshowman Meat back on form after his non-Steinman rubbish 80’s output. Bat Out Of Hell is still the classic, but this had a lot of built-in love guaranteed from the huge original. The Bat Out Of Hell musical is great fun but not quite up there with the original of the genre – Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a young Meat Loaf getting axed. Re: female credit, I’m afraid not even Cher got a featuring mention. She’d not had a UK hit in 8 years so I was miffed she was denied a spot in the Guinness Book Of Hit Singles for a 1982 top 10 where she sang half the bloody song – she had to wait another 5 years for her own rock hit.
Did not know that! Always assumed Cher got a credit… Maybe she did retroactively…?
sadly not, it’s never been included on any published UK top 75 chart artist hits for either Cher or Meat Loaf but I see Wikipedia has retroactively given it to Cher (featuring Meat Loaf) LOL on her list of hit singles. The OCC doesnt list it though and it’s not added to any of her chart achievements, even though Sonny & Cher are (and they were a separate act in the same way The Beatles are not added to Paul McCartney’s totals!). Given a 2 second-rap generates a credit these days, Cher is still being robbed! 🙂
We need to start a campaign… #justiceforcher! Though I suppose she wasn’t short of Top 10 hits in the end…
sadly her new Xmas single didnt chart, so she’s owed Deadringer! DJ Play A Christmas Song is a bit early, but jaunty enough 🙂