Followers of Music Friday and those who hang here at the compound (where music is never more than a room away) know I'm a lyric guy...and a sucker for lyrics with the pain, lust and angst of songs about love and songs about betrayal:
"Where did he touch you and how did it feel?
And why did you let it begin?
What did he whisper, and when did you cry?
And where do you think it will end?
How long did you do it, and why did you stop?
Did you get to try anything new?
How good was he honestly, and were did you go?
And who made the very first move?
Who made the very first move?
Who made the very first move?"
Layer on choruses of horny angels that wash over you like honey...and you have the recently departed Jim Steinman.
That his roots were in musical theatre isn't hard to discern. His rock operettas penned for Meat Loaf sound like they could be easily stitched into the story line of a musical. Indeed, I missed "Whistle Down the Wire" by a week the last time I was in London. And, we had tickets to both the Minneapolis and Des Moines residencies of "Bat Out of Hell: The Musical" before both were inexplicably cancelled.
"Streets of Fire" was a generally forgettable movie (but beautifully shot with a great cast...and honestly, there's a lot worse streaming out there these days). Jim scored that one, too. And the track "Nowhere Fast" was incredible.
Of course, Meat Loaf became one of the biggest stars in '70s and '80s...powered by Jim's lyrical sensibility and the Meat's powerful on-stage persona. But, it was what was to be Meat's second album that hipped me to the figure behind the curtain. Meat had blown his voice during the first tour and was unable to perform when it was time to return to the studio...so Jim, not knowing if Meat would ever be able to return, recorded the album himself. "Bad for Good" was a lyrical tour de force.
"And I know that I'm gonna be like this forever.
I'm never gonna be what I should.
And you think that I'll be bad for just a little while,
But I know that I'll be bad for good."
Beyond the legacy of collaborative masterpieces with Meat Loaf, one of Jim's most powerful compositions was Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
By now, you can tell that I'm a fan boy and picking favorites is an agonizing assignment. But here they are:
Meat Loaf's "Objects in the Rearview Mirror."
There was salvation every night.
We got dreams reborn and our upholstery torn
But everything we tried was right.
She used my body just like a wound."
And this rendition of "Heaven Can Wait" by Karla DeVito (Meat's onstage foil on classics like "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."
Godspeed, indeed...and I pray your musicals return for us all.
OMG, another soundtrack to my teen age life! In particular, the "auto-reverse cassette deck powered by a 40-watt power booster blasting through three-way 6x9's in the in my car" era. My favorite was "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth" and still is today. Truth be told, it got my attention because it was my girlfriend's fav which helped my appreciation:) Ditto on the fanboy thing. The music was dark, but totally engrossing on all kinds of levels. It feels like a critical era has passed...RIP Jim w/deep appreciation.
Posted by: Lee T | April 23, 2021 at 09:28
"It must have been when you were kissing me," One of the best lyricists ever. Here's hoping his estate resurrects the "Bat Out of Hell" musical.
Posted by: Bill Geist | April 23, 2021 at 10:03