I love this song too, but I think it's possible to over-analyse about it. Personally I don't think Jim Steinman or Meat Loaf are sophisticated enough to write songs with hidden meanings, or even non-obvious meanings. Steinman uses some pretty transparent techniques for his songwriting, such as the constant religious references to try to make things sound more dramatic and grand - sinner, gates of heaven, pure and good and right, hell, pit, tolling a bell... it goes on and on. Another of his techniques is to start with a phrase that has two meanings and write a whole song around it, e.g. For Crying Out Loud (meaning "for Pete's sake" or "for crying out with passion"), Left in the Dark (meaning "left without light" or "left uninformed"), You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (read it and see). It's quite clear that Steinman is just stringing together various songwriting techniques, and should not be taken too seriously.
Note also the way he writes for his market! It's all bikes, sex and rebelliousness, and don't get me wrong, those things are great, but if you think Steinman writes like that because that's who he is, forget it. He writes that way because he knows how to give his market what it wants.
Bat Out of Hell is a great song, but unless you're aged 17 and an impressionable biker yourself, you'll take it with a pinch of salt.
You might be right, that he writes his songs with his target audience in mind, but let's be honest, he does a damn' fine job. And what's wrong with a song that relates to you whe you're 17, and makes you still smile when you're 41? I still sing it out loud in the car, or when I'm washing the dishes.
You might be right, that he writes his songs with his target audience in mind, but let's be honest, he does a damn' fine job. And what's wrong with a song that relates to you whe you're 17, and makes you still smile when you're 41? I still sing it out loud in the car, or when I'm washing the dishes.
@songanalyst uh... "Personally I don\'t think Jim Steinman or Meat Loaf are sophisticated enough to write songs with hidden meanings" You wrote? That, dear stranger, is blasphemy.
@songanalyst uh... "Personally I don\'t think Jim Steinman or Meat Loaf are sophisticated enough to write songs with hidden meanings" You wrote? That, dear stranger, is blasphemy.
I love this song too, but I think it's possible to over-analyse about it. Personally I don't think Jim Steinman or Meat Loaf are sophisticated enough to write songs with hidden meanings, or even non-obvious meanings. Steinman uses some pretty transparent techniques for his songwriting, such as the constant religious references to try to make things sound more dramatic and grand - sinner, gates of heaven, pure and good and right, hell, pit, tolling a bell... it goes on and on. Another of his techniques is to start with a phrase that has two meanings and write a whole song around it, e.g. For Crying Out Loud (meaning "for Pete's sake" or "for crying out with passion"), Left in the Dark (meaning "left without light" or "left uninformed"), You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (read it and see). It's quite clear that Steinman is just stringing together various songwriting techniques, and should not be taken too seriously.
Note also the way he writes for his market! It's all bikes, sex and rebelliousness, and don't get me wrong, those things are great, but if you think Steinman writes like that because that's who he is, forget it. He writes that way because he knows how to give his market what it wants.
Bat Out of Hell is a great song, but unless you're aged 17 and an impressionable biker yourself, you'll take it with a pinch of salt.
You might be right, that he writes his songs with his target audience in mind, but let's be honest, he does a damn' fine job. And what's wrong with a song that relates to you whe you're 17, and makes you still smile when you're 41? I still sing it out loud in the car, or when I'm washing the dishes.
You might be right, that he writes his songs with his target audience in mind, but let's be honest, he does a damn' fine job. And what's wrong with a song that relates to you whe you're 17, and makes you still smile when you're 41? I still sing it out loud in the car, or when I'm washing the dishes.
@songanalyst uh... "Personally I don\'t think Jim Steinman or Meat Loaf are sophisticated enough to write songs with hidden meanings" You wrote? That, dear stranger, is blasphemy.
@songanalyst uh... "Personally I don\'t think Jim Steinman or Meat Loaf are sophisticated enough to write songs with hidden meanings" You wrote? That, dear stranger, is blasphemy.